“Color is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive.”
~ Elliott Erwitt
~ photographer
~ born 1928
The morning sun dapples around the Haines Bros. Flour Mill sign on the historic
Haines Mill on a beautiful late October day in the Borough of Cetronia,
Allentown, Pennsylvania in this high contrast monochrome shot.
Also known as Haines Mill Museum, it is an historic grist mill built
circa 1850. It produced flour processed by an old-fashioned water-powered mill
located just off the banks of the Cedar Creek. It remained in full operation
until 1957.
A mill has stood here on the banks
of the Cedar Creek since colonial times. The current circa 1850 Haines Mill
offers a trip into the world of the early technology that supported farm life.
The sign on the front of the
building says: “Haines Bros. Flour Mill, The Home of Gilt Edge Flour,” with a
sack of flour etched with the words, “Cetronia Flour Mills, Gilt Edge Flour, 50
lbs. net, Allentown.”
It is a four-story, stone building with a slate covered gambrel
roof. It is three bay by three bay, 42 feet by 46 feet, 9 inches. The interior
was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1908. A three-story brick addition was
built in 1930, with a lean-to roof. Atop the main roof is a cupola.
Today, Haines Mill is operated as a
partnership between the County of Lehigh, which owns and maintains the site,
and the Lehigh County Historical Society, which provides public tours. It is
located in a serene 37.5 acre park.
It was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1981.
