Mill's destruction crushes residents
EMLENTON, Venango County — The remnants of the Emlenton Mill still were smoking and smoldering late Friday morning.
The more than 140-year-old building, which used to be a functional grist mill, was destroyed by a massive fire Thursday night into Friday morning.
In addition to the mill, the clothing store Amy's Closet sustained heavy fire, smoke and water damage. At least four homes had damage, primarily melted siding.
On Friday morning, the narrow Main Street still was crowded with emergency vehicles. Firefighters periodically were putting out hot spots on the remains of the building. Ice from that water and previous snow left some of the roads and sidewalks slick.
All that was left of the mill was a facade and some old wooden beams.
The mill originally was one of the first steam-powered grist mills in the U.S. More recently, it has had as an ice cream shop, a museum and a hostel.
The owners of the building, Paul and Nancy Newbury, got a call around 10:30 p.m. Thursday that their building was on fire. They remained there until about 2 a.m. Friday.
David Newbury, the son of the owners, said his parents had been working on the building for about 10 years. It reopened to the public about five years ago.He said his parents were working hard to help revitalize the borough with a population of 625 and the area.“We were really hoping the mill would be the center of that,” Newbury said.He said the property is insured. He said his parents are not yet sure what they will do with the property.Dan Terwilliger, who lives on College Street, could see the fire from his house, which is on top of a hill.“I saw just a huge ball of fire,” Terwilliger said.He said there was no wind, so all of the smoke went straight up.His father owned the mill for about 50 years from 1950 to the 1990s. It closed as a mill in 1990, and his father sold hardware and did other activities there for a while after that. The mill was sold later to the Newburys.“I feel sorry for them because they were putting a lot of money in it,” Terwilliger said.
Debe Southworth, who lives less than a block from the mill, said she was asleep when she got a call saying the mill was on fire.“I opened up my window, looked out, and I instantly became physically ill,” Southworth said.She said she always was concerned about fires on Main Street since most of the houses are old and wooden. Her house was built in 1865.Southworth said the school bus stop for her grandchildren was right across the street from the mill. They often would get ice cream at the mill as well.Jeff Nebel of Pittsburgh grew up in Emlenton and said he could recall going with his grandfather to get corn milled at the mill.“It was one of the last (grist mills) around here,” Nebel said.He said the building also served as sort of a gathering spot for socializing.“Every person in town has memories of this place,” Nebel said.
Shelley Rankin, who lives less than a block from the mill, said she could more than see the flames from her house Thursday night.“We could actually feel them,” Rankin said.She thinks that snow-covered roofs helped prevent some other houses from sustaining damage.“I think the snow is what saved all the houses from going,” Rankin said.She said the ice cream store part of the mill was popular.“It's just sad that this historic building is gone,” Rankin said.The borough was incorporated in 1859 and allegedly had more millionaires per capita from the 1850s to the early 1900s than any other community in the nation.That wealth came from the oil industry in the area.
