Grant Funds Approved For Historic Grist, Saw Mill In Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners fully signed off on construction and non-construction grant requests for preservation of Washington Township's Obadiah LaTourette Grist and Saw Mill, one of 27 sites within Morris County, that was recommended for grant funding in 2021.

At its last meeting, the commissioners approved $2.65 million in grant funding to protect historic sites countywide.

“We cherish our quality of life in Morris County, and this is just one of the reasons why,” said Commissioner Director Stephen H. Shaw. “We take great pride in preserving our rich history, as we do our open spaces and our best-in-New Jersey park system.”

“It’s also why we ranked again two weeks ago as one of the healthiest places in the nation to live,” Shaw added. “But, for all of this, we really must thank our residents - our taxpayers - because they overwhelmingly approved the preservation trust fund that has made protecting our history, greenways and open spaces possible.”

The Washington Township Land Trust of Morris County applied for the funding for the grist and saw mill, which was built around 1750. The group will receive $23,616 in construction funding and $144,000 for construction documents, from the county's Preservation Trust Fund.

The construction grant was earmarked to help strengthen the building with Tyvek and cloth coverings on open areas; and to install aluminum gutters and leaders. The construction documents are related to stabilization of the building.

"Obadiah LaTourette Grist and Saw Mill represents an example of early industrial architecture and an important contributing resource to the National Register Historic District," was part of the commentary from the county about the historic structure.

Video below from the Morris County Historical Society offers a glimpse of the mill and its importance to the area.

The Historical Society says the mill operated until the 1940s and the Land Trust acquired it plus 10 acres in 1991.

Since 2003, there have been over 482 grants approved exceeding $43.3 million from the Preservation Trust Fund to benefit 117 historical properties within Morris County.

RELATED: Historic Grist And Saw Mill In Long Valley Gets Grant Funds

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