Landmark 1863 Frohna Mill Gone

If you read my November 14 blog post about the Frohna Mill being torn down and thought you’d go see it before it was gone, you’re too late.

Frohna Mill Nov. 12, 2010

When I spotted the mill last fall, the main building was still intact. There was some hope of a last-minute reprieve, but the historic structure didn’t see the end of the year.

Linda Lorenz, curator of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial, said that her husband, Doyle, and some other volunteers were able to salvage some pieces of equipment from the 1863 mill for display at the museum, but far more was destroyed.

Mill site from the air

When Ernie and I were flying aerials Sunday, we made a pass over the mill site and saw nothing but fresh dirt.

Photo gallery of Frohna Mill site

This gallery is a lot less interesting than the one I ran in November. Very little remained. I have to admit that I stuck a bent square nail in my pocket and took a couple of rusted horseshoes home for Brother Mark.

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.

4 Replies to “Landmark 1863 Frohna Mill Gone”

  1. Wished I had known you were going up there, I would have had you scavenged that piece of galvanized tin for me. Thanks for picking up the pieces that you did for me though…

    So what are the plans for the now flattened area? Are they going to put up a parking lot?

    1. I think it’s going to be hard to find a use for it. The size and shape of it pretty much rules it out for most uses.

      Somehow or another, I don’t think there’s much demand for parking lots in Frohna.

  2. Richard Young, a former Historic Preservation student at Southeast, did an excellent structural documentation project on the mill, which we have in Kent Library’s Special Collections. He updated the project recently when the mill was torn down. Fortunately, we have documentation like Richard’s for these disappearing structures.

    1. Glad to hear that, Lisa.

      You’re welcome to anything I’ve shot of it.

      I’m not sure the folks I talked with in the area were aware of his project. I’ll make sure to tell them next time I’m in town.

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