To Milford I Go

By WANDA WAYFARER

There’s a distinctive scent that emanates from a 200- year-old operating waterwheel. The aroma is quite definite, an odor of hardwood resonating with water and time.

Located at the Upper Mill in Milford, PA, the Waterwheel Café, Bakery and Bar is housed in the same building as a functioning grain-milling museum. The building was restored in 1988 and the café and bakery opened in April of the following year. Large windows in the restaurant allow you to see into the museum while enjoying breakfast, lunch or dinner. Visitors are encouraged to take a self-guided tour through the three floors of the water-powered mill, which is on the National Register of Historic places, to observe the milling process.

Walking into the mill is like stepping into a different world. Right away you’re captured in a time warp that is replica of the early 1800s. The dull but constant hum of the machinery rises over the churning of the water. As I walk in, the room opens up to reveal the massive wheels turning in harmony.

This is the bottom floor of the museum. Huge pieces of milling machinery, labeled and explained in detail, border the waterwheel. Built in 1805, the churning wheel was used in the grain-milling process, driven by the power of the Sawkill Creek that runs behind the building. Huge pulley belts hurry past, keeping the machinery going.

I go up a large flight of steps to level two of the museum, which has the best view of the enormous wheel. Here I am at eye level with the large waterwheel and can see both it and its huge metal counterpart as they perform their tasks.

Up the narrowest flight of stairs, on level three, it is possible to see how the water falls into the wheel. I’m on level three alone. The noise of the gears, pulleys and belts of the mill echo from below and the water splashes faintly beside me. It’s an eerie feeling of a lost time and lifestyle. The floors, walls and ceiling are all original. Dirt from the machinery, as well as some of the milled corn, which was used to feed livestock, still lie on the floor.

The restaurant, like all the other shops in the mill, is a somewhat out of the ordinary. The smell of sweet, decadent treats hits your nose as you walk in the door. The bakery at the front of the store carries a variety of cookies, muffins, scones, croissants, cakes and pastries as well as coffees of all types, artfully displayed.

The tables in the restaurant are cozy and intimate. From most of them it is possible to see a view of the creek through one of the windows. There is also dining on the back patio, where visitors can enjoy the Sawkill Creek as it rushes past the mill. The menu is as out of the ordinary as the water wheel itself, with a varied and original selection, including such items as bulgur whole-wheat pancakes for breakfast, a melted brie and Granny Smith apple sandwich for lunch, and potato-crusted halibut in a balsamic reduction sauce for dinner.

In the very far corner of the restaurant is the bar and lounge area. The bar, with the atmosphere of a smoky underground jazz club, features a wide selection of cocktails and beer and entertainment provided by local musical talents. There is live music every weekend and an open-mic night every Thursday.

The Water Wheel Café and Bakery is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, seven days a week. For more information call 570/296-2383 or visit waterwheelcafe.com.