Tettertown Preserve

In 1760, a farmer named Asher Mott (1739-?) inherited a gristmill and a 45 acre "plantation" following the death of his father, William. The mill was located downstream from this point along Hollow Brook (also known as Mill Creek). Please note that there is no public access to the former mill site, which is private property. The mill had three sets of grinding stones powered by an overshot wheel. By 1768, he decided to settle along the Delaware River, north of Trenton and sold his share of the property to his older brothers, John (1734-1804) and Gershom. Five years later, the death of Gershom prompted his widow, Ann, to sell his share of the property to his brothers. When the Revolutionary War broke out, John Mott enlisted in the militia, obtaining the rank of Captain. His knowledge of the Trenton area proved to be an invaluable service as he guided General George Washington and the Continental Army on their surprise attack to Hessian-occupied Trenton, following the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware River in 1776. John's son and grandson were named after his brother, Gershom. His grandson, Gershom Mott (1822-1884) was also a soldier of distinction, having served as a Major General in the Union Army during the Civil War. He fought at the Battles of Spotsylvania and Petersburg and was wounded during the Battles of Bull Run and Chancellorsville. He was buried in Trenton with full military honors.

In 1800, the Mott family sold their interest in the mill and 30 acres of land to Robert Emley for $213.30. About a year later, the mill and 23 acres were sold to Elijah Blackwell and his wife, Martha, who resided in neighboring Warren County, In 1811, the Blackwells sold the property to Samuel Johnston, and his wife Susanna, for $600.

In 1780, John Teeter, another German immigrant, settled in the area and built his home out of native fieldstone. When he and his wife, Hannah, purchased the mill from the Johnstons in 1814, it was considered the social center in a hamlet that included six residences and a sawmill. Farmers would gather at the mill to transact business and discuss the local news of the day. This hamlet became known as Teetertown.

In 1820, the mill was extensively remodeled and turned over to John Teeter's son-in-law, Samuel Dorland. The Teeter family retained title to the mill until 1850. Following Samuel Dorland's death in 1874, his family continued to operate the mill until 1881. During this time it was leased to Henry Suydam, who replaced the overshot waterwheel with a metal water-driven turbine. George Apgar acquired the site in 1901, making further improvements such as installing patent rollers and constructing a new miller's residence. The prosperity did not last long and a change of ownership occurred three years later when it was sold to Frederick Pfeiffer. In 1908, Frederick Pfeiffer sold the mill to Phillip Sliker and his wife, Minnie, as he set his horizons on acquiring a factory that made fruit baskets.

Phillip Sliker benefited from this endeavor, processing flour under the brand name of Teetertown Buckwheat Flour, for the next decade. Following World War I, Sliker could not keep up with the commercial demand for flour and retired from the business. He retained the property until it was acquired by William Friars, a car salesman from Bedminster, New Jersey, in 1941. Ravaged by age and disrepair, the old mill never functioned again and only served as a scenic backdrop from a bygone era.

In 1961, TV talk show host, Merv Griffin bought the site for himself, his wife Juleann, and son, Tony, as a country retreat to escape from the rigors of the entertainment business in New York City. When his TV show moved to Los Angeles in 1972, he spent less time on the property, finally selling it in 1980.

By 2001, the mill, in need of restoration, was dismantled and reassembled near Waco Texas, as a cultural attraction known as the Homestaed Gristmill, where it is functional and producing flour once again.

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