Evans-Mumbower Mill
Evans-Mumbower Mill Open House Tours
Free tours of the Mill are given at 1:00pm to 4:00pm on the third Sunday of the
month in the spring, summer and fall, except October. After a brief slide show about the Mill’s history, you
will take a guided tour to learn more about how the mill worked and what
life was like in this area in previous centuries. After the tour you can
browse in the museum and see artifacts from the Mill’s archaeological dig.
Tour Dates for 2010
Sunday, April 18
Sunday, May 16
Sunday, June 20 - Special Fathers' Day Tours
Sunday, July 18
Sunday, August 15
Sunday, September 19 - Old Fashioned Mill Day
Saturday, October 23 - The Ghost of Henry Mumbower, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Sunday, November 14
To arrange for group tours of Evans-Mumbower Mill contact the Wissahickon
Valley Watershed Association at 215-646-8866.
There will be an archaeology project at the Mill for the
2010 season. There are two days scheduled for each month beginning in
May and ending in September. If you are interested in participating,
come in some clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. Wear shoes with
closed toes. Bring your lunch and a pair of garden gloves. No experience
is required. To see the schedule for the archaeology project click
HERE
About Evans-Mumbower Mill
Once scores of mills lined the banks of the Wissahickon Creek using and
reusing the creek's water to power industries which sawed wood, made paper, ground grain,
and manufactured felt. Today nearly all of these buildings are gone, having been destroyed
or converted to other uses. One, however, still stands, preserved so the public can
understand what an old Wissahickon mill was like and how important such buildings were to
the economy of the area. It is Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association's Evans-Mumbower
Mill.
 While the present Evans-Mumbower Mill appears to date to the early 1800's,
records indicate the construction of a saw mill and fulling mill by Abraham Evans in
1745. The mill changed hands several times in the late 1700's. It was reported to
have been demolished and then a new mill built sometime in the late 18th century. The
present building has a date stone of 1835; however, this may indicate a time of renovation
or new ownership. The mill was acquired by Henry Mumbower in 1858, and a member of that
family operated the grist mill until around 1930. For more information about
families associated with the mill visit our
Mill Families page.
 Evans-Mumbower Mill reflects its times and the people who used it. The
present structure operated as a mill for nearly 100 years. It was an industrial building
and as such shows signs of the technological changes which took place during its lifetime.
Originally powered by a water wheel, in later years it was run by a steam or gasoline
engine. Other changes in machinery and layout are evident as well.
For years Evans-Mumbower Mill sat abandoned and deteriorating, rain pouring
in through its rotted roof. In 1984 the Towamencin Historical Society
acquired the mill and initiated repairs. In 1987 ownership passed to the
Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, which has done much repair and
restoration work during the past twenty years. In 2008, the mill property
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Presently, WVWA is restoring
the mill's water wheel and millstones to functioning condition. Thus, the
process of preserving this piece of local history continues.
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