Mascot Roller Mills and Homestead, Pennsylvania: Incredibly Well-Preserved

In the heart of Pennsylvania's Amish countryside, I visited an incredibly well-preserved historic site — the Mascot Roller Mills and Homestead, outside Lancaster.

Three generations of the Ressler family ran this mill from 1864 to 1977. It's a rare example of a still-operable mill that was converted from millstones to iron roller mills.

A tour of the mill and the adjoining Ressler homestead gave me an authentic look at life in the early 1900s. Both family treasures and everyday household objects remain exactly as they were when the Resslers turned the site over to the Ressler Mill Foundation in 1977, preserving it for future generations. The site was so peaceful and lovely that I hated to leave.

Mascot Roller Mills (2880 Stumptown Rd. in Ronks) is located where State Highway 772 (Newport Road) meets Stumptown Road, roughly 10 miles east of Lancaster. It's open for guided tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday from May through October.

To learn more, call 1-717-656-7616.