Somerset County is practically bursting at the seams with history. It’s around every bend, behind every old stone wall, and tucked between the modern buildings we pass without a second glance. Take Route 202, for example. Thousands of cars travel this historic corridor every day, rushing from one destination to another, often oblivious to the centuries of stories hiding in plain sight. We’re guilty of it ourselves!
One such treasure is the old Van Dorn Mill, nestled in a small hamlet of Bernards Township. The Mr. Local History team has driven past this historic landmark hundreds of times, always promising to stop someday. Well, someday finally arrived. We pulled over, slowed down, and took a closer look. What we discovered reminded us why we love local history in the first place: sometimes the most fascinating stories aren’t found in museums or history books. They’re sitting right beside the road, just waiting for someone curious enough to stop.
Here’s that story.
Van Dorn Mill History (Franklin Corners, Bernards Township)
The Van Dorn Mill has three main chapters: the beginning, the middle, and the present. The Mill is named after its founder. Ferdinand Van Dorn built it in 1842 in what is known as the Franklin Corners section of Bernards Township along the Passaic River; it provided flour and cornmeal to the community until the early 1940s.
The original stonework has remained largely unchanged since its 1842 construction. The previous mill on the site, along with its grain barn, dates back to 1768, when Samuel Lewis built the first mill on the grounds. Lewis’s grandson, Richard Southard, then acquired the lands, mill & barn (now The Grain House restaurant) in 1777. The mill ground grain into grist (flour) for Washington’s Continental Army, which camped just up the road at Morristown’s Jockey Hollow during the Revolutionary War for the winter of 1776-1777 and the winter of 1778-1779, known as the harshest winter of the Revolution. The mill served an important purpose to feed the troops.
Continuing the Lewis lineage, Samuel Woodward owned and operated the mill from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. Woodward’s son-in-law, Ferdinand Van Dorn, married Phoebe Samuel Woodward and Phebe Southard, took over the family mill and decided to raze it to build a new stone mill in 1842 for $5,000. Rumor has it that the mill paid for itself in one year. Born on April 17, 1807, in New Jersey, Ferdinand Van Dorn was the son of William A. and Elsie Sutton Van Dorn. Three generations of Van Dorns owned and operated the mill from 1848 to the early 1920s. Ferdinand Van Dorn lived to 1902 and died on December 7, 1902, at age 95.
The Van Dorn Mill is part of the Franklin Corners Historic District, added to both the State and National Historic Registries on May 12, 1975. The name derives from the American patriot Benjamin Franklin.
The mill’s lower foundation walls are almost 9′ thick. The yearlong construction took 25 men who stayed with the Van Dorns. The master mason was paid $1 per day, and the workers $0.25 per day. Van Dorn stated at the time of construction that there was “more stone below the ground than above ground.”
We found a great book that describes water-powered buildings from the 18th century and the inner workings of a mill. The History and Future of Naturally Powered Buildings by David Larkin. New York, 2000. A mill with a vertical wheel used gearing to transfer water power to the vertical shaft and turn the millstones. A mill with a horizontal wheel often used the wheel’s shaft to turn the millstones directly. The massive crushing gristmill stones weigh around 2,400 pounds each.
The Middle Era (Post Van Dorn) 1902-1941
When Ferdinand Van Dorn passed away in 1902 and was laid to rest in nearby Evergreen Cemetery, another chapter in the old mill’s history came to a close. The property passed through other family members’ hands and eventually to Ingersoll & Eames before a new owner in 1929: William Childs, whose family name was already well known in New Jersey politics and the American restaurant business.
The Childs family had made its mark in two very different worlds: politics and food. William’s brother, Samuel Childs, served as a New Jersey State Senator, while William helped revolutionize how Americans dined out. As a founder of the famous Childs Restaurant chain, William pioneered cafeteria-style dining, where customers picked up a tray, strolled past tempting displays of freshly prepared dishes, and selected whatever caught their eye. It was a novel idea at a time when traditional table service ruled the restaurant world.
What began as an innovative approach to dining grew into a restaurant empire, eventually reaching 107 locations across the country. The Childs name became synonymous with affordable, respectable dining and a new way of serving the American public. The company also pioneered restaurant service, helping shape the dining experience generations of Americans would come to know. Another fascinating Childs restaurant story is worth sharing, but we’ll save that little piece of history for the end of our journey.
Childs also moved the original grain barn across Route 202 and turned it into the Grain House Restaurant on the grounds of the Olde Mill Inn. The Grain House restaurant recently celebrated its 250th anniversary, an achievement you don’t typically see. The exterior structure is still the same, and you can definitely feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you walk through the entrance. (See story below). Mr. and Mrs. Van Dorn moved from the mill in the 1920s, when Charles Ingersoll, the watchmaker, bought it.
Van Dorn Mill Modern Era 1980-Present
In 1980, Haines Lundberg Waehler acquired the mill for his New York-based architectural firm bearing his name. The mill had been vacant since 1941 and was in terrible shape. But they were not phased. They adapted the mill’s interior by restoring the original mill’s workings and adding office space for about twenty employees. Restoration costs were estimated at more than $500,000, according to Frank J. Waehler, the partner who led the effort.
Built along the Passaic River, the structure was rerouted away from the river to preserve its integrity. During renovations, they decided to save the wheel under the ground-level staircase. The Van Dorn Mill is currently home to Innovation Educational Programs, who were kind enough to let our photographer in for a few shots after the restoration.
Art and History
In our opinion, the Van Dorn Mill is really the Childs’ Mill. But that’s a debate for another time. The name may hold,d as the mill was added to the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. The Franklin Corners Historic District is a 47-acre historic district that includes the community along Hardscrabble and Childs roads in Bernards Township. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 12, 1975, for its significance in architecture, commerce, education, and industry. The district includes 11 contributing buildings. A magnet for artists and history buffs, the Van Dorn Mill is one of our coloring book’s favorite coloring pages.
Additional MLH History Posts including the Van Dorn Mill
Mr. Local History has been enjoying the Franklin Corners area for years. Take a look at other stories including the Van Dorn Mill and the Franklin Corners Historic District in Bernards Township, New Jersey.
