Long-Hawerter Mill
Why it's listed
Built about 1800 as a banked one and a half story stone gristmill with a slate roof, the Long/Hawerter Mill stands on the Little Lehigh Creek in Longswamp Township, Berks County. It was powered by an exterior water wheel fed by a stone dam and headrace. Over its life it served as a fulling mill, a custom grinding mill for farmers and neighbors, a red ochre works, and a feed mill. Frame additions for a cider press and a maple sugar house were built about 1910. Its interior holds early twentieth-century feed milling equipment made by the Robinson Company of Muncy, Pennsylvania. The mill is regarded as one of the few surviving examples of the small country custom mill in Berks County, a building type that was once common when farmers brought grain to local millers and paid a share of it for grinding. Its surviving stone construction, six-over-six sash, and gabled hoist dormer are cited as its key architectural features.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the mill is one of only a few surviving examples of the small country custom mill type identified in the Berks County Gristmill Survey, and that it represents an earlier era when custom milling dominated the local trade. It is significant for its architecture and for its association with the county's gristmill industry.
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 90001623, listed November 8, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Longsdale Rd. at Little Lehigh Cr., Longswamp Township, Topton |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | November 8, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001623 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C 1800 1939 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Feed milling equipment remains in the mill; the steel water wheel is in poor condition and the cider press has been removed; the mill ground feed until the 1950s. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.48933, -75.66347 (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.
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 90001623.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6671820
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.