Grazier's Mill / Huntingdon Furnace Mill
Huntingdon Co. | Pennsylvania | USA
Watersource: Warriers Mark Run.
Grazier's Mill / Huntingdon Furnace Mill
Northwest of Alexandria on US 22/William Penn Hwy for 2 miles, then right on Sr 453/Sr 45 Truck Route for a mile, then right/north on Sr 45/Spruce Creek Road for about 3 miles to Franklinville. Turn left onto Sr 350/Warriers Mark Path Road and continue a little over a mile to Old Mill Road. Go left and drive about 0.1 miles south of SR 350 to the mill on the right.
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This mill, a 3.5 story, rubble stone building measuring 45’ x 50’ with a 34’ x 45’ addition added later, was part of Huntingdon Furnace. The mill, dating to c. 1808, continued to serve the farmers in the area until c. 1920.
James Armitage settled in the mid-late on Warrior's Mark Run, near Huntingdon Furnace and warranted several tracts of land. The oldest warrant was issued July 23, 1776, and a survey was made thereupon the next year by Thomas Smith, the then deputy surveyor. A short while prior to 1787 he had erected the earlier grist mill on the oldest warrant of land from July 23, 1776, a 300 acre plot surveyed the next year by Thomas Smith, deputy surveyor.
The penstock flows the water of Warriers Mark Run into the rear of the mill.GPS: 40D 39.9'N, 78D 6.36'W ele 1,004'/306 meters Franklinville Quadrangle
The vintage photo from the Pa. State Library shows the wheel in place and what looks to be a sluice system to convey water to the wheel.
George Anshutz built a blast furnace in 1796 near the Warrior's Mark township line; but, furnace seat proved insuffient to power the furnace, so the furnace was relocated about two miles down Warrior's Mark Run at the Armitage Mill seat in 1805.
The Armitage Mill was rebuilt in 1808 by Caleb Armitage and the furnace was later rebuilt. The furnace when last operating, produced 45 ton of superior quality iron ore/week. By 1835, all the partners in the furnace sold their interests to the firm of Short, Stewart & Co., rival iron manufacturers and proprietors of the Pennsylvania Furnace.
The present grist mill connected with the property on Warrior's Mark Run was built in 1868 on the site of one destroyed by fire, the 1808 mill which had been built by Short, Stewart & Go. and Caleb Amitage. The first Sunday-school in this part of the valley was opened in the old stone mill at Huntingdon Furnace about 1821 by Samuel Mattern, Samuel Conrad, Ephraim Galbraith, and Jeremiah Cunningham. It was maintained regardless of a church connection, and having a large attendance from that part of the township exerted a great moral influence upon the young people.