Progress Report

We continue to work to bring The Robinson Sawmill back as a working mill. As you know, we have been busy for the past few years. Some of the most important accomplishments:

• We completely rebuilt the stone foundation of the mill and replaced many of the structural beams that had begun to fail;

• The mill is now level and true which will enable us to reset all the original and locally-made Lane Manufacturing machinery so it can run properly; 

• We have completely rebuilt the “planer” shed which sits closest to the road.

All this was possible because of the generosity – both financial and in-kind – of hundreds of people like you for whom this esoteric place holds a special spot in their hearts. For that we are grateful.

We are excited to announce the next phase of the restoration. This fall we expect to begin - and finish – the last remaining large infrastructure project at the mill. Right now water cannot flow through the penstock because of accumulated mud in the pond and because the valve that opens and closes the penstock needs to be replaced. We will tackle those problems this year. 

We have in hand a realistic proposal of $35,000 to remove just enough sediment to enable us to install a water valve that will never again be blocked by sediment because it will draw water from the surface of the pond rather than from the bottom. This device is in keeping with the state requirement that we use only “run of the river.” We will begin work on the penstock at the end of August and will complete it by October 2023.