Brockerhoff Mill is a historic grist mill in Benner Township and one of only two brick mill buildings still standing in Centre County.
Daniel Turner developed the area around the mill on the west side of Spring Creek near Bellefonte in the 1790s, building a forge, sawmill, and gristmill. However, by 1801 the enterprises had failed and they were sold at a sheriff’s sale.
A series of owners, including Jacob Roop, operated the mills. Roop, the owner of a gun factory in Spring Township, had erected a brewery on nearby property in 1826. He later sold his property, including the gristmill and brewery, to Joshua and Michael Fishburn.
In 1847, the Fishburns were unable to pay their debt and the enterprises were sold at a sheriff’s sale to Henry Brockerhoff. Born in Germany to wealthy parents, Brockerhoff had moved to Centre County in 1825 and later built the Brockerhoff House hotel in Bellefonte.
It is believed that Brockerhoff built the mill in 1859, although the date is not certain. Local farmers brought grain to be ground into into flour or flour. The mill, equipped with four milling stones, produced about seventy barrels of flour a day. Brockerhoff died in 1878, but his sons continued operating the mill.
The four-story mill, which features heavy timber framing and iron star bolt tension roads, retains most of its original exterior appearance, including the Victorian detailing and iron star bolts. The machinery was removed in the 1940s. The mill later was converted into rental units.
The Brockerhoff Mill is one of only three mills still standing in the Spring Creek Watershed. The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Ruins of the mill race remain on the property.
Ford Risley
Sources:
Historic Buildings of Centre County Pennsylvania. The Historic Registration Project of Centre County Library. Gregory Ramsey, Coordinator. University Park: Keystone Books, 1980.
National Register of Historic Places, Brockerhoff Mill Nomination Form, 1979.
First Published: January 4, 2022
Last Modified: November 18, 2024