Friends of Colvin Run Mill
Fall-Winter 2016
Popular School Program at the Mill
INSIDE
Coming Events ………………………………….1
From the President…………………………...2
Engineering program scheduled ……....2
Popular school program …………………...3
Meet the staff…………………………………...3
House Restoration Plans..……………….…4
Cyrus McCormick and the reaper ……..4
COMING EVENTS
Sundays: September 18th, October 2nd and 16th
Staff member Annie Sneed showing a simple machine
(the screw) to 45 3rd Graders and their chaperones from
Mantau Elementary School on April 1, 2016. See article
on page 3.
Grinding Demonstrations. No reservations Noon –
3 p.m.
Friday, October 14th and Saturday, October 15th
Sundays: October 2, 16, 30 and November 6th
Miller Training. 8am - 5pm both days. $150/
person. Register in ParkTakes by October 1.
Blacksmithing Demonstrations. No reservations
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free
Saturday, October 22nd
Saturday, September 17th
Civil War Encampment. No reservations. 12-4pm.
Free
Four Floor Tour. Reservations required. 1:30pm3pm. Call 703-759-2771 TTY 703-324-3988. $10
suggested donation. Call 703-759-2771, TTY 703324-3988 for reservations.
Saturday, September 24
Saturday, October 29
Seasonal Teas. Reservations required by September 21. 1-3pm, $30/person. Call 703-759-2771,
TTY 703-324-3988 for reservations.
Halloween at the Mill ; Continuous 12-3 PM. Learn
more and pre-register in ParkTakes. $5 at the gate.
Saturday, November 5
Sunday, October 2,
Engineering Day at the Mill, 11-2, ages 6-ll, $38
per participant (see accompanying article and
ParkTakes to register)
Beyond the Teacup: Cooking and Baking with Tea.
Reservations required by Nov 2. 1-3 pm, $35/
person. Call 703-759-2771, TTY 703-324-3988 for
reservations
Saturday, October 8th
Saturday, December 10th
Scarecrow Making Workshops. No reservations 12
-12:45pm and 1-1:45pm. $6 per scarecrow
Santa at the Mill. No reservations 3 -6 p.m. $5 per
person
1
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Summer’s coming to a close, and the crisp fall air brings a feeling of new starts along with the
new school year. The site will be busy as usual with elementary school classes coming to the
mill to learn about simple machines. You can see, however, by the list of events during this fall
and winter, there will be lot going on over the weekends as well. Some old favorites return like
Scarecrow making and Santa at the Mill. Halloween fun returns for the second year. If there’s
someone in the family studying the Civil War this year, the encampment on September 17 th is
sure to be interesting.
The annual membership meeting of the Friends of Colvin Run Mill (FOCRM) will be on Tuesday,
October 18 which we plan to hold in the barn on site. We will be sending more information out
as the date approaches. All members are welcome to attend. You can learn more about the organization and how you might participate.
Remember that you can make a small contribution to FOCRM at no additional cost to you by
using AmazonSmile when you make purchases and designating FOCRM as the organization to
receive Amazon’s donation.
Have a great autumn.
Kitty O’Hara, President
NEW PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
In collaborate with “Play-Well” the staff has scheduled an “Engineering Day at the Mill” on Sunday, October 2 from 11 to 2. “Play-Well” is a national firm that specializes in encouraging engineering skills through the use of the LEGO ® brand materials. The company already provides
after-school programs at various County sites and is well known for its creative ways to let children explore their interests and skills in engineering. As they say in their
promotional literature: “Kids are natural engineers. We help them realize
it.” For more information about Play-Well go to: http://www.play-well.org/
As planned, the three hour session for children 6-11 will explore several engineering aspects of the mill and then let the participants develop their versions using Legos ®. Cost will be $38 per participant including a mill tour.
Reduced mill tour prices will be available for accompanying adults.
Specifics have been advertised in ParkTakes.(Technology Section, Page 130) as well as registration instruction (page 134). Preregistration will be required. If you have friends or neighbors
who have children who might be interested, please pass this on.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE FRIENDS via COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN # 67427
2
Popular School Program
Meet the Mill Staff
(from Page 1)
Mason Maddox: Mason has been the miller
of Colvin Run Mill for over 16 years. Prior to
this assignment, he was the lead carpenter
for the county’s Historic Properties Division.
A devoted preservationist, through selfstudy and by working with leaders in the
field both here and abroad, he has become
one of the leading water-powered millers in
the U.S. and trains other millers through
classes sponsored by the Society for the
Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM). And,
with the help of some of the country’s most
noted Millwrights, he has been responsible
for transforming the mill into one of only a
few full-fledged operational reproductions
of Oliver Evan’s 1790’s design.
In addition to representing a key element in the
Farm-to-Table process of producing the food we
eat, the Mill provides a visible place to observe
and understand the use of the six simple machines that have permitted humans to get more
done than could be accomplished with just our
own bodies. These were originally defined by
Renaissance scientists: screw, lever, wheel and
axle, pulley, inclined plane, and the wedge.
Throughout the school year, third grade students from about 20 percent of Fairfax County
Elementary Schools attend this program sponsored by the Mill staff and volunteers. On any
given day, one can expect to see 100 to 150 students learning about, and experiencing, these
machines in the temporary education center
(a.k.a. “the barn”) and visiting the mill to see
them in practice. The photo on page 1 shows
Staff Member Annie Sneed demonstrating the
use of the screw to students and chaperones
from Mantau Elementary school earlier this
year.
Keyed to the standards of learning, this program
provides a wonderful learning experience for
county students. And, these presentations provide a great opportunity for Friends of the Mill
to help the staff and enrich these youngster’s
learning experiences. If you are interested in
helping, please contact Kathryn Blackwell at 703
-759-2771.
Annie Sneed: Annie started volunteering
with the Park Authority at age 12, helping
out with summer programs and animal care
at Hidden Pond Nature Center. By age 15,
she was hired as a Naturalist there and
spent four years designing and running summer camps, family programs, and events.
After graduating high school, she decided to
explore new opportunities with the Park Authority as a Roving Naturalist—teaching programs at a variety of different Nature Centers, Lakefronts, and Historic Sites. After a
little over a year of “roving” the county
parks, Annie’s interest in Virginia history
brought her to Colvin Run Mill where she
enjoys her job of teaching school field trips,
summer camps, tours, events, Girl Scout
programs, and more!
CONTRIBUTE TO THE FRIENDS via COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN # 67427
3
Invention of the Reaper
While a mechanical device which could remove the wheat kernel from its husk was
invented in the 1790s, the process of
cutting the ripe wheat (reaping) in the field
remained a labor intensive effort until
much later.
The archeologists at work, April 2016, in preparation
for the restoration of the Miller’s house
House Restoration Plans
County Park Authority member Monika Szczepaniec discussed house restoration at the April 19
FOCRM Board meeting. She indicated that the
Architectural Review was scheduled for May 12
and it is hoped to have the FCPA Board approve
plans in October. Construction will begin shortly
thereafter and is to be completed by or before
October 2017.
Phase 1 of Restoration is budgeted for $665,000
and will include plaster work on the interior first
and second stories. Water damage issues will be
addressed with new roofing, new windows, exterior wall sealant and repairs to the wall facing Colvin Run Road where there is persistent water
damage. The handicap ramp will be demolished
and a new ramp constructed on the east side of
the house, facing the mill. ADA will be approached to supplement the cost of the new
handicap ramp. Hazardous material abatement
will be done to address the lead paint on woodwork and window sills. The 1960-era addition to the
Miller's House will not be affected by the restoration
work.
4
In 1831 Cyrus McCormick, aged 22, tried
his hand at building a reaper after unsuccessful attempts over many years by his
father. Resembling a two-wheeled, horsedrawn chariot, the machine consisted of a
vibrating cutting blade, a reel to bring the
grain within its reach, and a platform to
receive the falling grain. The reaper embodied the principles essential to all subsequent grain-cutting machines.
McCormick took out a patent in 1834, but
sales were poor. After many trials, tribulations, and improvements, by 1854 he was
selling some 4,000 devices a year. Eventually, his company became the International
Harvester Company (Navistar International
Company today) which still makes a form
of the reaper. Today, the combine harvester (or combine) combines three critical
steps before grain arrives at the mill: reaping, threshing, and winnowing.
Sketch of the McCormick Reaper circa
1845