The August topic of the bulletin board history display at the Helmetta Post Office is how waterways in the 1800s were used to power local mills, including the George W. Helme Snuff Mill, which the borough is identified with.
Mill Brook, with its Helmetta Pond reservoir, powered the snuff mill. Saw Mill Brook provided power for the Bennett sawmill. And Manalapan Brook, with Lake Marguerite as its reservoir, powered the Outcalt mills. The Ditch Bank, or Appleby’s Ditch, was a canal dug around 1855 to regulate water flow between Helmetta Pond and Shekiro’s Pond.
More information on the display is available from Joe Sapia, P.O. Box 275, Helmetta, 08828, e-mail: [email protected].

