Collaboration with Charlestown Middle School enters third year

For the last two years Charlestown Middle School’s eighth grade class has participated in a joint venture with the Mill. As part of a curriculum designed by social studies teacher Mike Schlenoff, the students construct a scale model of a typical early NH timber frame house.

His vision included the children creating a mortice and tenon joint with hand tools, designing a timber frame house, using power tools to cut materials to make a scale model frame, and receiving tours of the Mill covering the deep history of place. Each student comes to the Mill two times over the course of an eight week period.

Getting students out of a public school building and moving them to a different location is difficult. Mike arranged for this with the full support of his Principal and a small grant that covered the cost of a bus and driver. He deserves a lot of credit for his initiative and follow through in making this happen.

We will welcome the class of 2026 to the Mill in April and May. We are pleased to be participating in this joint venture, and grateful to Mike, and for the volunteers both from the school and Chase's Mill who support this project.

From left, students constructing the model; learning basic joinery without nails; using the chop saw; using the miter box.