Farmar Mill
National Register of Historic Places

Farmar Mill

Fort Washington, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Listed
May 18, 1972
Type
Building
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
72001140

About this property

Farmar Mill, also known as Mathers Mill, is a historic mill building. The mill was powered by the Wissahickon Creek and is located on Mather's Lane near Skippack Pike (Pennsylvania Route 73), and just west of the historic Bethlehem Pike in the village of Whitemarsh (near Fort Washington), Pennsylvania, in the United States. The water-powered gristmill was built around the year 1690 by Edward Farmar. Farmar's father was a British army officer living in Ireland who had purchased a 5,000-acre (2,000 ha) parcel of land in Pennsylvania from William Penn. This tract contained most of what is present-day Whitemarsh Township. Farmar's father died before he could move his family to America, but his mother brought the family to America in 1685, settling in the area of present-day Fort Washington. Farmar Mill was the original terminus for Skippack Pike, which was established in 1713. By 1722, a road also existed from Farmar Mill, through the village of Three Tuns, to Richard Saunders' ferry, on the Neshaminy Creek (later the village of Bridge Point, now Edison) in Bucks County. In 1740, Quaker businessman Samuel Morris bought a one-half interest in the mill, and bought the remaining half interest after Farmar's death in 1746. During the period of 1743 and 1748, Morris was building his country mansion "Whitemarsh Estate" (later known as Hope Lodge) a mere stone's throw from Farmar's Mill. After Morris' death in 1770, his brother Joshua sold the mill and 4 acres (16,000 m2) of land to Isaac Mather, whose son Joseph built the present mill in 1820. Farmar Mill is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Today, Farmar Mill is part of a museum and historic site at Hope Lodge operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Due to concerns of structural integrity, the building is not open to the public.

Location

Fort Washington, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
40.12399, -75.21897

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCEMILITARYAGRICULTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Nearby Historic Sites

Hope Lodge
Industrial
0.2 mi
Union School
Civil War
0.3 mi
Highlands, The
Industrial
1 mi
County Bridge No. 54
Industrial
1.1 mi
Black Horse Inn
Industrial
1.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Whitemarsh
1777Revolutionary War
0.4 mi
Battle of Whitemarsh
1777Revolutionary War
0.7 mi
Battle of Barren Hill (Pennsylvania)
1778Revolutionary War
2.3 mi
Battle of Germantown — Chew House
1777Revolutionary War
5.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Farmar Mill listed on the National Register?

Farmar Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Farmar Mill?

Farmar Mill is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Farmar Mill?

The period of significance for Farmar Mill is recorded as the colonial era, specifically around 1690.

Can I research the history near Farmar Mill?

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