Four Mills Barn History
The Four Mills Barn was built in 1891 for Charles W. Bergner of Bergner and Engle
Brewing Company in Philadelphia. It was designed by well-known Philadelphia architect
Horace Trumbauer who also designed the Grey Towers Castle at Beaver College, the
Stotesbury Estate called Whitemarsh Hall, Lynnewood Hall (now Faith Seminary), the
Jenkintown train station, the Keswick Theater, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the
Stella Elkins Tyler Estate (now Tyler School of Fine Arts), and in Newport, RI both the
Elms and Miramar.
It took two years to build the Barn. Stone came from the Van Zandt Quarry off Highland
Avenue near the Upper Dublin Township Building. The Barn was part of the 93 acre estate
named "Abendruh," German for "evening's rest." The mansion, designed
by architect Frank Miles Day, was erected on the other side of Morris Road, at the time
unpaved. The mansion was torn down years ago after it fell into disrepair. All that is
left is the service wing (kitchen, pantry, servant's quarters, and dining room), now a
private home.
Bankrupt Bergner sold the estate to Edwin H Vare, a paving contractor in 1908. This
well-known Republican State Senator put a powerhouse next to the farmer's house.
Steam-operated generators produced electricity for the estate. Excess power was stored in
batteries in the round tower. Morris Road was paved during Vare's tenure. After the
Senator died in 1922, the family retained the estate a few more year.
Robert McLean, owner of the Philadelphia Bulletin, purchased the barn and ground from a
son, George Vare, in the early 1930's. Thousands of pheasants and quail were raised in the
mansion and released on what became a private hunting ground.
The powerhouse was sold about 1940. Salvageable machinery was donated to the Franklin
Institute before the building was converted into a house. All other buildings that were
part of the estate - coach stable, chicken coops, and greenhouses - are all gone.
Walk around the barn near the bird observatory. When Bergner and Vare owned the barn,
iron eyebeams three feet wide rested between the stone wall and the stone pillars against
the barn. Carriages crossed wooden flooring to get from Morris Road. During World War II
the iron was donated to the war effort. Mr. McLean had no use for the barn, so he
permitted the Roberts family (who still live next door), to store machinery inside.
In 1951 Edwin R. Roberts purchased the barn and two acres from McLean. During the 1955
flood of record, the interior was inundated. (A flood in 1971 brought water to the
doorway). The barn fell into disrepair through the years.
In 1966 McLean and his wife donated 50 acres to the Natural Lands Trust, Inc. Known
today as Four Mills Nature Reserve, this ground is an integral part of the Wissahickon
Creek Green Ribbon Preserve, and the center of the Wissahickon Valley Watershed
Association's environmental education program.
Ed Roberts sold this barn and two acres, plus an additional 9 acres across the stream
to the Trust in 1967. After costly remodeling and restoration, Natural Lands Trust opened
the barn to the public in 1971.
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed association moved into Robert's Barn in 1976 and made
the ground floor its headquarters with offices and a nature museum. In 1982 the second
level, dedicated as the McLean Loft, was designed by local architect Barbara Williams.
This all-purpose space offers many usage possibilities including indoor classes, films,
meetings, and parties.
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association bought the Barn and lands from the Trust
in 1995. The public is welcome to enjoy the trails during daylight hours and to visit the
nature museum in the barn daily from 9-5, and Saturdays from 10-3.
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