Hanford Mill
Also known as: Kelso Mill
Why it's listed
Hanford Mill is a 50-acre industrial complex at East Meredith, New York, built around a four-story wood-frame mill whose oldest section dates from the 1820s. Later additions came in the 1870s, 1880s and 1900s. The grounds include a raceway, a mill pond, a depot with grain elevator, a hardware store, barns, and a stretch of old railroad. Inside, an overshot steel waterwheel installed in 1925 powered belts that ran lathes, saws, sanders and grindstones, and two steam engines remain. The mill began as a small sawmill and grew after David Hanford bought it in 1860, adding a gristmill and woodworking equipment. Its workers made house parts, patterns for iron castings, and household goods, and the mill once generated electricity for the village. Business declined after World War I, and the mill was sold in 1945. It was listed as a well-preserved example of industrial technology, with machinery and records largely intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the mill as an outstanding, well-preserved industrial complex with much of its apparatus and records intact. It shows the technology and growth of a local saw and gristmill that used nearby water and wood to make goods for local use and wider sale. It also traces the mill's rise under 85 years of Hanford ownership and its decline after World War I.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73001178, listed March 26, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | On CR 12, East Meredith |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | March 26, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001178 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (mill from the 1820s; 20th century activity also described) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as altered, with preservation work in progress and operating as a museum at the time of nomination; the main building retains its original office, steam engines and woodworking machinery. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Coordinates | 41.85428, -74.88998 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73001178.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5647799
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.