The Hilltown Hikers spent Sunday at the Bisbee Mill Museum in Chesterfield
to tour the one of a kind preserved grist mill and meet with Dan Bisbee.
The museum is located at 66 East Street in Chesterfield and is on the
National Registry of Historic Places.  If you have not been, here is your
chance!  The mill is open to the public again on October 11th from 1:00 pm
to 4:00pm.  Bisbee Mill is a working 19th century gristmill, and Bisbee will
run the 1927 Hercules one lunger engine which will power the gristmill and
grind corn right before your eyes.  There are three floors of historical
artifacts here covering Chesterfield’s Industrial and Agricultural Heritage
including a woodworking shop and a blacksmith shop…big displays where you
walk in and time stands still.  The Hilltown Hikers were extremely impressed
to see pieces of Chesterfield White Granite which came from the white
granite quarry and was once owned by the Chester Granite Company and the
granite finished at the Chester Granite Saw.  The feel inside of the museum
was impressive and three hours is barely enough time to see all of the
artifacts.  We were impressed by the many sleds, carts and even the hearse
cart complete with a coffin, yes a hearse! The Westfield Whip history even
has a presence here as thousands of whip handles were crafted here.  The
massive penstock still remains intact and can be seen in the cellar when
water from the canal in the back of the mill was used to power this mill.
We also learned about the Bisbee family and all of the different industries
that they were involved in here in Chesterfield including the manufacturing
of broom handles, wagons, buggies, carts, wagon wheels, sleighs, coffins,
farm tools and so much more.  In the mid 1960’s the operations here ended
and the building became a lumber warehouse.  Visit the Bisbee Mill, right
here in our backyard, one of the most impressive pieces of hilltown history
we have seen!

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