09/05/2026
Beautiful day at Bahr’s Mill! ☀️🇺🇸
Bahr’s Mill is a stone mill building built in 1897 to house Jacob Bahr’s (pronounced Bear) woodworking and grist mill business. It is part of a farm complex in the village of Gabelsville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The Bahr’s mill was home to a linseed oil mill from before 1828 until the 1890’s, and woodworking machinery was installed in the early 1870’s. The machinery, which includes a duplicating lathe, a polishing machine (belt sander) and a spoke-tenoning machine, has 1870 and 1871 patent dates. There are also two standard lathes, both over 10 feet long.
The mill was water-powered by the overshot wheel until severe flooding in 1938, when the dam washed out. Also, in 1945, the Bahr Family won a contract from the Boyertown Burial Casket Company for the sawmill (across the street), requiring more hours of operation than the millponds could provide. At that time, the woodworking business was largely ignored until Lawrence Bahr closed the sawmill in 1967.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mill has been completely restored. The original woodworking & corn grinding equipment, water wheel and some of the blacksmithing equipment remain intact.
Today the mill, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is restored inside and out. The Boyertown Area Historical Society purchased the Bahr’s Mill in 2023. The mission of the Boyertown Area Historical Society is to collect and preserve Boyertown’s historic items for future generations.
Preserving the Bahr’s Mill property is vital to this mission. Consider donating to help preserve the Mill: https://boyertownhistory.org/donate/
