Clinger-Moses Mill Complex
Also known as: Clement's Mill
Why it's listed
Chester Springs, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is the site of a milling complex whose oldest saw mill is thought to date from about 1764 or earlier. A grist mill is documented on the property by 1795. The complex includes a fieldstone grist mill of Civil War vintage, a saw mill now converted to a cottage, a massive stone dam with an overflow that dominates the view, a main miller's house built in 1801 of fieldstone, and a barn with a date stone reading 1800. The house and barn carry inscriptions dated 1800 and 1801, and the nomination attributes their construction to Mattias Fox, owner of the mills from 1796 to 1802. Its importance rests on the long continuous operation of its mills, the scale of its dam, and the survival of several early farm buildings grouped together. Both mills operated for a long period before conversion to residential use in 1959-60.
Significance in brief: The complex has been the site of mills for well over two hundred years, and the nomination argues that its mills, dam, and farm buildings document long-running agricultural and milling use. The stone dam is described as unusually massive for a mill dam, and the grist mill is described as a solid and handsome building in its own right.
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 80003454, listed July 17, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Chester Springs on Pine Creek Lane, Chester Springs |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | July 17, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003454 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted to apartments in 1959-60; the main house was rebuilt after a 1929 fire; the gristmill works were sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the saw mill machinery is held by the Smithsonian Institution. |
| Acreage | 9.4 |
| Coordinates | 40.08347, -75.61291 (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 80003454.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5133729
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.