Built in 1872, Ben’s Mill was originally used to dye sheepskins for parlors and carriage mats. Later it operated as a wheel and carriage shop with a blacksmith shop on the east end. The water powered mill produced electricity for the Town of Barnet as well as for the operation of the mill. Ben Thresher purchased the mill in 1947 and operated it until his death in the 1990s. In 1999 the building was purchased by Hiram Allen with the purpose of restoring it to working order. The mill is now a non-profit that is operated and managed by a group of dedicated volunteers. 

Ben’s Mill operates seasonally, offering educational programs and demonstrations, and continues to create wood tubs and barrels with the use of the restored mill equipment. The non-profit also holds special annual events including a blacksmith hammer-in, and the Ducky Day race down the river where folks buy a numbered rubber duck and see who wins many donated prizes. The mill is the only surviving, intact water-powered woodworking and blacksmith shop with its original working equipment in Vermont and possibly the United States.

The Preservation Grant of $30,000 will support foundation repairs, siding and facade repairs, and window restoration which is estimated to be a total of $45,000. This grant will build on a previous grant awarded in 2001.