HomeMy WebLinkAboutState Park 2014 A Little Reminder of our Local State Park Sue Thompson NL ArticleA Little Reminder of our Local State Park – Sue Thompson, Enfield HistorianRobert H. Treman State Park was named for the Ithaca merchant, financier and philanthropist. He and his wife
Laura, presented the glen and surrounding property, located in the south part of Enfield, to the State of New York in 1920. For over fifty years the hamlet of Enfield Falls with as
many as fifteen buildings once thrived in what is now the upper park, with the grist mill as its economic center. The first grist mill was built in 1817 on the same spot as the existing
one, by Isaac Rumsey. When that mill burned in the 1830’s Jared Treman (Robert H. Treman’s grandfather) replaced it with the present mill. This mill was in used from 1839 to 1917. In
1926 restoration of the mill started and 1927 the building was opened to the public for viewing. On July 7, 1935, the mill escaped destruction in a disastrous flood that caused extensive
damage thoughout the counties of New York.The Enfield Falls Mill and Miller's House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.During the Depression from 1933 to
1941, a major Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) camp was located southwest of the mill. The Corps “Company 1265 at Camp SP-6” at one time consisted of more than 100 young men and
lived first in tents and later in wooden barracks. These men were responsible for much of the fine quality carpentry and stone masonry in evidence though out the park.There is currently
an active group, Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park, helping to preserve park resources including the Mill along with the old machinery in the mill with exhibits in the mill and
archeological investigation of the Enfield Falls hamlet.To end this short history of our park I will share an “urban legend” of the Mill. Our “gang” had ridden our bikes down to the
“old mill” at the park (Treman). When we got there we talked with a man who had been fishing by the mill. He said he didn’t catch anything because of the “mill ghost”. He said back
when the mill was running there was a man who worked night and day there. He was supposed to get married one Saturday but he wouldn’t leave because there was too much work to be done.
When his bride-to-be got there she was so upset she climbed to the top of the mill and jumped. Visitors to the mill have reported seeing the “bride/mill” ghost!