WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP LAND TRUST AWARDED TWO CRITICAL FUNDING GRANTS

Morris County Historic Preservation Trust – July 28, 2021, for $144,000

New Jersey Historic Trust – September 29, 2021, recommended for $36,000

Both, totaling $180,000, will be used to fund DESIGN PHASE I – Engineering and the Start of Design Documents, focusing on the stone foundation in the river.  

Churning, churning, the river keeps on churning … against the Obadiah LaTourette Mill’s foundation.  250+ years it’s been churning against the foundation. A permanent dam breach from a storm in 1939 dramatically increased the direction and volume of churning water along the foundation.  So much so, that around 2017 engineers discovered a void 5’ deep and 15’ long in the north wall, below the water line.  The river had washed the stone out.  It was estimated that the mill was within 30 days of collapse.  

Thanks to the expertise and generosity of Tina Contros, an emergency stabilization plan was devised and implemented with the help of George Okorn, Capital Foundations, Austin Tx, and Genesis Engineering.

It was funded in part through the generous donations from Tina Contros, Ms. Fran Borgenicht, Frazier Industrial Company and others.

Since then, our Preservation Plan, funded through a grant from Morris County Historic Preservation Trust (MCHPT), has been completed and we are on to the next and perhaps most important step in restoring the Mill – Phase I Design – Engineering and the beginning of creating design documents. This phase will focus on the foundation in the river.  Through the direction of Connolly & Hickey, Historical Architects, LLC, civil engineers will evaluate the hydraulic pressure of the water against the mill; conduct core drillings to determine what the foundation actually sits on; both in order to design a plan that will allow the Mill and river to live together for several more generations.  All will be done under the supervision and guidance of the DEP

We are very pleased to announce that grant funding totaling $180,000 was secured through the Morris County Historical Preservation Trust and the New Jersey Historic Trust. Both to whom we are deeply indebted for recognizing the historical importance of restoring  the Obadiah LaTourette Grist and Saw Mill.

Without their help, we would not be able to take this next, and probably the most critical, step in this project.

Take an armchair tour of the Mill and learn more about the grants with this site visit video prepared for the application process.

2021 Site Visit