Horton Mill Project
Historical Research on the Horton Mill, Malone
One of the oldest stone buildings in Malone is the Horton grist mill, located on the Salmon River just above the Main Street bridge. Built in 1856, it succeeded earlier mills on the same site, operated by John Wood as long ago as 1804 and then Hiram Horton himself. Unused now for many years, the building has deteriorated badly, but the Malone Revitalization Foundation, under John Tulloch's leadership, has launched a project to save the old mill. If successful, it will anchor the upstream end of the proposed riverwalk development along the Salmon.
Horton Mill
The FCHMS is coordinating the historical research on the building and its dam. Trustee Ted Mills has been meeting with the MRF and is digging into data from 19th and 20th centuries to reveal the historical significance of the building and its site, and how it has contributed to the community for two centuries.
One of the more exciting discoveries is that the lowest level of the present building shows entirely different materials and construction, probably because the 1856 stone mill was built on top of an earlier mill structure. That earlier portion may well turn out to be one of the oldest structures in Northern New York.
The Horton mill was placed on the National Historic Register in 1975, and the committee hopes that enough of the original building can be saved to preserve its status on the Register. Architect Tim McCarthy is preparing a reconstruction plan, and the MRF is pursuing funding for the project.
