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.pdf/62

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES the settlers gave it little w ork to do. T his mill w as later rebuilt by Christian Brobst. Jonathan Shoem aker built another mill on the crcck here in 1789, which w as afterw ard s converted into a paper mill. The next oldest mill w as the Brow n mill, on Ten-mile run, in Mitllin township, operated for years by successive Brow ns, ancestors o f former Postm aster Brow n o f Bloomsburg, and now in the hands o f P. A. Fcttcrolf. It is unique in having a wooden flume entering its second story, which operated a 22-foot wooden overshot wheel. O ther mills on this stream w here the Y ohc and N ungesser mills, both long since gone. In point o f age the next is the Jaco b Q cav cr mill, built in 178 3 on R oaring creek, near its mouth, in M ayberry township. T h is mill had a hne fa ll o f water and a dam bolted to tlie solid ledge o f rock above the rock cut forcbay. it now has a concrete dam and forcbay. The m ill at Slabtown, on R oaring creek, in Locust township, w as one of the best of the efforts o f that old-time m illw right, Sam uel Cherrington. T his mill had a good fall of water and w as only once frozen up in winter. That freeze caused its destruction, fo r the proprietor sought to thaw it out with straw and set it on lire. On this creek w ere also built the M endenhall, Snyder, Hughes and Mourey m ills, some o f which are still in operation. Other m ills on Cataw issa creek were built at M ainville and Shumantown. Som e are modem in fittings, while others arc operated by the old methods. The oldest mill on the north side of the river w as the Pepper mill on Hemlock creek, in Hemlock township. It is now abandoned. The old M cK e lv e y mill below E y c r's Grove was last operated by Jo h n Betz in 1878. T he Beagle m ill in Hemlock township w as aban­ d o n ^ in >903. ITie first flouring mill w as built in M illville by John E v e s, and has undergone so many changes that the form er owner would not recognize the present structure as the suc­ cessor of the hrst. T h is mill is one of the Urgest buckwheat mills in A m erica and produces m ore flour o f that kind than any other mill in Pennsylvania. The E y c r 's Grove mill, in Greenwood town­ ship. is the only brick one in the tw o counties, ami bears a strong resemblance to a church, h was built in i860 by Jaco b E y e r. son of the founder o f Bloomsburg. T h e lo la mill in the same township, w as built in 1828. and those at Sercno, Pine township, and M ordansville, Mt. Pleasant township, a little later.

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T he Cole mill and the Sw artw out mill, on Fishing creek, in Su garlo af township, were both old-timers and fam ous fo r buckwheat flour. There are also the Kdson and Thom as mills on this crcck, the form er destroyed by fire some years ago. Both are now running and have modem equipment. T h e R ed and the W hite mills, on Hemlock crcck, near Bloomsburg, were both built by members of the Barton fam ily, and arc still in good condition, both having modem equip­ ment. T h e A<|ueduct mill, at the mouth o f Fish in g crcck, has a flume running under the old N orth Branch canal bed, and has the dis­ tinction o f never being out o f water. It is a finely fitted up mill, grinding a high grade o f wheat flour. T h e M ather mill at Benton w as at first a planing mill. It now has a fme concrete dam and is modern in every respect. T he site of the Stillw ater mill is now occupied by a paper mill, as is also that of the Trench mill, just above Bloomsbury. T h e mill at Jonestow n, built by the fam ily o f that name who founded the town, is now operated by H. C. G ruver. T h e H erring mill at O rangeville has been superseded by an electric light plant. T h e M cDowell and Bettle mills at Light Street arc both still running, as are Ikeler's and Shultz's milts, near Rohrsbuiy. On B ria r crcck only one mill remains of the several o f form er years— the Ash mill, near the mouth of the stream. T he others were (he Rittenhouse. Hughes. T rau gh and H o ff­ man mills, all in Briarcrcek township. Bowm an’s mill, west o f O rangeville, has remained in the fam ily fo r several generations, and still turns out a high grade o f buckwheat and excellent wheat flour also. It has modern machinery. T he mills of the W hite M illing Company and R . R . Ikeler at Bloom sburg, the mill at Jerseytow n owned by M rs. R . G . Greenly and operated hy Rohm Brothers, and the mill o f J . C . Chrisman at Berw ick, 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 Washingftonville. on the site of the fortified one o f early times, called Boyle's or B rad y’s F ort, on the banks of the Chiliistiuaque. T h e present mill is a modern one and built o f stone. T h e first mill built in the county w as that o f W illiam M ontgom ery, the founder of the