A historic mill in Delaware County is getting a major upgrade, and it's all being done the old-fashioned way.

Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills, Concord Township, has been grinding wheat into flour since 1704. Now, ahead of the United States' 250th birthday in 2026, volunteers are restoring the site to look just as it did in the 1700s, including a massive wooden water wheel.

"We are recreating a mill that looks like it did in 1751, when George Washington was about 10 years old," Michael Knight, an apprentice millwright, said

The new wheel will be more than 15 feet in diameter, built entirely by hand, without power tools or shortcuts. The restoration is part of preparations for America 250, the nationwide celebration of the United States' semiquincentennial in 2026.

"The biggest challenge

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