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57-509: The town of Two Mills is based on Jerry Spinelli's childhood town of Norristown, Pennsylvania . Spinelli has said that the material from the story was inspired by his childhood experiences there, and a number of geographical correspondences confirm this. Norristown, like Two Mills, is across the Schuylkill River from Bridgeport , and neighboring towns include Conshohocken , Jeffersonville and Worcester , all of which are mentioned in

114-460: A gristmill at the foot of present-day Water Street. Named the county seat in 1784 when Montgomery County was formed, Norristown was incorporated as a borough in 1812 and subsequently enlarged in 1853. About 500 people lived there at the time of its incorporation. Growing rapidly after the Civil War , it swelled to 22,265 people by 1900. By 1940 it was home to 38,181 Norristonians, making it

171-462: A 2007 online poll. In 2012 it was ranked number 40 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal , a monthly with primarily U.S. audience. The book is popular in elementary schools as a historical-fiction novel. Many study units and teaching guides are available, including a study guide by the author. It has been used as a tool in scholarly work on childhood education and development. Fondrie cites it as an example in

228-420: A collection of theaters, art galleries, and professional firms on the 300-500 blocks of DeKalb Street in downtown. Norristown has seen several new office buildings constructed or rehabbed over the last several decades. One Montgomery Plaza, the municipality's iconic downtown 10-story office building, was built in the early 1970s, and is now owned by Montgomery County. Two newer mid-rise downtown office buildings,

285-517: A complicated story rich in characters and details...an energetic piece of writing that bursts with creativity, enthusiasm, and hope." Reviewers noted that the theme of racism was uncommon for "middle readers". Criticism concentrated on Spinelli's choice of framing it as a legend, which Shoemaker calls a "cop-out," seeming like a "chalkboard lesson." Awards and honors for the book include: The U.S. National Education Association named Maniac Magee one of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" based on

342-464: A discussion of how to bring up and discuss issues of race and class among young students. McGinley and Kamberlis use it in a study of how children use reading and writing as "vehicles for personal, social, and political exploration." Along the same lines, Lehr and Thompson examine classroom discussions as a reflection of the teacher's role as cultural mediator and the response of children to moral dilemmas, and Enciso studies expressions of social identity in

399-598: A high school diploma or higher, while 16.7% have a college degree (Bachelor's or higher). Norristown's economy is based largely on institutions in the government, healthcare, legal, and social services sectors. The Montgomery County government is the municipality's largest employer. Major Norristown employers include the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit ,

456-413: A husk. This foundation isolated the building from vibrations coming from the stones and main gearing and also allowed for the easy re-leveling of the foundation to keep the millstones perfectly horizontal. The lower bedstone was placed in an inset in the husk with the upper runner stone above the level of the husk. American inventor Oliver Evans revolutionized the labor-intensive process of early mills at

513-412: A mechanical sieve to refine the flour, or turning a wooden drum to wind up a chain used to hoist sacks of grain to the top of the mill house. The distance between the stones can be varied to produce the grade of flour required; moving the stones closer together produces finer flour. This process, which may be automatic or controlled by the miller, is called tentering . The grain is lifted in sacks onto

570-623: A presence at the Transportation Center. The Schuylkill River Trail , which connects Philadelphia to Pottstown and runs through downtown Norristown, also passes through the NTC complex. The Chester Valley Trail will also connect to the Transportation Center in the future. Electricity and natural gas in Norristown is provided by PECO Energy Company , a subsidiary of Exelon . Water is provided by Pennsylvania American Water ,

627-463: A proportion on all grain processed in the community. Later, mills were supported by farming communities and the miller received the "miller's toll" in lieu of wages. Most towns and villages had their own mill so that local farmers could easily transport their grain there to be milled. These communities were dependent on their local mill as bread was a staple part of the diet. Classical mill designs are usually water-powered , though some are powered by

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684-483: A subsidiary of American Water . The Norristown Municipal Waste Authority provides sewer service, operating collection sewers and a wastewater treatment plant. Trash and recycling collection is provided under contract by J.P. Mascaro. The Times Herald is the borough's daily newspaper, printing seven days a week and serving most of Montgomery County. Founded on June 15, 1799, it is currently owned by 21st Century Media . The paper's staff offices are located within

741-434: A system that allows the sequential milling of these grists, noting that "a mill, thus constructed, might grind grists in the day time, and do merchant-work at night." Over time, any small, older style flour mill became generally known as a gristmill (as a distinction from large factory flour mills). Modern mills typically use electricity or fossil fuels to spin heavy steel, or cast iron, serrated and flat rollers to separate

798-503: A very physically demanding job for workers, where the slave workers were considered little different from animals, the miseries of which were depicted in iconography and Apuleius ' The Golden Ass . The peak of Roman technology is probably the Barbegal aqueduct and mill where water with a 19-metre fall drove sixteen water wheels , giving a grinding capacity estimated at 28 tons per day. Water mills seem to have remained in use during

855-501: A water-powered grain-mill to have existed near the palace of king Mithradates VI Eupator at Cabira , Asia Minor , before 71 BC. The early mills had horizontal paddle wheels, an arrangement which later became known as the " Norse wheel ", as many were found in Scandinavia. The paddle wheel was attached to a shaft which was, in turn, attached to the centre of the millstone called the "runner stone". The turning force produced by

912-438: Is 37.2% black or African American, 27.9% white (non-Hispanic), 27.1% Hispanic and two or more races 6.4%. There were 11,963 households and 7,498 families residing in the municipality. The population density was 9,753.9 people per square mile. There were 13,420 housing units at an average density of 3,813.5 per square mile. Of the 11,963 households, 62.7% (7,498) were family households and 37.3% were non-family households. Of

969-553: Is a municipality with home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania , United States, in the Philadelphia metropolitan area . Located along the Schuylkill River , approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Philadelphia , Norristown had a population of 35,748 as of the 2020 census . It is the fourth-most populous municipality in the county and second-most populous borough in Pennsylvania . It

1026-620: Is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 6 mi (10 km) northwest of Philadelphia, although direct driving distance from downtown Norristown to Center City Philadelphia is about 17 mi (27 km). Totaling 3.519 square miles in land area, the municipality sits along the Schuylkill River. Two major tributaries, the Stony Creek and the Saw Mill Run, bisect the town into thirds and empty directly into

1083-563: Is part of the Fifth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon ), the 70th State House Districts (represented by Rep. Matt Bradford ) and the 17th State Senate District (represented by Sen. Amanda Cappelletti ). As of 2015 there were 56.07 miles (90.24 km) of public roads in Norristown, of which 3.81 miles (6.13 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 52.26 miles (84.10 km) were maintained by

1140-478: Is the largest non-township municipality in Montgomery County and is located 49.8 miles (80.1 km) southeast of Allentown and 19.9 miles (32.0 km) northwest of Philadelphia. Present-day Norristown was originally owned by the family of Isaac Norris . Along with William Trent , Norris purchased the land on October 7, 1704, for 50¢ per acre. In 1712, Norris acquired Trent's share and established

1197-489: The Köppen climate classification , the borough has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) according to recent temperature numbers. The Trewartha climate classification now has the climate as Do (oceanic because only seven months are above 50 °F.) The hardiness zone is 7a or 7b depending upon elevation. As of 2019, Norristown's population is 34,341, which represents a 0% increase since 2010. The municipality's population

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1254-576: The Norristown Area School District , and others. Norristown has been a home rule municipality since 1986 when voters adopted a charter with a manager/council form of government and a seven-member municipal council. The office of mayor was abolished in July 2004 after a public referendum amended the municipal charter. Executive and administrative authority is now delegated to a council appointed Municipal Manager. The municipality

1311-650: The Norristown Transportation Center (NTC). SEPTA operates eight Suburban Division bus routes ( 90 , 91 , 93 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , and 131 ), one interurban rapid transit route, the Norristown High Speed Line to 69th Street Transportation Center , and a Regional Rail line (the Manayunk/Norristown Line to Center City Philadelphia ) out of the NTC complex. The Regional Rail station at

1368-885: The Pennsylvania Turnpike ( I-276 ) and the US 202 Dannehower Bridge. Norristown Area School District is the local school district. St. Francis of Assisi School is located in Norristown. Other area Catholic schools include Visitation B.V.M. School in West Norriton Township , near the Trooper census-designated place and near Norristown; Holy Rosary Regional Catholic School in Plymouth Meeting and Plymouth Township ; and Mother Teresa Regional Catholic School in King of Prussia . Holy Rosary

1425-438: The bran and germ from the endosperm . The endosperm is ground to create white flour, which may be recombined with the bran and germ to create whole grain or graham flour . The different milling techniques produce visibly different results, but can be made to produce nutritionally and functionally equivalent output. Stone-ground flour is preferred by many bakers and natural food advocates because of its texture, nutty flavour, and

1482-413: The sack floor at the top of the mill on the hoist . The sacks are then emptied into bins, where the grain falls down through a hopper to the millstones on the stone floor below. The flow of grain is regulated by shaking it in a gently sloping trough (the slipper ) from which it falls into a hole in the center of the runner stone. The milled grain (flour) is collected as it emerges through the grooves in

1539-486: The 7,498 families, 58.2% had their own and related children under the age of 18 living with them; 51.0% were married couples living together, and 36.6% had a female householder with no husband present. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.41. The median age of all residents is 31.2 years, with an age distribution of 26.2% under the age of 18, 43.5% between ages 18 and 44, 21.2% between ages 45 and 64, and 9.1% ages 65 and above. According to

1596-565: The English and a handful of Germans, Scots, Dutch, and Swedes, in the mid-1800s the Irish began arriving in large numbers, followed by waves of Italians at the turn of the century. With the opening of new malls in nearby King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting , the downtown declined in the decades after World War II . Industry soon followed, as many companies closed or relocated into new industrial parks throughout Montgomery County. Norristown

1653-628: The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit Building and the Department of Environmental Protection Building, were built in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2009, the historic former Bell Telephone building was completely renovated for offices, and that same year the U.S. Roofing Corporation rehabbed the former Conte Luna pasta factory on East Main Street to house their operations. The former Sears building at

1710-629: The Norristown Transportation Center is one of three on the Manayunk/Norristown Line in Norristown. The other two are Main Street and Elm Street , the latter of which serves as the terminus of the line. The NTC contains a 522-space SEPTA commuter parking garage that also contains an intercity bus terminal that was formerly used by Bieber Transportation Group , Greyhound Lines , and Martz Trailways . Several taxi companies and private bus shuttles have

1767-631: The Schuylkill. The town's terrain is generally hilly, especially in the areas closest to downtown, which itself sits on a plateau surrounded by all three major waterways. Norristown has four distinct neighborhoods: the West End, the East End, the North End, and the downtown. It is bounded by West Norriton , East Norriton , and Plymouth townships, as well as the borough of Bridgeport . In

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1824-715: The Studio Centre shopping center in the North End was renovated as a modern office center. Since the early 2000s, Regatta Apartments, the Rittenhouse condominium building, the Luxor, and dozens of new townhouses have contributed to a residential boom in the East End. Two new downtown parking garages were built in the late 2000s, one at Main and Cherry Streets for visitors and another at SEPTA ’s Norristown Transportation Center on Lafayette Street. Several large downtown and neighborhood streetscape projects were completed by

1881-417: The U.S. Census Bureau's 2012 American Community Survey, the median household income was $ 42,764. Males had a median income of $ 34,214 versus $ 34,086 for females. The per capita income was $ 21,204. About 17.3% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 28.3% of those under the age of 18 and 11.8% of those 65 and older. Approximately 76.0% of all persons 25 and older have

1938-901: The belief that it is nutritionally superior and has a better baking quality than steel-roller-milled flour. It is claimed that, as the stones grind relatively slowly, the wheat germ is not exposed to the sort of excessive temperatures that could cause the fat from the germ portion to oxidize and become rancid, which would destroy some of the vitamin content. Stone-milled flour has been found to be relatively high in thiamin, compared to roller-milled flour, especially when milled from hard wheat. Gristmills only grind "clean" grains from which stalks and chaff have previously been removed, but historically some mills also housed equipment for threshing , sorting, and cleaning prior to grinding. Modern mills are usually "merchant mills" that are either privately owned and accept money or trade for milling grains or are owned by corporations that buy unmilled grain and then own

1995-487: The borough. Norristown sits near the junction of several major roads in the Philadelphia metropolitan area . Main Street, also known as Ridge Pike , outside of the municipality, and Airy Street run east–west through the downtown, eventually leading to interchanges for I-476 (the Blue Route) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike ( I-276 ), respectively, in Plymouth Meeting . US 202 is the major north–south route through

2052-411: The city proper. Gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill , corn mill , flour mill , feed mill or feedmill ) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings . The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding . The Greek geographer Strabo reports in his Geography

2109-654: The end of the eighteenth century when he automated the process of making flour. His inventions included the Elevator, wood or tin buckets on a vertical endless leather belt, used to move grain and flour vertically upward; the Conveyor, a wooden auger to move material horizontally; the Hopper Boy, a device for stirring and cooling the newly ground flour; the Drill, a horizontal elevator with flaps instead of buckets (similar to

2166-547: The late 10th century onwards, there was an expansion of grist-milling in Northern Europe. In England, the Domesday survey of 1086 gives a precise count of England's water-powered flour mills: there were 5,624, or about one for every 300 inhabitants, and this was probably typical throughout western and southern Europe. From this time onward, water wheels began to be used for purposes other than grist milling. In England,

2223-500: The medieval Near East and North Africa , which were used for grinding grain and other seeds to produce meals . Gristmills in the Islamic world were powered by both water and wind. The first wind-powered gristmills were built in the 9th and 10th centuries in what are now Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. The Egyptian town of Bilbays had a grain-processing factory that produced an estimated 300 tons of flour and grain per day. From

2280-766: The most populous borough in Pennsylvania before declining in the decades after World War II, and in fact it was described in that year as "the most populous independent borough in the United States." At its height, Norristown was an industrial, retail, banking, and government center. Breweries, cigar factories, textile mills, icehouses, foundries, rolling mills, and lumber yards provided ample employment for skilled laborers and artisans. The downtown featured two department stores, several theaters, and enough goods and services that residents never had to leave town to find anything they needed. Although primarily settled by

2337-584: The municipal government to install new street lighting, trees, curbing, and sidewalks along Main Street, DeKalb Street, and Powell Street. The Lafayette Street Extension Project, a $ 60 million effort by Montgomery County, PennDOT , and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is now open to traffic. It has improved highway access and mobility into downtown Norristown by widening Lafayette Street and extending it eastward toward Ridge Pike and Conshohocken , with eventual connections to

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2394-602: The municipality. Despite the loss of its historic movie and vaudeville theaters, Norristown is home to two performing arts centers, the Montgomery County Cultural Center and Centre Theatre, and one professional theater company, Theatre Horizon. All are part of The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. These theaters form the nucleus for Norristown Arts Hill,

2451-548: The novel. The Elmwood Park Zoo is in Norristown, and Valley Forge , where Maniac wanders, is nearby as well. There is also a street named Hector Street in Conshohocken. The book was well-received upon publication, variously lauded in reviews as "always affecting," having "broad appeal," and being full of "pathos and compassion." Booklist reviewer Deborah Abbot says, "...this unusual novel magically weaves timely issues of homelessness, racial prejudice, and illiteracy into

2508-875: The number of mills in operation followed population growth, and peaked at around 17,000 by 1300. Limited extant examples of gristmills can be found in Europe from the High Middle Ages . An extant well-preserved waterwheel and gristmill on the Ebro River in Spain is associated with the Real Monasterio de Nuestra Senora de Rueda , built by the Cistercian monks in 1202. The Cistercians were known for their use of this technology in Western Europe in

2565-496: The old wheel mills. In most wheel-driven mills, a large gear-wheel called the pit wheel is mounted on the same axle as the water wheel and this drives a smaller gear-wheel, the wallower , on a main driveshaft running vertically from the bottom to the top of the building. This system of gearing ensures that the main shaft turns faster than the water wheel, which typically rotates at around 10 rpm . The millstones themselves turn at around 120 rpm . They are laid one on top of

2622-414: The other. The bottom stone, called the bed , is fixed to the floor, while the top stone, the runner , is mounted on a separate spindle, driven by the main shaft. A wheel called the stone nut connects the runner's spindle to the main shaft, and this can be moved out of the way to disconnect the stone and stop it turning, leaving the main shaft turning to drive other machinery. This might include driving

2679-477: The period 1100 to 1350. Although the terms "gristmill" or "corn mill" can refer to any mill that grinds grain, the terms were used historically for a local mill where farmers brought their own grain and received ground meal or flour, minus a percentage called the "miller's toll". Early mills in England were almost always built by the local lord of the manor and had the exclusive right (the right of mulcture ) to

2736-599: The post-Roman period. Manually operated mills utilizing a crank-and-connecting rod were used in the Western Han dynasty . There was an expansion of grist-milling in the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia from the 3rd century AD onwards, and then the widespread expansion of large-scale factory milling installations across the Islamic world from the 8th century onwards. Geared gristmills were built in

2793-418: The process. Evans himself did not use the term gristmill to describe his automatic flour mill, which was purpose designed as a merchant mill (he used the more general term "water-mill"). In his book his only reference to "grist" (or "grists") is to the small batches of grain a farmer would bring in to have ground for himself (what would be generally called barter or custom milling). In his book, Evans describes

2850-609: The responses of children to Maniac Magee . In a less pedagogical vein, Roberts uses the character of Amanda Beale as an archetypal "female rescuer" in a study of Newbery books, and Sullivan suggests the book as being useful in discussions of reading attitudes and difficulties. The book was adapted as a TV movie in 2003 which was nominated for the Humanitas prize in the children's live action category, and as an audiobook by Listening Library in 2005. ( ISBN   978-0-307-24318-8 ) Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown

2907-416: The runner stone from the outer rim of the stones and is fed down a chute to be collected in sacks on the ground or meal floor. A similar process is used for grains such as wheat to make flour, and for maize to make corn meal . In order to prevent vibrations from the millstones shaking the building apart, they were usually placed on a separate timber foundation, not attached to the mill walls, known as

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2964-418: The town, connecting it with other nearby county seats such as Doylestown and West Chester . US 202 is split into a one-way pair through the municipality, as DeKalb Street is designated “US 202 North” while Markley Street is signed “US 202 South.” Norristown is the largest multi-modal transportation hub in Montgomery County. Numerous rail lines, bus routes, multi-use trails, and parking areas converge at

3021-605: The use of a conveyor but easier to build); and the Descender, an endless strap (leather or flannel) in a trough that is angled downward, the strap helps to move the ground flour in the trough. Most importantly, he integrated these into a single continuous process, the overall design later becoming known as the Automatic (or Automated) mill. In 1790 he received the third Federal patent for his process. In 1795 he published "The Young Mill-Wright and Miller’s Guide" which fully described

3078-460: The volume and speed of flow of the water also meant that the speed of rotation of the stone was highly variable and the optimum grinding speed could not always be maintained. Vertical wheels were in use in the Roman Empire by the end of the first century BC, and these were described by Vitruvius . The rotating mill is considered "one of the greatest discoveries of the human race". It was

3135-436: The water on the paddles was transferred directly to the runner stone, causing it to grind against a stationary " bed ", a stone of a similar size and shape. This simple arrangement required no gears , but had the disadvantage that the speed of rotation of the stone was dependent on the volume and flow of water available and was, therefore, only suitable for use in mountainous regions with fast-flowing streams. This dependence on

3192-410: The wind or by livestock. In a watermill a sluice gate is opened to allow water to flow onto, or under, a water wheel to make it turn. In most watermills the water wheel was mounted vertically, i.e., edge-on, in the water, but in some cases horizontally (the tub wheel and so-called Norse wheel ). Later designs incorporated horizontal steel or cast iron turbines and these were sometimes refitted into

3249-740: Was formed in 2012 by the merger of St. Titus School in East Norriton Township , Epiphany of Our Lord School in Plymouth Meeting, and Our Lady of Victory in East Norriton. Mother Teresa formed in 2012 by the merger of St. Teresa of Avila in West Norriton Township and Mother of Divine Providence in King of Prussia. Both St. Titus and St. Teresa had Norristown, Pennsylvania postal addresses but were not in

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