Anselma Mill walking trails open thanks to grant
CHESTER SPRINGS >> The Mill at Anselma, a nonprofit historic site in Chester Springs, was awarded $2,500 from the Marjorie and Arthur P. Miller Jr. Fund of the Chester County Community Foundation creating the Lenape Trails at Anselma.
These trails, winding through the historic site, total around a mile. They will celebrate Native American history in the Chester County with the names of the three matrilineal clans of the Lenape tribe: Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf.
The Mill will use the funding to do trail clearing, sponsor rustic trail signage, coordinate with scholars at Ursinus College on an informational sign, and strengthen the Mill’s new connection with the Chester County Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
On June 22nd 2019, the Mill will celebrate the grand opening of the new trail system and be free of charge to visitors. This celebration will include a performance by the Native American band Spirit Wing (www. spiritwing.net), provide free paper trail maps and refreshments, and allow visitors to explore the Mill, all funded by the grant. In the meantime, visitors can find a “sneak peek” draft trail map at the informational kiosk right off the parking lot.
The Mill at Anselma is open to visitors dawn to dusk as a green space, only charging admissions when the Mill buildings are open on weekends.
Executive Director Will Caverly said of the grant, that “It opens up a whole new avenue of appreciation for the Mill’s 22 acres. Our homestead setting has always been a draw. But there’s more than European history here. Not many people know that Route 401 was a Native American path, later adopted by European settlers. This grant celebrates Chester County’s layers of history.”
The Mill will also put to work its new program through the Boy Scouts of America, Explorer Post 1747. Explorer Posts, dedicated to professional training and coeducational for young people 14-21, are based around mentorship and professional networking.
The Mill’s Explorer Post, dedicated to management, social media, and of course history, will help with the Lenape Trails and a number of other projects on site in the coming year. “Now is the time to get involved, in Explorers or with your local scout troop,” Caverly added.
The Mill at Anselma is an independent 501c3 nonprofit funded by donations. The Executive Director can be contacted at info@An- selmaMill.org and by phone at 610-827-1900. The Mill is seeking volunteers.