New Milltown, Pennsylvania facts for kids

New Milltown is a historic stone mill and small community located in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It's known for its old mill, which played an important part in the area's history.

A Historic Pennsylvania Mill

Early Beginnings: The First Mill on Pequea Creek

Most early mills in Lancaster County were built along the Conestoga River. But New Milltown was different! It got its name because it was the very first mill built on Pequea Creek. This made it a "new" kind of mill town.

On January 21, 1733, a man named Samuel Blyth received permission to build a mill here. He quickly built his mill on Pequea Creek. Blyth's Mill is first mentioned in official papers on September 6, 1744. Samuel Blyth asked for a road to be built from Francis Jones's land to his mill. This road is now part of Newport Road, which connects Intercourse and Gap. Samuel Blyth might have started operating his mill as early as 1734.

Building the Stone Mill

The stone mill you see today was likely first built around 1750 by John Huston (sometimes spelled Houston). This mill helped local farmers grind their grain into flour.

Later, on May 15, 1792, Christian Hess (the first of that name) bought the mill. It was a grist mill (for grinding grain), a saw mill (for cutting wood), and a merchant mill (for selling goods). Christian Hess was listed as the owner in 1790. He might have been running the mill for Samuel Huston before officially buying it.

Christian Hess was born on February 26, 1751. His wife, Anna, was the daughter of a well-known Mennonite leader. Christian Hess himself was an ordained minister. He was very important to the history of the Mennonites in the area. His son also played a big role, helping to build a school and meeting house around 1814 or 1815.

Many people believe Christian Hess (I) built the current stone mill around 1800. However, it's more likely that he expanded and improved the mill that John Huston had already built. Some of these improvements might have been done by his son, possibly as late as 1815.

Important Owners and Changes

Over the years, many different people and families owned the mill. These owners included several generations of the Hess family, Jacob F. Hershey, Daniel Denlinger, various Hunseckers, Amos Fisher, and Ron Lieberman.

The mill has also been known by several names throughout its history. Two of the most fitting names are Hess' Mill and New Milltown Roller Mills.