The MIlls at Ephrata

Oil and Fulling Mills

In addition to supplying the printing operation with paper from the paper mill, the press was also supplied with an important ingredient in the ink used for printing--linseed oil. The oil, boiled with lamp black, formed a thick, sticky ink which adhered to the printing type and could be transferred to the page. The hint given by the description of this mill during the fire of 1747 suggests that, like the paper mill, the true "milling" operation was only a portion of the production process. Flax seeds were obtained from local farmers after the harvest of the crop in mid-summer. The small seeds were placed in shallow iron pans placed over a stove to warm them, and encourage the flow of oil from inside each tiny seed. A stirring device powered by the main shaft, kept the seeds from scorching in the pans. The warm seeds were then placed on the bed stone, and a second stone standing vertically like a wheel, was rotated around the bed stone in a circular pattern, much like tire wheel. This "edge runner stone" was the heart of the oil mill, and by its action, the linseed oil was pressed from the seeds and drained from one side of the bed stone. The flammable nature of the oil and the heating process added an extra danger to the oil mill, and this may have been the source of the disastrous fire in 1747.

The final mill operated by the Ephrata community, the fulling mill, is the least recognized or understood. This mill had various functions involved in the final production stages of woolen cloth. After being taken from the loom, the cloth was brought to the mill where it was washed in hot water and "fuller's earth," a fine clay which absorbed the natural lanolin oils in the wool. The mill provided the power for the large post-like beaters which were used in the washing process. The washing also caused the cloth to shrink, tightening the weave of the fabric. Finally, the nap of the cloth was trimmed before it was returned to the customer.