| Known as Baron Von Stutterheim's Mill, the old water
mill is situated on the Cumakala stream, at the South
West corner of land originally granted to Baron Richard
Von Stutterheim by Deed and Grant dated 26 October 1860.
It is reputed to have been built by him as a joint effort
with Dr. Adolf Danckwerts, one of the surgeons of the
British-German Legion. However, the Mill was actually
constructed by Mr. H.J. Adkins, as the official
contractor to the British-German Legion. First
evidence of the mill's existence appears in a letter from
Baron Von Stutterheim to Captain Hugo Schults at
Stutterheim, dated 30 January 1861. In this, reference is
made to Lieutenante Johannsen, who obviously acted as an
agent for the Baron, transferring the administration of
the mill to Captain Schultz. A Deed of Transfer exists
regarding the sale of 126 odd acres of the Baron's land,
through a power of attorney granted to one, Thomas
Hoskins Giddy, to one Julius Grunow, who appears to be
the son of a German Settler who went to the Queenstown
district. Attached to the deed is a receipt dated 9th
February 1868 "for the sum of £34, being 4% of
the purchase money of certain piece of land, situate at
Stutterheim known as Baron Von Stutterheim's Mill, and
sold to him (J.Grunow) for the sum of £850."
The Deed of Transfer was finalised on 17 December 1869.
The mill remained in Grunow's possession until
transferred to Anton Muller on 13 May 1894. Anton Muller
appears to have been the son of Carl Muller of Bierbach,
Baiern, a private in the British-German Legion. Later the
mill was worked by Anton's son, August, then by his
brother Willy, and finally, by their brother Teddy (even
I'm confused...). The next owner, apparently in the
1920's was Mr. C.R. Wylde, who rented it out to a Mr.
I.R. Usher, for £5 per month. According to Mr. Usher,
when he took over the mill was run by some form of
turbine with a 12" outlet, operating on a vertical
shaft and connected by direct gearing to the mill stones.
Some iron parts of the mill machinery were of German
origin.
In 1922 Mr. Usher restored the mill to its original
form of an overshot wheel. In order to maintain the mill
in operation at times when natural flow in the stream was
insufficient, a weir was built further upstream, and this
was known as Muller's Dam. The mill was finally purchased
and operated by a Mr. van Zyl until 1942, when
competition from more modern forms of milling made it
uneconomical to continue. The mill building is of stone
construction and in good condition, though all machinery
has been removed.
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