Location(s)

Welcome to "The Mill"

It's time to come out and enjoy great food and libations at the Timber's Bar in the Gamble Mill Restaurant. If you didn't know it already, the Timber's Bar offers a lighter side menu with soups,salads, sandwiches, and small plates fropm 5 to 8pm weeknights and 5 to 8:30pm on weekends. Feel free to make reservations for the limited bar tables! Stop by soon to visit our bartenders Mollie and Barb, catch up with friends, or make new ones!

            According to J. Thomas Mitchell, a Centre County historian, William Lamb is credited with owning the first permanent settlement in the Nittany Valley. In 1785, he built is home along the west bank of Spring Creek and in 1786 constructed a mill just south of his home. The mill was an attraction for new settlers and the valley prospered. It became known as Lamb’s Crossing, with Thomas Lamb becoming the area’s first millwright. The bridge in front of the Gamble Mill Restaurant is called “Lamb’s Crossing.”

            In 1794, John Dunlap, an ironmaster from Cumberland Valley, bought all the Lamb properties, including 800 acres and the Big Spring, then called the Beautiful Fountain, from which Bellefonte gained its name. The Dunlops established their iron industry in Centre County and bought many thousands of acres in the Nittany Valley. One year later, Colonel Dunlop and James Harris laid out the town of Bellefonte. Various people were connected with the ownership of the mill and in 1901, the mill’s current namesake, George M. Gamble, came to Bellefonte from Jersey Shore. In 1923 he retired and the building slowly deteriorated, eventually being condemned and slated for demolition.

            With the help of a dedicated local group, Ted Conklin purchased the mill in 1975.  The next year the building became the first building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Water still flows through the raceway under the building where at one time a water wheel supplied power to all sections of the building for the manufacture of flour and feed. Today the turbine that replaced the water wheel in the 1890’s has been reactivated and is used to pump water to various sections of Bellefonte.

            From 1975 to 1985 Ted continued the slow process of restoration, which brought the building to the stage in which you see it today. Care has been taken to leave as much of the original character intact as possible.

The Gamble Mill Restaurant was opened in April of 1986 with Jeanne Murphy managing and Courtney Confer supervising menu selections and food preparation. Over the past 20 years, the two owners have taken the restaurant from a one floor operation serving only soup, salads and sandwiches to the full service dining and banquet facility you can experience today. 

Located at 160 Dunlop Street  (Lamb's Crossing),

Bellefonte, PA 16823

Call 814-355-7764

Http://www.gamblemill.com