Grist Mills Played; targe Hole
In Early Lancaster Farming
By JACK REICHARD' ~
(Special to Lancaster Farming)
An urgent necessity of .the
first white settler-farmers in Lan
caster County Was to' 'devise
' means of grinding the groin they'
grew on their clearings into
meal and flour. Until such means
were provided, grain was pulver
ized' with stone pestles in hol
lowed out tree stumps and con
cave stones, Indian fashion, - or
transported on horseback' to the.
Brandywine, where- the first wat
er-powered grist mills in Penn’s
domain were,built' =' „
' One of the first' inland mills
on record; in Lancaster .County,
was a Spanish'type mill found
on the Alger Shirk-farm in West
Cocalico Township, a tract deed
ed by William Penn’s softs-to
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Ulrich Shirk in 1732. "The mill,
consisting .'of - a. one-piece bed
stone-about 16-inches thick with
a basin about 12 inches deep,
and basin, stone.about 16 inches
thidk, which, was revolved on
edge by the motive - power of
horses-or-oxen; may to
day «t the Martic Forge Milt
stone-Collection along route 324,
approximately 10 miles south of
Lancaster.
- First Imported from England.
The miller, - like the black
smith and wheelwright, was in
dispensable to the farmer. Al
though a grist mill required con
siderable equipment for efficient
operation, its most important in
stallations were the waterwheel
and millstones.
The earliest stones were im
ported from England. The Bri
tish held a monopoly on the mill
stone supply to the American
colonies and states until -about
1800, when the French buhrs and
native stones were introduced.
These two factors added to the
trouble with England in the War
of 1812 and final'y brought about
the end of the use of English
stones m this country. Following
the war the “Cocalico Stones”
were adapted for grinding gram
by many millers in Lancaster
County.
The “Cocalico” stones were cut
in the-South Mountains in West
Cocalico and Clay Townships, and
in the Turkey Hill area, near
Terre Hill, in the northern sec
tion of the county.
Konigmahers Early Dealers
Among the earliest dealers of
the Lancaster County stones on
record was the Konigmaher fam
ily in’ the Ephrata section. The
last millstone dealer, most widely
known in the county, was Benja
min Wissler, of Lincoln, Ephrata
Township, who also dealt ur
stone troughs, hearth, paving and
building stones
One of the largest, collections
of old millstones in the world
today is the collection at Martic
Forge, comprising' over 100
stones, representing more than
a score of early American indus
tries. Paul B. Flory, Pequea, RD
1, the owner and collector, is a
third generation miller of a mill
ing family, and active partner
with his brother Jacob B. of
Flory’s Mill, near East Peters
burg, one of the last flour mills
still in operation in the county.
124-Hour Service
- on" 1 "
1956 Drivers’Licenses
g EDWARDT G. WILSON
H Notary Public
H ISS.JLimeSt.
1054 S. State St.
Phone Ephrata 3-2383
Lancaster, Pa. *j
7 Tips for Safe
Driving During
Heavy Snowfalls
HARRISBURG Seven tips
for safe driving during heavy
snowfalls were offered today by
Col„ E. J. Henry, Pennsylvania
State Police Commissioner.
His recommendations~"are:
- 1. When' starting out in slip
pery weather, get the “feel” of
the road befofe you enter heavy
traffic. _
2. Allow an extra margin of
safety between your car and the
vehicle ahead.'
3- Signal ydhr intention to turn
or stop well in advahe.
'ln the collection, at Martic
Forge, may be seen stones which
were comparably old while the
country was still young, two
bearing dates of 1752 and 1784.
Another pair of stones of great
historical interest, imported from
England in'l74o, were used for
grinding oatmeal in a mill sitifat-.
ed in Chester County. History
records that the mill supplied
meal and grain to Washington’s
army during the histone encamp
ment at Valley Forge in the win
ter of 1777-78.
Most of the stones in the col
lection reached their grinding
peak during the latter part of
the 19th century, when portable
grinding mills traveling from
place to place ushered in a new
era of progress in the farming
industry. The portable grinder,
coupled with an expansion of the
flour industry in the west, caus
ed a rapid decline of the milling
industry throughout the eastern
section of the nation.
Nobis Elected
President of
Angus Breeders
Otto )fi. Nobis, new president
of American Aberdeen-An
gus Breeders’ Association, is an
lowa farmer and the son of a
South Da'kota homesteader.
With his son, Dick, Mr. Nobis
operates Wilton Farms at Daven
port, which he purchased and
stocked with registered Angus
in 1934.
OTTO O, NOBIS _
iMr Nobis was born and reared
at Kimball, South Dakota, on,a
farm which had been home
steaded by his parents in 1860.
He attended business college and
worked at several jobs before
becoming office manager for the
Central Engineering Company in
1917.
-Wilton Farms.has achieved a
wide and respected reputation
in lowa and throughout the
country for breeding fine cattle.
The Wilton show string bias won
many prizes during the years it
has- been on the tanbark trail,
and in _J939 a Wilton heifer
Blackcap - 23fd of- Page, was
named International Grand
Champion female in Chicago.
In addition to their son, Dick,
Mr. and Mrs. Nobis .have a son,
Tom, and daughter, Janette.
Otto Nobis was first elected
to the board of directors of the
national Angus organization in
1939, and once before—in 1944
served as president. He was
elected 1956 president of the
Association at its annual meeting
last November 30, at the Palmer
House in Chicago.
Lancaster Farming, Friday, February 17, 1956
4. Keep your windshield and
windows clear, despite falling
snow. Windshield wiper blades
should bfe of “live” rubber, equal
to the task of removing rain or
snow without streaking. The de
froster should function without
difficulty, -to' provide you with
adequate visibility. Stop if neces
sary to clear snow from the rear
window.
5. Make gradual starts
and stops. Using a pumping
action in braking.
6. Reduce speed to a point
where you are confident you have
control of the vehicle in case_an
emergency should arise.- Remem
ber it takes three to 12 times as
much distance to stop on snow
or ice without help of tire chains,
as it does on dry concrete. Even
with the tremendous help afford
ed by tire chains, which cut stop
ping distance m half and enable
you to keep going, snow is still
slippery.
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7. When driving after dark in
a heavy snowfall, drive with ex
traordinary care, rather than
risk becoming stranded following
a skid into a snowbank.
“Highway maintenance crews
do their best to keep roads open
to travel' day and night in all
kinds of weather, but when snow
falls steadily for hours, the go
ing can be rough for a long
spell,” said Col. Henry.
“When severe snow and ice
conditions prevail, any trips that
are not really essential should
be -postponed until the weather
and the roads are more" con
ducive to convenience in travel
ing,” he added. “If motorists ob
serve a thoughtful attitude in
this regard, then highways will
be less congested and much safer
for those cars, trucks and buses
which are properly equipped and
able to get through to destina
tions in face of snow or ice con
ditions.”
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