Bramanville Mill
Also known as: Chickering Grist Mill
Why it's listed
Beside Cobleskill Creek in the hamlet of Bramanville, this thirty-by-fifty-foot grist mill rises two and a half stories, with its gable end facing the road. It has beveled siding, a wood shingle roof, six-over-six windows and a hoist under the ridge overhang. A 1,200-foot millrace and an eleven-foot boulder dam once supplied water. Inside, much of the milling equipment survives, including stones, bolters, purifiers, grain bins, scales and three turbines in the cellar that replaced an overshot wheel. A mill is reported on the site from 1790, and Nelson Eckerson is said to have rebuilt it around 1816. John S. Cary, a millwright and inventor, owned it from 1875, and Thomas Chickering ran it until 1924. The mill was listed because it served local farmers for roughly 150 years and is the last intact Schoharie County grist mill with its machinery. It stood unused when documented, with restoration planned.
Significance in brief: The mill is significant for serving area farmers for about 150 years. It is also a well-preserved example of a technologically obsolete mill with its equipment largely intact. The form states it is the last of the 45 grist mills operating in Schoharie County in 1821 that remains intact with its machinery.
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 76001276, listed August 27, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | E of Cobleskill on Caverns Rd., Cobleskill |
|---|---|
| County | Schoharie County |
| Listed | August 27, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001276 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Nelson Eckerson |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant, with work in progress; the owners planned to restore the water flow and bring the mill back to working condition. Milling ceased in 1924. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.68821, -74.40572 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 76001276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4956097
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.