BOILING SPRINGS, Pa. — Residents of Boiling Springs are mourning the damage a fire caused to the Boiling Springs Mill building, the last full structure left of the colonial-era Carlisle Iron Works.
The mill building was badly damaged on Saturday, Jan. 29, by a fire that officials said began on an upper level.
“The major damage [is] on the fourth floor, and the attic area is completely burned out," said Tim Yingst, the fire chief of Citizens Fire Co. No. 1. "[There is] major water damage on the third floor and a little bit of structural damage on the first and second floors."
The mill building was converted into apartments in the 1930s. It currently includes seven units. None of the 10 tenants currently living there were injured in the fire.
However, the fire burned more than just a building, according to locals familiar with the history of Boiling Springs.
The town grew up around Carlisle Iron Works, which was was built in 1762. The mill came along in the 1780s, as the iron works business was growing in size and capacity. Both buildings were situated along Children’s Lake, a small lake created by damming part of Yellow Breeches Creek.
“It's a landmark here in this area,” said Cindy Rearick of Mechanicsburg, who came to see the burned building on Monday. “This is a manmade lake, and it all came about because of the mill.”
The mill ground wheat, corn and other grains using about 20 horsepower of water power, according to documents provided by the Cumberland County Historical Society.
“Historically, it's an icon of the village of Boiling Springs," said Matthew March, the historical society’s education director. "It fed the people, it fed the workers [and] it fed the labor animals as well."
Through the centuries, the mill has been the site of many stories. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers invaded Cumberland County. In June 1863, the soldiers took possession of the mill and forced the operator to grind about 850 bushels of wheat and corn. They then took the flour.
“The Ahls owned it at the time," said Richard Tritt, the historical society's photo curator. "They were later reimbursed by the government for their loss, which was over $1,000. That was a lot of money back in Civil War days."
The roof of the mill building may be lost, but the historical value isn’t necessarily gone. The upper floors were already renovated, as a fire burned down the original wood. The original stone foundation remains without any apparent major damage.
The building’s owners did not want to talk on camera, but said they were glad no tenants were hurt in the fire. They are waiting to learn the extent of the damage to see if the mill can be rebuilt.