AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Jerusalem Mill Village is one of the oldest and most intact mill villages in Maryland, a cluster of 18th- and 19th-century buildings on the banks of the Little Gunpowder Falls in Harford County. Saved from ruin by the all-volunteer Friends of Jerusalem Mill since 1985, the village now welcomes visitors free of charge on Sundays for living history tours led by interpreters in period dress.↗
The centerpiece gristmill opened in 1772—before the United States existed—and operated for nearly two centuries. Surrounding structures include a blacksmith forge, general store, springhouse, and the adjacent Jericho Covered Bridge, one of only a handful of still-functioning covered bridges in Maryland. Every building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.↗
A Village Older Than the Nation
In 1769, two Quakers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania—millwright Isaiah Linton and miller David Lee—partnered to build a gristmill on a low-lying site along the Little Gunpowder Falls called "Jerusalem." Completed in August 1772, the five-story mill was among the largest in Maryland and one of eighteen mills constructed by Linton. David Lee milled flour under the "White Silk" label, much of it shipped to the Caribbean.
