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 enterprise had failed and it was 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. 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. The machinery was removed in the 1940s. However, the exterior of the mill has retains most of its original appearance. Ruins of the mill race remain on the property.
The Brockerhoff Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Ford Risley
Sources:
National Register of Historic Place, Brockerhoff Mill Nomination Form.
Historic Buildings of Centre County Pennsylvania. The Historic Registration Project of Centre County Library. Gregory Ramsey, Coordinator. University Park: Keystone Books, 1980.
First Published: January 4, 2022
Last Modified: April 2, 2022