Built 1914 (1914) Opened 1914 Added to NRHP 3 November 1979 | NRHP Reference # 79000147 Area 4,000 m² | |
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Location Branch Mill Rd., just over the line from Palermo in China, Maine | ||
The Dinsmore Grain Company Mill is a historic early 20th-century mill building on Branch Mill Road in China, Maine. Built in 1914 on the site with nearly 100 years of industrial use, it was (as of its 1979 listing on the National Register of Historic Places) a well-preserved and functional period water-powered grist mill and sawmill.
Description and history
The Dinsmore Mill is located just west of the village center of Palermo, Maine, across the town line in China. It is set astride the West Branch Sheepscot River, which drains Branch Pond to the north and is impounded by the dam located beneath the mill structure. The mill is a 2-1/2 story frame structure, rectangular in shape, covered by a gabled roof and wooden shingle siding. A three-story tower rises near the center of the southern (street-facing) facade; it is also capped by a gabled roof. The ground floor of the building houses the main works, which include a water-driven turbine and the milling equipment. A conveyor belt provides access to the upper floor, which was historically used for the storage of grain.
The first documented mill at this site was in operation in 1817, owned by Joseph Hacker. It was later taken over by Hacker's son-in-law, who partnered in 1879 with his son-in-law, Thomas Dinsmore. Dinsmore passed the mill on to his son, James R.B. Dinsmore. He is responsible for construction of the present building, after the older one was destroyed by fire (along with adjacent houses) in 1908. At first just a grist mill, it was expanded in 1935 by James Kenneth Dinsmore to again also function as a sawmill. The mill operated until 1960.
The mill has in the 2010s been the source of some local controversy. The main building has deteriorated, and the dam underneath has been unable to support the consistently high levels of water desired by the owners of waterfront on Branch Pond and mandated by the state's Department of Environmental Protection. As of early 2016, the mill owners, who want to restore it to operation as a museum, are at an impasse with local and state authorities, as they claim to be unable to lower the water levels sufficiently to effect needed repairs on the dam. Structural instability due to the building's deteriorated condition will make such repair work difficult and potentially dangerous.