Poe Mill Coins

Did you know that folks who worked in Poe Mill received part of their compensation in a private money system? As part of their pay, workers would receive tokens for the Poe Mill general store.

There was some convenience to this! It was nice having a general store right in the heart of your neighborhood so that you could have consistent, direct access to essential goods.

There was also some conflict of interest in this. Being paid partially in “tokens” kept you from spending your money outside of the mill village and put your pay right back into the mill owner's pocket. Below is a photo of an old token the Mill workers would have received.