DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A historic sawmill in Wayne County is now home to even more history. A new museum is one way volunteers hope to keep history alive.
The Joel Hill Sawmill north of Honesdale is now a piece of history maintained by the Equinunk Historical Society.
Over the weekend, the historical society dedicated another treasure from the past -- the Thomas Cleveland Museum, 22 vintage machines, all connected to woodworking.
"We have a variety of jigsaws, band saws, shoe-finishing material, mortising machine, metal lathes. (We'll) see what we can get running and what we can't," said volunteer Blair Kobelin.
Kobelin showed us around the gems donated by a retired teacher. The museum's been named after him. Tom Cleveland provided these relics.
The community plus a grant did the rest.
"(We) said this is something we need, but no place to put it," said Bob Wood, Equinunk Historical Society.
Bob Wood and the so-called "Brotherhood of the Mill" spearheaded the effort to house all these antiques right in the shadow of another piece of history, one that Mike Stevens featured On The Pennsylvania Road some years ago.
"It's amazing. People come to the sawmill, take a tour. Once we turn that wheel that opens the gates of the turbine, all the stuff starts working. They're amazed," said Wood.
The Joel Hill Sawmill in northern Wayne County dates back to the mid-1800s.