Chili Mills Tour and Open House
marks bowstring bridge's place in history

The Wilcox Family of Chili and the Friends of Stuart Road Bridge will host the eighth annual Chili Mills Tour and Open House on May 18 and 19. The event is free to the public from 1:30 until 4:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

The tour encompasses nine state and national landmarks of the Chili Mills Conservation Area, such as the Hertz gristmill museum, a prominent feature of the history of development in western Monroe County

This year's special attraction is the long-anticipated 125th anniversary of the world-famous Stuart Road "bowstring" bridge, installed over Black Creek in 1877, and now beautifully restored through the dedicated efforts of the Monroe County Department of Transportation. The United States Post Office has commemorated the event with a special postal cancellation imprint during May and June. Alan Sloan, internationally-known bridge historian and great-grandson of the bridge's builder, Xenas King, is scheduled to be on hand to share the history of this important contribution to American industrial development.

Open house activities include woodcraft exhibit; interviews with author and former Chili historian Bernice Wilcox; demonstrations of open-hearth cooking and woodworking; a display of the 13 antique wagons, sleighs and carriages restored by carriage expert William Wilcox, including Buffalo Bill's own wagon from his famous Wild West Show. The Chili Mills Conservation Area is a landmark of New York state and is on the United States Register of Historic Places.

Chili Mills is located on Chili Avenue (Rt. 33) at Stuart Road, one mile west of Union Street (Rt. 259). Parking is free.