Conestoga River Watershed - Mills of Lancaster County

The Conestoga River is a 61.6-mile-long tributary of the Susquehanna River. It originates in Berks County but most of its length is in Lancaster County. It enters the Susquehanna at Safe Harbor just below the Safe Harbor dam. Originally known as the Conestoga Creek, its name is derived from the Iroquoian word “Kanastoge” meaning “place of the immersed pole”.

This is a listing of water-powered grist mills in the Conestoga River watershed in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The watershed includes the following branches and tributaries. The mills are listed in order of water flow.

Main Branch
Cedar Creek
Muddy Creek
Little Muddy Creek
Lititz Run
Mill Creek
Little Conestoga
Swarr Run
West Branch of the Little Conestoga

Conestoga River Main Branch

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Spring	Grube’s	Business	c1823	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Hertzler’s	Fairview	Site	1816	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Windsor Upper		Site	c1860	Grist	Conestoga River
Windsor Lower	Bishop Weaver’s	Foundation	c1863	Flour, Grist, Cider	Conestoga River
Poole Forge	Gabriel Davies’	Site	1740	Grist	Conestoga River
McCormick’s	Yohn’s	Site	1827	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Caernarvon	Light’s	Site	c1868	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Newswanger’s	Carpenter’s	Site	c1766	Grist	Conestoga River
Weaver’s	White Hall	Site	Pre 1824	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Conestoga River
Weither’s		Site	Pre 1751	Grist	Little Conestoga Creek (N)
Spring Grove	Oberholtzer’s, Hurst Brothers	Storage	1793	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Conestoga Roller Mill		Site	c1880	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Linden Grove		Site	c1851	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
East Earl	Shirk’s	Site	c1888	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Blue Ball		Site	c1813	Grist	Shirk’s Run
Greenbank		Business	c1780	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Conestoga River
Martin’s		Site	c1833	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Martin’s Run
Sensenig’s		Site	Pre 1864	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Conestoga River
Kurtz’s	Keystone	Site	1867	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Hinkletown		Site	1830	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Eberly’s	Fiant’s	Business	c1824	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Conestoga River
Bitzer’s	Rupp’s	Site	c1801	Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Farmersville		Site	c1872	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Brownstown	Wolf’s	Residence	1856	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Earlville		Site	c1889	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
West Earl	Groffdale	Business	c1801	Flour, Grist, Saw	Groff’s Run
Schaeffer’s		Site	c1870	Grist, Saw	Groff’s Run
Graaf’s		Site	c1729	Grist	Conestoga River
Zook’s	Bushong’s	Business	1857	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
D. O. Shirk’s		Site	Pre 1875	Grist	Kurtz Run
J. K. Shirk’s	Kurtz’s	Site	1857	Flour, Grist	Kurtz Run
Hunsecker’s		Site	1800	Flour, Grist, Cider	Conestoga River
Binkley’s		Site	c1772	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Umble’s		Storage	c1870	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Twin City East		Site	c1763	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Ranck’s	Twin City West	Site	c1822	Flour, Grist	Conestoga River
Swarr’s	City Water Works	Site	c1803	Grist	Conestoga River
Neff’s	Old Factory	Site	c1728	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Engleside	Hostetter’s	Site	c1800	Grist, Saw	Bethel Run
Levan’s	Light’s	Site	c1872	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Conestoga River
Second Lock	Haverstick’s	Site	c1815	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Conestoga River
Wabank	Lock #3	Site	c1807	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Slackwater	Shober’s	Site	c1805	Flour, Grist, Saw	Conestoga River
Rock Hill	Mylin’s	Site	c1870	Flour, Grist	Stehman’s Run
Waterford		Site	c1814	Flour, Grist	Witmer’s Run

Cedar Creek

The Cedar Creek is a tributary of the Conestoga River. It flows through East Earl Township and joins the Conestoga River near Turkey Farm Road.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Welsh Mountain		Site	c1785	Flour, Grist, Saw	Cedar Creek
Cedar Run		Site	1900	Grist, Saw	Trib. of Cedar Creek
Goodville		Storage	1812	Flour, Grist, Saw	Cedar Creek
Weaver’s		Farm	1813	Grist	Cedar Creek

Muddy Creek

The Muddy Creek is a tributary of the Conestoga River. It originates in Brecknock Township north of Bowmansville and joins the Conestoga in Ephrata Township near Martindale.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Bowmansville	Von Nieda	Museum	1854	Flour, Grist, Saw	Trib. of Muddy Creek
Good’s		Milling	1904	Grist	Muddy Creek
Red Run	Overholtzer’s	Storage	1894	Flour, Grist, Cider	Muddy Creek
Fry’s		Business	1848	Flour, Grist, Saw	Muddy Creek

Little Muddy Creek

The Little Muddy Creek is a branch of the Muddy Creek. It is included in the Conestoga River watershed. The Little Muddy Creek originates in Berks County and enters Lancaster County near Adamstown. It joins the Muddy Creek in Brecknock Township near the Red Run Campground.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Adam’s		Site	c1779	Grist	Adam’s Run
County Line	Mohn’s	Business	1848	Flour, Grist, Saw	Little Muddy Creek
Adamstown	Rock Hill	Abandoned	1818	Flour, Grist	Little Muddy Creek
Pennebecker’s		Site	Pre 1824	Grist	Little Muddy Creek
Kramer’s	Muddy	School	1830	Flour, Grist, Saw	Little Muddy Creek
Oberholtzer’s	Red Run	Site	Pre 1824	Grist, Distillery	Little Muddy Creek

Lititz Run

The Lititz Run is a 7.2-mile-long tributary of the Conestoga River. It originates in Lititz Springs Park and joins the Conestoga at the Pinetown Covered Bridge. It originally was called Carter’s Run.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Brubaker’s		Site	Pre 1864	Grist	Riest’s Run
Rome	Hess	Storage	c1885	Flour, Grist	Lititz Run
Compass	Keller	Business	1776	Flour, Grist, Saw	Lititz Run
Rothsville	Pfoutz’s	Storage	1793	Flour, Grist, Saw	Lititz Run
Millport		Venue	1885	Flour, Grist, Saw	Lititz Run
John Hostetter’s		Site	c1813	Grist	New Haven Run
Buch’s		Site	c1750	Hemp, Oil, Carding, Chop	Lititz Run
Oregon	Bear’s	Business	1814	Flour, Grist	Lititz Run
Nolt’s Point	Zercher’s	Site	c1807	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Lititz Run

Mill Creek

The Mill Creek is a tributary of the Conestoga River. It originates in East Earl Township and makes its way through the fertile, Lancaster County farmland until it joins the Conestoga River near Lyndon in West Lampeter Township.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Green Bank	Spangler’s	Site	1820	Flour, Grist	Mill Creek
Hildebrand’s		Site	Pre 1864	Grist, Tannery	Mill Creek
Brubaker’s	Maple Grove	Site	c1805	Grist	Mill Creek
Dutch	Green Bank	Site	1798	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Flickinger’s	Mill Creek Flour	Storage	c1793	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Eckert’s		Site	c1758	Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Moore’s		Site	c1824	Flour, Grist	Mill Creek
Mascot	Ressler’s	Museum	c1779	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Myers’	Stauffer’s	Residence	1802	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Mill Creek
Smoketown	Gibbon’s / Nolt’s	Storage	1770	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Stauffer’s		Site	c1796	Grist, Saw	Trib. Of Mill Creek
Greenland		Site	c1850	Grist	Mill Creek
Fertility	Bonholtzer’s	Storage	1883	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Hick’s		Site	c1793	Flour, Grist	Mill Creek
Smith’s		Site	c1824	Grist	EB of Big Spring Run
Eshleman’s	Mill Creek	Site	c1787	Boring, Grist	Mill Creek
Schlegel’s		Site	c1714	Grist	Mill Creek
Daisy Flour Mill	Pugh’s	Business	1889	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek

Little Conestoga Creek

The Little Conestoga is a 21.1-mile-long tributary of the Conestoga River. The Little Conestoga originates in Penn Township, flows to the west of Lancaster City and joins the Conestoga in Manor Township below Rock Hill.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Eby’s		Site	c1801	Grist	Little Conestoga Creek
Spring Dale		Site	c1773	Flour, Grist, Saw	Little Conestoga Creek
Flory’s		Residence	1800	Flour, Grist, Saw	Little Conestoga Creek
Weiler’s		Site	c1816	Grist	Little Conestoga Creek
Oreville	Landis	Farm	1813	Flour, Grist	Little Conestoga Creek
Maple Grove	Abbeyville	Empty	1767	Flour, Grist, Saw	Little Conestoga Creek
Stoneroad’s	Rock Furnace	Residence	1770	Flour, Grist	Little Conestoga Creek
Willow Grove		Business	1853	Flour, Grist	Little Conestoga Creek
Lake	Groff’s	Venue	1831	Flour, Grist	Little Conestoga Creek
LeTort	Brickhart’s	Residence	1871	Flour, Grist, Saw	Little Conestoga Creek
Habecker’s	Indiantown	Site	c1814	Flour, Grist	Indian Run
Kendig’s	Espenshade’s	Site	c1818	Grist	Little Conestoga Creek

Swarr Run

Swarr Run is a six mile tributary of the Little Conestoga Creek It begins near Oyster Point in East Hempfield Township and joins the Little Conestoga where Swarr Run Road meets Shreiner Station Road near the Park City Mall. Kauffman’s Run is a tributary of Swarr Run.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Nolt’s	Kauffman’s	Residence	1779	Flour, Grist, Saw	Kauffman’s Run
Kauffman’s	Musselman’s	Site	c1792	Flour, Grist	Kauffman’s Run
Swarr’s		Site	c1792	Grist	Swarr Run
Valley Mills	Brubaker’s	Site	1776	Flour, Grist	Swarr Run

West Branch of Little Conestoga

The West Branch of the Little Conestoga is a tributary of the Little Conestoga which, in turn, is a tributary of the Conestoga River. The West Branch originates in West Hempfield Township just north of Route 30 near Stoney Battery Road and it joins the Little Conestoga in Manor Township near Walnut Hill Road.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Hershey		Storage	c1814	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Little Conestoga WB
Windom	Landis	Farm	1810	Flour, Grist, Cider	Little Conestoga WB
Bender’s	Miller’s	Residence	c1800	Flour, Grist, Cider	Little Conestoga WB
Manor		Site	c1851	Flour, Grist	Little Conestoga WB
A. Herr’s		Site	1815	Grist, Saw	Little Conestoga WB
H. C. Herr’s	B. Herr’s	Site	1815	Grist, Saw	Little Conestoga WB
Denlinger’s	Stehman’s	Residence	1899	Flour, Grist, Cider	Little Conestoga WB

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