- July 29, 2026
- Michael Hanrahan
“Someone called me and said there were stones in the road. I turned around, told them I was on my way, and asked my husband to grab the camera and meet me at the mill.”
Patricia Fisher-Olsen feared the worst after the Tewksbury earthquake in April 2024. The effort to save Taylor’s Mill was less than a year old: the site had been vandalized, a truck had run into the corner, and now parts of the mill building were lying in the middle of road.
“It could have gone either way at that point,” said Fisher-Olsen, a Trustee of the Friends of Taylor’s Mill, and the Chair of the Historic Preservation Commission in Readington Township (Hunterdon County). “But we knew what the mill meant to the Revolution- and it still had stories to tell. We went into action.”
Taylor’s Mill is often called “the mill that fed Washington’s troops.” Documentation shows Col. John Taylor, a Readington carpenter and miller, was paid for the services of his grist mill, grinding grains to meet the needs of hungry and tired soldiers defending our newly founded nation. Taylor’s Mill Historic District was added on the National Register of Historic Places, not just for its Revolutionary-era connections, but for its sophisticated engineering systems that directed water from the Rockaway Creek to power the mill.
Preservation New Jersey included the mill on its Ten Most Endangered list for 2023 noting that though “the site was acquired nearly thirty years ago, structures have been lost over time through demolition by neglect. The current ruins are threatened by years of deferred maintenance.” The Friends of Col. John Taylor’s Grist Mill formed soon after.
“We heard one or two people say, ‘It’s just a pile of old stones’… and all I could think was, ‘Seriously?’” said Matt Metcalf, a Friends Trustee and Coordinator of the Historic Preservation Program at Bucks County (Pa.) Community College. “The mill is so much more. It’s evidence of the everyday lives people led… and tells the story of how people living ordinary lives can do extraordinary things.”
With support from PNJ, Readington Township, and The Friends, Fisher-Olsen arranged for preservation masons to put the stones back in place. The earthquake also served as a wake-up call to the need to develop a professional site preservation plan, a crucial component to applying for county, state, and private grants.
Most recently, Readington and The Friends have envisioned incorporating the mill into a pedestrian-friendly recreational trail stop that blends preservation, interpretation, and outdoor recreation. Visitors could rest or picnic under a two-story “ghost” frame that would mirror what the historic mill looked like during the American Revolution. Interpretive signage would explain the mill’s importance to both local and national history. The plan earned unanimous support from township officials. The Friends helped the township prepare applications for county and state matching grants.
With the Revolution close to everyone’s mind this year for America250, Fisher-Olsen took the show on the road, sharing the story of Taylor’s Mill with area civic groups. She recently uncovered a link to the Battle of Trenton: documentation shows Col. John Taylor was in command of troops who helped secure the Delaware River for Washington’s famous Christmas night crossing.
“I love that I keep learning more,” she said. “The story gets richer all the time. The fortitude, the courage, the spirit behind what they did amazes me.”
“Historic preservation is about loving where you live,” noted Metcalf of The Friends. “There is amazing history all around us. It’s our job to help people discover it.”
Taylor’s Mill is located at Rockaway Road and Taylor’s Mill Road on the border of Readington and Tewksbury Townships.
For more information about the work of The Friends, visit https://www.taylorsgristmill.org/.
