Droescher's Mill is located in
Cranford,
Union County,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, United States. The mill was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on January 8, 1974. It is the oldest continuously operated commercial building in New Jersey.
History
Also known as the Williams-Droescher Mill, Droescher's Mill is the last remaining mill on the
Rahway River. It was constructed in 1737 by Benjamin Williams as a saw mill alongside a dam. Williams used the flow of the river to turn an undershot water wheel to power his saws. Lumber cut here went into the construction of the first houses built in the area. Shortly before his death in 1779, Williams erected a second building only a few feet from his sawmill for the manufacture of woolens.
In 1902, Severin R. Droescher bought the mill and renovated it into the structure as seen today. S.R. Droescher used it to run the Cranford Oil Stone Works where
whetstones and
oilstones were made.
Lincoln Ave East and Lincoln Ave West, the road that passes through Cranford and on which the mill sits, was originally part of the Naraticong Trail, a route to the sea of the Unami tribe of the
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, LĂ«napeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
people. Lincoln Avenue was known as the
Old York Road
Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...
by the 1700s, a colonial road from
Elizabeth to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
Aside from the Naraticong Trail, the Great
Minisink Trail also passed through Cranford as a traditional
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, LĂ«napeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
route to collect marine foods at the shore.
Rahway River Parkway
The mill and surrounding parkland are
local landmarks along the Cranford section of the
Rahway River Parkway, a nearly century-old
greenway of parkland that hugs the
Rahway River and its tributaries throughout
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties. Its county seat is Elizabeth. . It was designed in the 1920s by the well-known
Olmsted Brothers firm, sons of the eminent landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
.
The Cranford section of the parkway follows the banks of the meandering
Rahway River as it flows south through
Lenape Park Lenape Park is a 450-acre wildlife reserve and park that is part of the Rahway River Parkway in Union County, New Jersey. The park is located in four towns: Westfield, Springfield, Kenilworth, and Cranford.
It is linked by a crosswalk to Nomahe ...
,
Nomahegan Park
Cranford is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increase of 1,222 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count ...
, Hampton Park, MacConnell Park, Girl Scout Park, the
Cranford Canoe Club
The Cranford Canoe Club is one of the oldest canoe clubs in the United States and a community landmark known as part of Cranford, New Jersey's historic fabric and identity for over 100 years. The current canoe club, while not the first, is the la ...
, Hanson Park, Sperry Park, Josiah Crane Park, Droescher's Mill Park (also known as Squire Williams Park), and Mohawk Park.
The "Friends of Rahway River Parkway," a nonprofit group, has been formed exclusively to encourage and advocate for the preservation, restoration and enhancement of the Rahway River Parkway, in accord with the
Olmsted Olmsted may refer to:
People
* Olmsted (name)
Places
* Olmsted Air Force Base, inactive since 1969
* Olmsted, Illinois
* Olmsted County, Minnesota
* Olmsted Falls, Ohio
* Olmsted Point, a viewing area in Yosemite National Park
* Olmsted Townshi ...
design principles inherent in its origins, and to promote appropriate public enjoyment of the Parkway.
Alluem Yoga, a yoga studio located in the mill, has organized Rahway River Parkway clean-ups on the stretch of the Parkway at the mill.
Cranford Riverwalk
The Cranford Riverwalk and Heritage Corridor portion of the Rahway River Parkway begins at the parklands near where Orange Avenue meets Springfield at the
Cranford Canoe Club
The Cranford Canoe Club is one of the oldest canoe clubs in the United States and a community landmark known as part of Cranford, New Jersey's historic fabric and identity for over 100 years. The current canoe club, while not the first, is the la ...
and follows the
Rahway River on its path southbound to the
mill.
See also
*
Cranford Historical Preservation Advisory Board Cranford, New Jersey, Cranford, New Jersey is home to a diverse number of historic architectural styles, historically significant buildings, and landmarks. Structures dating from 1740 through the present can be found in a relatively small area of th ...
*
*
List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
This article attempts to list the oldest extant buildings surviving in the state of New Jersey in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in New Jersey and any other surviving structures. Some dates are approximate and based upo ...
*
Old York Road
Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...
*
List of crossings of the Rahway River
The Rahway River drainage basin encompasses approximately 41 square miles in Union, Essex, and Middlesex counties in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Rahway River consists of four separate branches that converge in R ...
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Union County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Union County, New Jersey
Cranford, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Rahway River
Sawmills in the United States