This is a listing of water-powered grist mills in the Chiques Creek watershed in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The watershed includes the Big Chiques Creek, the Little Chiques Creek, Brubaker Run, and the Donegal Creek. The mills in each section are listed in order of the water flow.
Big Chiques Creek
The Chiques Creek is a 31.6-mile-long tributary of the Susquehanna River. It originates near Mount Gretna Heights in Lebanon County, flows through Manheim, and enters the Susquehanna in East Donegal Township, just south of Marietta. The name comes from the Lenape word “Chiquesalunga” which means “place of crayfish”. An earlier spelling was “Chickies Creek”.
| Name | AKA | Township | Disposition | Date Built | Coordinates | Water Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Hope | Rapho | Storage | 1780 | 40.224579, -76.425738 | Shearer’s Creek | |
| Elstonville | Penn | Storage | 1789 | 40.205158, -76.419135 | Chiques Creek | |
| White Oak | Penn | Business | 1750 | 40.205940, -76.393474 | Chiques Creek | |
| Penn | Penn | Site | 1787 | 40.196630, -76.392627 | Chiques Creek | |
| Doe Run | Penn | Site | 1792 | 40.175393, -76.369595 | Manheim Run | |
| Manheim Feed Mill | Manheim Borough | Site | 1773 | 40.163955, -76.387830 | Chiques Creek | |
| Shoemaker’s | Rapho | Site | 1815 | 40.172339, -76.410992 | Rife Run | |
| Lehman’s | Rapho | Site | 1760 | 40.171253, -76.409619 | Rife Run | |
| Kauffman’s Distillery | Martin’s | Rapho | Site | 1758 | 40.171253, -76.409619 | Chiques Creek |
| Cassel Stone Mill | Seller’s | Penn | Site | 1780 | 40.141875, -76.408425 | Chiques Creek |
| Junction | Penn | Site | 1807 | 40.132174, -76.404763 | Chiques Creek | |
| Jacob Sherer’s Cider Mill | Rapho | Site | 40.122548, -76.405240 | Chiques Creek | ||
| Sporting Hill | Rapho | Farm | 1814 | 40.142810, -76.426766 | Dellinger’s Run | |
| Shenck’s | East Hempfield | Site | 1796 | 40.115593, -76.424465 | Chiques Creek | |
| Salunga Mill (Site #1) | Samuel Scott | Rapho | Site | 1736 | 40.108575, -76.443530 | Chiques Creek |
| Salunga Mill (Site #2) | Chiques | West Hempfield | Site | 1815 | 40.108287, -76.443931 | Chiques Creek |
| Chickies Valley | Bender’s | West Hempfield | Residence | 1769 | 40.100318, -76.450131 | Chiques Creek |
| Silver Springs | West Hempfield | Site | 1769 | 40.069340, -76.437470 | Silver Springs Run | |
| John Moore’s | Rapho | Partial | 1804 | 40.084338, -76.460192 | Chiques Creek | |
| Siegrist’s | Keystone Roller Mill/Moore’s | West Hempfield | Site | 1730 | 40.074922, -76.469803 | Chiques Creek |
| Newtown | Risser’s | Rapho | Storage | 1722 | 40.069398, -76.499470 | Chiques Creek |
| Marietta Roller Mill | Johnson | East Donegal | Site | 1814 | 40.062818, -76.516363 | Chiques Creek |
Little Chiques Creek
The Little Chiques Creek is a 20.6-mile-long tributary of the Chiques Creek. It originates in Mount Joy Township just below the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It runs east of the borough of Mount Joy and joins the Chiques Creek about a mile and a quarter from the Susquehanna River.
| Name | AKA | Township | Disposition | Date Built | Coordinates | Water Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snyder’s | Mount Joy | Residence | 1800 | 40.210842, -76.475965 | Little Chiques Creek | |
| Hankin’s | McAllister’s | Mount Joy | Site | 1824 | 40.202112, -76.507945 | Little Chiques Creek |
| Union | Heistand’s | Mount Joy | Farm | 1770 | 40.185460, -76.516874 | Little Chiques Creek |
| Milton Grove | Keener’s | Rapho | Milling | 1805 | 40.169932, -76.519051 | Little Chiques Creek |
| Risser’s | Roddy | Mount Joy | Business | 1721 | 40.138837, -76.506103 | Little Chiques Creek |
| Madeira | Rapho | Site | 1824 | 40.144185, -76.474627 | Back Run | |
| Cave | Cove | Mount Joy | Site | 1761 | 40.118363, -76.502132 | Little Chiques Creek |
| Mount Joy Roller Mill | Mount Joy Borough | Site | 1824 | 40.109499, -76.490904 | Little Chiques Creek | |
| Stauffer’s | East Donegal | Site | 1781 | 40.079342, -76.507768 | Little Chiques Creek | |
| Anglo | Rapho | Site | 1824 | 40.076973, -76.521752 | Little Chiques Creek |
Map of the Little Chiques Creek
Brubaker Run
Brubaker Run is a six-mile-long tributary of the Little Chiques Creek. It originates near Mastersonville Road in Rapho Township and meanders south-westward until it joins the Little Chiques where Meadow View Road crosses the creek.
| Name | AKA | Township | Disposition | Date Built | Coordinates | Water Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Brubaker’s | Rapho | Site | 40.198670, -76.469041 | Brubaker Run | ||
| Brubaker’s | Rapho | Site | 1780 | 40.191186, -76.482252 | Brubaker Run | |
| Stauffer’s | Rapho | Site | 1750 | 40.182475, -76.491645 | Brubaker Run | |
| Faus | Rapho | Site | 40.173149, -76.491058 | Trib. of Brubaker Run |
Donegal Creek
The Donegal Creek is a 6-mile-long tributary of the Chiques Creek. It originates in East Donegal Township and joins the Chiques Creek about a quarter mile from the Susquehanna River. The Donegal Springs Run is a major tributary.
| Name | AKA | Township | Disposition | Date Built | Coordinates | Watersource |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissley’s | Mount Joy | Site | 1762 | 40.138215, -76.555489 | Donegal Springs Run | |
| Breneman’s | East Donegal | Site | 1779 | 40.109221, -76.542576 | Donegal Springs Run | |
| Donegal Springs | East Donegal | Site | 40.102324, -76.565581 | Donegal Creek | ||
| Donegal | Marietta | East Donegal | Storage | 1775 | 40.085560, -76.539975 | Donegal Creek |
| Share’s | Donegal | East Donegal | Storage | 1720 | 40.079202, -76.535451 | Donegal Creek |
| McCormick’s | East Donegal | Site | 1864 | 40.060682, -76.530077 | Donegal Creek | |
| Chickies Rolling Mill | East Donegal | Residence | 1837 | 40.057438, -76.525273 | Donegal Creek |