SAWMILL FOUNDATION UPGRADE PROJECT

To ensure a high safety factor in the flooring at maximum visitor occupancy, the Sawmill was closed for upgrades to its foundation. An engineering study was completed, technical drawings were prepared, and work has begun. The Mill reopened on Oct. 2, 2021.

We thank Alp Steel of Buffalo (www.AlpSteel.com) for their donation of steel beams for use under the flooring, and we thank General Welding of Elma (www.GWFab.com) for donation of custom-made steel brackets for the Sawmill walkway.

Photo from a cool morning in August, 2021 showing our volunteer team of sawmill construction workers.

From left-to-right are:

Paul Boland; Ed Hartman, Sr.;

Ed Eschner; and Ed Hartman, Jr.

Missing is sawmill construction manager

Fred Streif (behind the lens).

We cannot thank them enough for their dedication and hard work in less-than-ideal conditions working under the sawmill.

Photo from April, 2021 of Sawmill Foundation Upgrade Project: our volunteers worked in dirty, muddy conditions below the floor on upgrades.

ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT:

HURD & BRIGGS 1846 MILL

Built by members of the Society, the Hurd & Briggs Mill serves as an educational experience for young and old alike. The sawmill is directly behind the Hurd House Museum.

Please view the photo slideshow below which shows the building of the wooden water wheel and the restoration of the Sawmill building from 2009-to-2011. To view the slideshow manually, click on the image, then arrow right & left.

Featured in the slidehow are: Frank Maciejewski, current Town Historian; Fred Streif, Mill Operations Trustee; and the late Donald Moeller, a highly-talented local woodworker.

Employees of the Town Of Elma Highway Department and Elma Water Department assisted, as did volunteers from Elma and the surrounding areas of Erie County.