Aquaduct Mill
Columbia Co. | Pennsylvania | USA
Watersource: Fishing Creek.
Aquaduct Mill
From Bloomsburg, go south on U S 11 to the junction with Pa 42. Go south on Pa 42 toward Catawissa. Turn left on the first road, Train St., and go one block to the stop sign. Turn left on Reading St. and go through the Ruperts Covered Bridge. Turn right on W. Fort McClure Blvd. The mill will be on the right in 0.1 miles.
The first mill was built at this site in 1827 by Samuel Boone. GPS: 76' 28.12W, 40 58.54N
The mill, which may have been rebuilt, was operated by John Hopper and John Barton until 1861 when it was purchased by Charles R. Harman and Lloyd Paxton.
Operations continued to be conducted by Paxton and Harman until it was sold to George W. Keiter in 1898.
Grover C. Shoemaker took over operations following Keiter's death, and later, sold it to Russell Pursel.
In 1947, Pursel sold his interest to Zerbin Kline and Bruce Berger, both of whom, operated the mill into the 1970's.
The mill is uniquely position, hemmed in by the canal, the creek, & quite often by backwater from the river. In it's day, it was the most productive flour mill of any others in the county.
The mill was purchased with plans to convert it into a hunting lodge; although 14 years later, that may not have ever happened. The make-shift waterwheel using a cable spool has very nearly rotted away. The mill was completely removed from the landscape sometime between 2009 and when Mr. Kinsey revisited the location in 2016.