—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Feb. 12. 1977
94
Lancaster County once had 400 mills
The Brownstown Mill, on the Conestoga River, as
it appeared in 1924. Paes has been calling the
Conestoga a “river” for all of his life, a designation
By DIETER KRIEG
LANCASTER - Fifty years having difficulties with his
ago Chester Paes was told to back, an ailment which had
“either leave the farm or the potential to kill him,
push daisies.” according to doctors. So
The young man was
which it didn’t officially receive until just a few
years ago.
Paes left the former Henry
B. Esbenshade farm near
Eden and went to work in
town for the Hamilton Watch
Company.
But he couldn’t get the
country out of himself and so
his interest in agriculture
remained. A hobby
developed as a result of the
illness and in the oncoming
years Paes photographed
and documented nearly all of
the mills which stood in
Lancaster County. His
collection encompasses 375
mills, 200 of which he was
able to record on film. Paes,
now 83 and retired in Lan
caster, did more than just
take notes and pictures of the
old mills which were in
Lancaster County and fringe
areas. He’s likely one of very
few men who’ll be able to
unhesitatingly tell his visitor
that Lancaster County has 18
streams running through it
which are large enough to
support a water-powered
gnst mill.
Furthermore, Paes has
other historical information,
ranging from the old bridges
across the Susquehanna to
farm prices 100 years ago.
Oats sold for 44-48 cents per
bushel in Baltimore 101
years ago, for example. In
September of 1875, flour sold
in Philadelphia’s export
trade for $5.25 to $5.75 tier
barrel. Old red wheat that
Fall was listed at $1.48 to
$1.50 per bushel; new red
wheat ranged from $1.35 to
$1.90. A bushel of com was
worth about 82 cents. Oats
could be purchased for 60
cents per bushel and rye was
anywhere from 90 to 93
cents.
Paes’ unusual hobby
emerged as a result of his
once having lived next door
to Umble’s Mill near Eden.
Owner Chns J. Umble, since
deceased, assisted the young
man with his research on
mills, as Paes claims he
didn’t know anything about
mills. But they fascinated
him and he wanted to learn
all he could.
The octogenarian noted
that even in the early days it
was required by law that a
potential mill owner apply
for a permit before he
constructed his mill. But,
according to Paes, there
might as well not have been
any such regulation - it was
merely a formality and
permits were always
granted.
Paes traced the
development of the mills
through their various power
stages - first came the un
dershot wheel, then the
overshot, and finally the
side-driven turbine. The
overshot wheel had more
power than the undershot
version, but it also required
more investment on the part
of the miller. He needed a
dam, as well as a head and
tail race. When the turbine
arrived, millers had to use a
more sophisticated con
figuration of gears and
shafts than what they had
used before. But the result
was greater efficiency and
more power, and in an age of
growing agricultural
production and demands,
more power and efficiency is
what the “game” was all
about. It’s a trend which is as
true today as it was then.
Another similarity bet
ween then and now is bad
credit, said Paes, whose eyes
sparkle with delight from
behind his glasses whenever
he talks about his favorite
interests. “Some fellows (
would run their bills up to
several hundred dollars and
not pay,” said Paes m a
concerned tone of voice.
I Continued on Page 96|