Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.djvu/62

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES the settlers gave it little work to do. This mill was later rebuilt by Christian Brobst. Jonathan Shoemaker built another mill on the creek here in 1789, which was afterwards converted into a paper mill.

The next oldest mill was the Brown mill, on Ten-mile run, in Mifflin township, operated for years by successive Browns, ancestors of former Postmaster Brown of Bloomsburg, and now in the hands of P. A. Fetterolf. It is unique in having a wooden flume entering its second story, which operated a 22-foot wooden overshot wheel. Other mills on this stream where the Yohe and Nungesser mills, both long since gone.

In point of age the next is the Jacob Cleaver mill, built in 1783 on Roaring creek, near its mouth, in Mayberry township. This mill had a fine fall of water and a dam bolted to the solid ledge of rock above the rock cut forebay. it now has a concrete dam and forebay.

The mill at Slabtown, on Roaring creek, in Locust township, was one of the best of the efforts of that old-time millwright, Samuel Cherrington. This mill had a good fall of water and was only once frozen up in winter. That freeze caused its destruction, for the proprietor sought to thaw it out with straw and set it on lire. On this creek were also built the Mendenhall, Snyder, Hughes and Mourey mills, some of which are still in operation.

Other mills on Catawissa creek were built at Mainville and Shumantown. Some are modern in fittings, while others arc operated by the old methods.

The oldest mill on the north side of the river was the Pepper mill on Hemlock creek, in Hemlock township. It is now abandoned. The old McKelvey mill below Eyer's Grove was last operated by John Betz in 1878. The Beagle mill in Hemlock township was abandoned in 1903.

The first flouring mill was built in Millville by John Eves, and has undergone so many changes that the former owner would not recognize the present structure as the successor of the first. This mill is one of the largest buckwheat mills in America and produces more flour of that kind than any other mill in Pennsylvania. The Eyer's Grove mill, in Greenwood township. is the only brick one in the two counties, and bears a strong resemblance to a church, it was built in i860 by Jacob Eyer, son of the founder of Bloomsburg. The Iola mill in the same township, was built in 1828. and those at Sereno, Pine township, and Mordansville, Mt. Pleasant township, a little later.

The Cole mill and the Swartwout mill, on Fishing creek, in Sugarloaf township, were both old-timers and famous for buckwheat flour. There are also the Edson and Thomas mills on this creek, the former destroyed by fire some years ago. Both are now running and have modern equipment.

The Red and the White mills, on Hemlock creek, near Bloomsburg, were both built by members of the Barton family, and arc still in good condition, both having modern equipment. The Aqueduct mill, at the mouth of Fishing creek, has a flume running under the old North Branch canal bed, and has the distinction of never being out of water. It is a finely fitted up mill, grinding a high grade of wheat flour.

The Mather mill at Benton was at first a planing mill. It now has a fine concrete dam and is modern in every respect. The site of the Stillwater mill is now occupied by a paper mill, as is also that of the Trench mill, just above Bloomsburg.

The mill at Jonestown, built by the family of that name who founded the town, is now operated by H. C. Gruver. The Herring mill at Orangeville has been superseded by an electric light plant.

The McDowell and Bettle mills at Light Street arc both still running, as are Ikeler's and Shultz's milts, near Rohrsburg.

On Briar creek only one mill remains of the several of former years—the Ash mill, near the mouth of the stream. The others were the Rittenhouse, Hughes, Traugh and Hoffman mills, all in Briarcreek township.

Bowman’s mill, west of Orangeville, has remained in the family for several generations, and still turns out a high grade of buckwheat and excellent wheat flour also. It has modern machinery.

The mills of the White Milling Company and R. R. Ikeler at Bloomsburg, the mill at Jerseytown owned by Mrs. R. G. Greenly and operated by Rohm Brothers, and the mill of J. C. Chrisman at Berwick, are steam mills with modern equipment and all do a thriving business.

The oldest mill In Montour county is the Bosley mill, built in 1788. at Washingtonville. on the site of the fortified one of early times, called Boyle's or Brady’s Fort, on the banks of the Chillisquaque. The present mill is a modern one and built of stone. The first mill built in the county was that of William Montgomery, the founder of the