The mill was built c. 1763 by William Laughlin.

An 1895 photo of Pa 641 as it crosses over Big Spring Creek with a larger Laughlin Mill behind.

The non-functioning waterwheel at the Laughlin Mill, rebuilt by two members of the Big Spring High School faculty.

Tax records suggest the mill was constructed before 1763, perhaps as early as the 1730's, with 2 families interwoven in its history; the Laughlins and the Atchesons. It operated as a flour mill until late 1800's.

This vintage photo was taken one year after the other vintage photo. The pile of rocks to the right of the mill were formerly the stone front section of the mill from the 1895 photo.

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission sign gives a brief history of the mill.

*Update: The first mill on Big Spring, it ground wheat and other grain for the people in the surrounding countryside. To generate power to turn the grindstone, Laughlin built a dam with a six-and-a-half foot head, which provided water power equal to that of fifteen horses to turn the waterwheel.

Update cont'd: The first mill on Big Spring, it ground wheat and other grain for the people in the surrounding countryside. To generate power to turn the grindstone, Laughlin built a dam with a six-and-a-half foot head, which provided water power equal to that of fifteen horses to turn the waterwheel. The mill was owned by the Laughlin family until 1896 and is the oldest structure in the Dutch Country Region. It was run as a flour mill for three whole generations.

Update cont'd: The mill was eventually sold to the Newville Water Company in 1896. The milling machinery was removed, and a turbine was installed to drive hydraulic pumps that supplied the town’s municipal water mains. Ted Hazen 02/19/2008*