Mill at Lobachsville
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Along Pine Creek in Pike Township, a short distance north of Lobachsville, a rural complex of ten historic resources centres on a gristmill built by David Reinert in 1887. The mill is stone to the third story, which is frame, and it retains its milling machinery, three pairs of millstones and bagging hoist. Its origins lie in a house-mill dating to around 1745, whose house portion survives as a stone and frame farmhouse with a Germanic central chimney. Other buildings include a bank barn of c. 1814, a summer kitchen with a large fireplace and bake oven, a settler's cabin, an ice house and a pig sty. The mill was in constant operation until 1965, and a head race roughly one third mile long still supplies water to its pond. The complex is valued for its association with the county gristmill industry, where mills were part of working farms, and for its typical Berks County mill and farm buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant for its association with the county gristmill industry, as a representative example of mills that were part of family farms. It is also presented as an architecturally significant mill and farm complex whose buildings are typical Berks County types. The mill operated for about two hundred years and retains its machinery and millstones.
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 90001624, listed November 8, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Mill Rd. at Pine Cr., Pike Township, Lobachsville |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | November 8, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001624 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1745 to 1939 |
| Architect / builder | David Reinert (builder of the present mill) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Milling ended in 1965 after the last full-time miller; the property was later used as an office and an archives building, and the overshot water wheel was removed in 1976. |
| Acreage | 31 |
| Within district | Oley Township Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.41357, -75.72763 (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 90001624.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6858452
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.