The 35'X 70'X 3 story mill is a frame mill of 3 stories built on a limestone foundation. A clerestory runs almost the full length of the mill and an enclosed sack hoist serves the 3 stories. The mill looked to be in operation yet in the summer of 1989. The mill is clad in horzontal panels of 3'x 10' corregated, galvanized metal siding. This is all that is known about the mill, nothing about its operations. The 1862 Martenet's Map of Washington County shows the land where the mill is was owned by G. Kline. Perhaps the Kline Bros. that take over the mill in the late 1980's are related to the original owner, George Kline.

*Update: I knew the mill as the Earl W. Hoffman & Son Mill at Benevola along Alternative US 40 on the east side between Boonsboro and Funkstown. As the miller of Peirce Mill and a federal employee, I felt that at least once or twice a year, I had to go out and physically inspect where our grain came from. We bought different kinds of grain which was cleaned and sealed in 50 pound bags. The mill was never water powered, but perhaps the prior mill to that one was water powered, and perhaps rebuilt on the original foundations. The mill has Wolf Rollers and has one floor full of plainsifters. The mill has cement floors and the roller mills were later more modern versions of the Wolf roller mills, and was a commercial white flour mill. When I worked at Peirce Mill in the 1980's, I used to get the mills grain from Hoffman's Mill, along with then miller, Jeff Rainie, who was the miller at the time at the Colvin Run Mill. Union Mills, and perhaps the Burwell-Morgan Mill as well also got their grain from Hoffman's Mill. Then the mill was sold, and the new owner, Kline Brothers could not be bothered with selling grain to us little, demonstration, living history mills. Ted Hazen 09-01-2009*

*Update: I worked at this mill starting in 1970, off and on until its close in about 1995. Paul and Ray Hoffman (Earl W Hoffman and Sons) bought the mill from Stanley Cline in the early 1960's and ran the mill as it was originally built until 1972. It's capacity was about 250 cwt(hundred weight)/24 hrs. They made white flour and cornmeal and sold flour, cornmeal, self-rising flour, self-rising cornmeal, and buckheat flour in 2,5,10,25,50, and 100 lb bags. They also manufactured animal feed products and did custom feed grinding. The mill was sold and operated as GFP Milling from about 1987 to 1990 when it was sold to Wilkins-Rogers of Ellicott City, Md. It was operated for several years and finally decommissioned in 1999. The wheat bins and the wooden frame building were demolished and the new brick flour mill building is being used for a warehouse for a tire company. David Renner 09/22/2009*