The original Rollermills structure was built in 1883 by Cyrus Hoffa as a flour mill. The beams in our front cashier area are over 50 continuous feet long without a joint. Stacked on top of those massive beams are twelve 100 ton grain bins constructed of full dimension 2 x 10s stacked 60 feet high.
Flour was produced and sold under the brand name “Oriole.” Production was 350 barrels per day and the wooden barrels were produced on site. A workforce of 100 personnel worked around the clock laboring to load train cars with product.
Cyrus Hoffa continued to own the business until the 1920s when it was sold to Dietrich and Gambrill, Inc. from Maryland. Production changed to small animal feeds and ultimately the business was sold to Ralston Purina Co. in the 1970s and continued as a production and warehouse facility until the late 1980s when the structure was purchased by local entrepreneur, Craig Bennett. Eighteen months of work ensued to remove the tons of steel welded to form bins inside the structure. Outside bins, elevators, and structures obliterated the classic lines of the original architecture. Original trim was returned, windows replaced and wooden floors restored.
In January 1991, the Rollermills Antique Center opened with the help of seven courageous Antique Dealers with quality merchandise and great attitudes. Word spread quickly throughout central Pennsylvania and soon the building had 400 dealers with quality antiques and collectibles.
