The Freed Grist Mill/North Wales Steam Mills was built by J. H. Egner of Philadelphia in 1860. The then 40'x 60' mill of 3.5 stories was built as a grist mill and a distillery. It was sold to Jonas Moyer, David Moyer, then Elias K. Freed. In 1862 it burned, a common mill catastrophe, and was rebuilt as a merchant mill with 5 run of stones and a 40 hp engine. Next the mill was torn down and rebuilt as a 40'x100' brick roller mill of 3.5 stories with a 2 story warehouse. Production capacity of the new mill was 150 bbls/day, storage for 20,000 bushels of wheat, 1,000 bushels of flour. This was the first roller process mill in Montgomery Co.--the third in the state.

In 1865, the mill was converted to a planing mill by Elwood Shearer. Known as Shearer & Hendricks, Baker & Hardin, and Lukens & Shearer through the years. In the begining, 4-10 workers were employed at $90.00/month with yearly production valued at $12,000, and stock valued at $6,000. It is operating as North Wales Millwork.