Very good business diaries have been kept by Siram Henkel, son of Dr. Solomon Henkel. A lot of this information is from those diaries. Entries indicate that in 1846, Dr. Henkel contracted with Jeremiah Clemmens to build a foundation for the Plains Mill at the site of an older, late 1770s saw mill. More than 400 wagon loads of rock were carried to the site. More than 600 logs,some locust logs, had been hand-hewn.

The framework was raised by 56 workers on Oct. 28, 1847. Dr. Henkel passed away on August 21, 1847 and did not see even the beginning of the mill construction. The first flour was packed in the mill on Jan 2, 1849. The mill processed 3,000 bushels of wheat the week of Jan 13, several weeks later. Most of the flour produced was hauled to Baltimore.

Siram P. Henkel owned the farm and mill during the Civil War. There is no evidence the mill was burned; although, several neighboring barns were torched. An 1850 census report states that Siram's 'Plains Mill' had an investment of $10,000, ground 25,000 bushels annually, producing flour by water-power, and had two employees at $15 per month. On August 6, 1886 extensive repairs were completed by John W. McCall, of Hagerstown, Md. Pictured is David B. Arbogast, son of the late owner,M. Dwight Arbogast. David still lives next to the mill, but the mill is owned by someone else.

The mill remained in the Henkel family until 1913, when it was sold for $7,500.00 to E. A. Andrick of Timberville. The mill was later sold to Raymond Alexander and then acquired by M. Dwight Arbogast in 1954 at public auction. Arbogast had some sons that helped in the mill. However, upon Dwight's death, his wife sold the mill. Several burrstones are displayed on the grounds of Endless Caverns, south of New Market. The Caverns owned the mill in the 1920's or 1930's and put up the clay brick silos there today.