Eden Mill Nature Center   1617 Eden Mill Road    Pylesville, MD 21132     410-836-3050   edenmillnaturecenter@gmail.com

History of Eden Mill

      The Mill was built in the early 1800's by the Stansbury family. It was named after Father Eden, a local Priest, who served the area. Records do not show how long the Stansbury family  operated the mill, but in the late 1800's the mill's ownership was transferred to two gentlemen named Martseller and Van Sant.

     In 1905, Frank Wolfe bought the mill and operated it and a saw mill beside it. The saw mill was steam powered, and in 1908, sparks from the steam engine ignited the mill buildings causing them to be destroyed by fire. Mr. Wolfe rebuilt the mill (the present one), but soon thereafter it went back into the possession of Martseller and Van Sant. In 1910, the mill was sold to Marshall Stokes who operated it until 1917.

     In 1917, a corporation of businessmen from Fawn Grove, Pa., known as the Fawn Grove Light and Power Company, bought the mill and converted it into a power plant. This required new machinery and the rebuilding of the dam to a greater height. The conversion work was completed in 1921. The new power plant provided electricity for Fawn Grove and New Park, Pa. the mill supplied 2,200 volts of electricity and provided for Smith's Canning House, Anderson's Feed Mill, and Ruff's Fawn Grove Lumber Mill. In 1920 the corporation bought the Stansbury mansion adjacent to the mill as a residence for the mill manager. In 1927, the Glen rock Light and Power Company bought the electric lines and the Eden Mill power plant was no longer needed.

The corporation sold the mill to James T. Smith who changed the method of grinding feed from the calico sandstones used earlier, to the  hammer mill. Flour was ground with steel rollers. The flour was rated as a 50 barrel mill, meaning it could grind 50 barrels of flour in 24 hours. The mill was used at times in its history to provide flour, cornmeal, buckwheat, as well as animal feeds. Mr. Smith added to the mill during his ownership. The storage building was added to the old part of the mill which is the center portion of the building. The mill last operated in 1964 until Mr. Smith died, when the mill was sold to settle his estate. In 1964, Harford County Department of Parks and Recreation acquired the mill and 57 acres that now comprise Eden Mill Nature Center and Park.

     In 1991 a group of community Leaders and Educators created the Eden Mill Nature Center to "Provide an opportunity for all people to develop a greater appreciation and awareness of the historical and natural resources of the area." This community group became the Eden Mill Nature Committee, Inc. 

     Through their efforts and with the support of many businesses in the community, they have sustained the Nature Center. They also designed, built, and maintained over 5 miles of hiking trails, initiated the preservation of the 200 year old mill, purchased ten canoes and developed and set standards for conducting enviromental canoe trips. They built a new community meeting room, worked with Harford County to have a pavilion and pedestrian bridge constucted, developed and conducted enviromental education programs that have reached over 40,000 people in the last 6 years, and initiated the design and development of an accessible canoe launch that will allow everyone to enjoy the wonders of nature. They have provided a resource of naturalist, enviromental, and experiential educators that work with other educational facilties throughout Harford County. They initiated evening, family-oriented canoe trips, developed and constructed kid friendly exhibits in the Nature Center, and established a working relationship with Harford Glen Enviromental Education Center where Harford County school students teachers use Eden Mill canoes and facilities for enviromental trips that reach hundreds of Harford County school students each year. They established a canoe training program used by Harford County Schools, and have and continue to conduct and develop numerous outdoor education programs. Without the invaluable interest and dedication of this group of community leaders, the Eden Mill facility would still most likely be today - a vacant building.

Eden Mill Nature Center

& Historic Grist Mill Museum