Stone Mill Museum has a history all its own

SANDWICH – The Stone Mill Museum has a history of its own. The three-story stone structure was built in 1856, and more than 100 years later it has evolved into a collection of many local antiques, some arranged in bedroom and living room settings that feature furniture, lighting and wall art of the past.

The Stone Mill first housed a steam grist mill until 1900. Then Lee Kellam and D.A. Hinman ran a machine shop in the building, with Hinman continuing the business, alone, from 1919 to 1940.

Repair parts for Enterprise Equipment were made there for a while; and L.R. Evans moved into the building to manufacture hydrants and pump parts in 1946. It was 1950 when James Knights bought the building for storage for his crystal manufacturing business, James Knights Inc.

“J.K.,” as the company was known by local residents, was located near the center of Sandwich, at the corner of Route 34 and Wells Street.

About the time James Knights Inc. and CTS Corporation were merging in 1965, Knights helped establish and became active in the Sandwich Historical Society. He then donated the building to the society for an industrial museum. The museum opened its doors in 1969 when exhibits were ready.

It should be noted that Jim Nelson, a well-known local historian, was very involved in the early days of the historical society. He also wrote numerous articles about the history of Sandwich for the local weekly newspaper, The Sandwich Free Press.

The newest exhibit is in the lower level, a large collection of local Native American items and information. Most of the cases and collections were originally on display at the former Old Barn Museum southeast of Sandwich. The large hand-painted mural from Quen Carpenter adds life to the exhibits.

Another area of the lower level shows equipment used for home care in earlier times. There are washing machines, sewing machines, vacuums and irons.

Featured on the first floor are local collections of early businesses, with a replica of an early general store near the east entrance. It’s stocked with boxes, cans and other containers that would have been available in the city’s early days. There are old items from the Sandwich Fair, old photographs of Sandwich, and some antique firefighting equipment, too.

The second floor has a fully-furnished bedroom with a quilt-covered bed. Besides a kitchen equipped with a cook stove and ice box, there’s a children’s area with old toys, such as a doll house and stilts. Items from the Civil War are displayed, as well as uniforms, guns and swords.

Farm tools and equipment on the top floor show the hard work that was needed to bring products to market. Long days in the field and many hours dedicated to hand-milking cows both mornings and evenings, seven days a week, are evident. Oxen yokes, corn dryers, a display of different types of barbed wire, ice cutters and saws, and a tread mill that was to be operated by a dog are shown.

To help support the museum, Sandwich Historical Society members sell Sandwich Fair collectibles, such as pin dishes, toothpick holders and replicas of old Sandwich Fair posters during the Sandwich Fair, scheduled this year for Wednesday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Sept. 13. The Sandwich Historical Society booth is just east of the ticket booth for Otto’s Miniature Steam Train.

Some of the improvements made to the museum are: replastering and painting the interior walls in 2000-2001, adding a cupola in 2006, putting in new windows in 2006, and opening the west part of the lower level to make room for the Native Indian Exhibit.

The Stone Mill Museum, 315 E. Railroad St., is open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m., Sundays, April through September. Society members act as hosts at the museum, directing visitors to exhibits of special interest.

No admission is charged, but donations are appreciated.