The Amswake Mill lent it's name to a covered bridge that was situated just upstream or over the dam. The 133' structure presumably of Burr Arch construction spanned the Chickies Creek on the Old Kinderhook Road, just west of the mill from 1875 until sometime after 1960. A photo in Covered Bridges of Pennsylvania Dutchland by Melvin J. Horst, Applied Arts Publishers of Lebanon, Pa. , 1960, shows a picture with the Amswake-Newtown Mill in the background. The bridge was in bad shape at that time.

An earlier mill, built in 1922, built and operated by James Roddy, was owned by Alexander Roddy, John Roddy, and John Flory in 1745, and Valentine Flory in 1799. John Houtz(Pfaultz) bought the mill in 1803, then built the new 3.5 story, 48'X 54' limestone mill in 1804. This is confirmed by the datestone on the mill. John Pfaultz also built and owned the Milton Grove Mill at this same time, keeping this second mill(1805) til about 1824; the Newtown Mill he sold in 1818.

Jacob Risser purchased the mill in 1818. Then mill became known as Risser's Mill in this time period and was owned by John Risser, a relative, in 1864. When 1875 rolled around, J.C. Garber owned and operated the mill; which, continued into the 20th century with Jonn Garber taking the helm about 1899.

The mill, which was supplied with water from the nearby dam, received the waters of Big Chickies Creek by way of the 700' headrace, dropping 8' from the dam origins to where the water turned the two undershot wheels internally. The water exited back to the creek via a 900' tailrace. Average production was 20 barrel/day of flour for the sometime flour, grist and saw mill. The mill finally closed in 1922 under the direction of John M. Erb.

The mill was the low side of fair codition in Oct-Nov 1992. Since then, the owners have done some major repair on the windows and the north side wall near the garage doors where the wall had a major crack. The window above the door was taken out and the slophing wall repaired. It would be nice to have the catshead rebuilt, ot which the wooden projection on the roadend of the mill is a part. **Photos: # 1 & # 2 October 30, 1992, # 3 thru #5 winter 2004/05 Robert T. Kinsey** Franklin Metro Street Atlas of Lancaster Co. map #3065-A 10.