{"nrhp_refnum":"90001614","name":"Dreibelbis Mill","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of Dreibelbis Mill and Bellevue Rds., Perry Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Shoemakersville","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.50723795500005,"lon":-75.95441286482276,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-11-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Engineering","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick gristmill, two and one-half stories tall, with a stone basement, in Perry Township near Shoemakersville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Enoch Wartzenluft built it in 1854 on an older mill site, and it sits on about 11 acres with its dam, pond, head race and tail race.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mill is a well preserved example of mill architecture that documents technological change in milling from the 1850s onward. It shows the shift from water-powered millstones to steam, diesel and roller milling. Its history also reflects wider patterns in the Berks County milling industry, and it was known for roasted cornmeal and White Rose pastry flour.","narrative":"Dreibelbis Mill is a brick gristmill on a triangle of land formed by two township roads in Perry Township, east of Shoemakersville. Enoch Wartzenluft built it in 1854, replacing an earlier log mill said to date from 1790. It was first a merchant mill serving a wide region and was among the first in Berks County to add steam power. In 1904 Cleophas Dreibelbis added a three-story storage building, and roller mills replaced two of the four pairs of millstones for making flour. One pair of stones stayed in use for roasted cornmeal, which customers traveled many miles to buy. A diesel engine has powered the mill since 1944. The Dreibelbis family operated it until it closed in 1985. The mill still holds its turbine, millstones, roller stands, sifters and elevators, along with the dam, pond and races. It was listed for its architecture and for showing how a stone mill adapted to modern flour production.","period_of_significance":"1854 - 1939","architect_builder":"Enoch Wartzenluft (builder of the present mill in 1854, per the narrative); form lists Architect/Builder as N/A","architectural_style":"Other: Gristmill","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant/not in use; the mill was operated until 1985, when it closed. The building is described as in generally good condition, and the interior in very good condition.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:59:06.368327-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/90001614.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001614/c8ef50e690-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001614/c8ef50e690-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Shuvaev","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dreibelbis_Mill,_BerksCo_PA_01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Shuvaev</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dreibelbis_Mill,_BerksCo_PA_01.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992334","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreibelbis_Mill","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5306886"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/dreibelbis-mill-90001614/"}