Hanford Mills Museum will open for its 2026 season on Friday, May 15. The museum will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 15. Our knowledgeable staff offer a guided experience featuring demonstrations of historic, water-powered machines in our sawmill, gristmill, and woodworking shops.
On Saturday, May 23, join Hanford Mills Museum as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the waterwheel. The Hanfords installed the waterwheel in the mill in 1926 and it still generates power for the mill today. Watch the wheel come to life and help us celebrate this unique piece of local history and tradition. This event will also include a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1 p.m., a concert by the Small Town Big Band at 2 p.m., and other activities. Come early for a guided bird walk from 8 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Led by experienced birders from the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society. This walk is free and will explore the grounds of Hanford Mills Museum.
The Waterwheel Celebration Day runs from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. and admission is by donation. All donations will be used to establish a new Preservation Reserve Fund so that Hanford Mills can continue to keep the waterwheel (and the rest of the site) operational and well-preserved into the future.
Visit hanfordmills.org and social media for more information about this and other events at Hanford Mills Museum in 2026.
About Hanford Mills Museum
Experience a story of innovation, ingenuity and entrepreneurship at a historic working mill site. Sheltered in a valley in the northwestern Catskills of New York, Hanford Mills Museum offers insights into the past, and lessons about the relationships between people, the things they make, and the places they live. As one of only a handful of operating water-powered mills, Hanford Mills Museum has earned a place on both the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places.
Hanford Mills is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi. For more information, visit hanfordmills.org or call 607-278-5744.
