Perryopolis residents show pride in their town, its history during festival
PERRYOPOLIS – The people of Perryopolis are proud of their town and its history. Their motto is: “George Washington slept here. Really.” And they can prove it. Until his death in 1799, Washington owned 1,644 acres of land here and built a for-profit gristmill on that land though it’s reported he didn’t make much money from the enterprise.
“Washington owned two gristmills,” explained Dan Coldren, president of the Perryopolis Area Historical Society. “One was located at Mount Vernon, his Virginia estate our nation’s capital. “The other was right here in Perryopolis.”
More industry followed: a fulling mill, state bank (now a museum); distillery; sawmill; pottery and glass factories; tannery and brickyard.
Perryopolis itself was named after Oliver Hazard Perry, in honor of his Lake Erie victory over England in the War of 1812.
A planned community, Perryopolis, established in 1814, was built to resemble a wagon wheel, with Washington Diamond as the hub. Many street names bear historic reference. Organized in October 1988, the Perryopolis Area Heritage Society is made up of residents and businesses of the region that want to preserve, promote and further develop the historical sites and heritage of Perryopolis.
Designated as a non-profit organization, the heritage society set out to rebuild George Washington’s gristmill, reinstate the Perryopolis Pioneer Days Festival and improve economic conditions of the area by encouraging tourism.
The years of neglect were erased about four years ago when Amish carpenters from Smicksburg were hired by the heritage society to refurbished the three-story gristmill. Then last year the adjacent waterwheel was built.
Pam Newmeyer, a lifelong resident of Perryopolis and four-year member of the heritage society board, said they’ve got their sights set.
“We are raising money now to pay for a master plan. Once that is in place, we can do things in stages,” she said. “Now that we have the gristmill building done, we have to complete the inside. We would like to have a working gristmill. And there is the fulling mill. We’ll probably need at least $1 million for all that. We’ve got a lot more work to do.”
There is no admission charged to enter the grounds, but there is an admission fee to the colonial and Civil War areas for adults and students ages 7 to 18. Younger children are admitted to the festival free of charge.
For more information about Perryopolis, its history or Pioneer Days visit: www.perryopolis.com or phone 724-326-8610 or 724-736-0166.