SmoketownMill / Gibbons' Mill / Daniel's Mill
Lancaster Co. | Pennsylvania | USA
Watersource: Mill Creek.
SmoketownMill / Gibbons' Mill / Daniel's Mill
Located 5.5-6.0 miles east of the center of Lancaster on Pa 340/Old Phildaelphia Pike, north side, between Mill Creek road and Mill Creek at Smoketown just west of Bird-in-Hand.
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The 50"X 60' 3.5 story limestone mill has a section of the front & left side that was either repaired with fieldstone, or was part of an older mill, and the rest was built new with the limestone. The 1770 mill was built by James & Deborah Gibbons.
The mill passed to the Gibbbons' daughter's husband, William Daniel, in 1810. From 1815-1824, the mill was referred to as Daniel's Mill or William Daniel's Mill House. Daniel added the third story and sold in 1829 to Henry Espenshade.
Eby followed Espenshade as owner in 1847, then M.P.Cooper. Amos Bushong aquired the mill in 1862 and operated thru 1875 or longer. The owner in 1899 was Isaac Bushong, then later Clarence O. Nolt. The mill was still operating in 1994 using electricity.
*Update: Edwin Spence purchased the Gibbons Mill from Bushongs sometime in the early 1900's, not sure of exact dates at this writing, and sold to the Nolt family I believe in the early 1960's. My grandfather, Benjamin,son of Edwin, would tell me stories of his many trips to the Keebler factory in Philadelphia delivering the flour. Brian Spence 07/30/2007*
The mill operated with a 1300' headrace and a 300'tailrace supplying water to an overshot wheel and two turbines. The mill has the distinction of being the oldest operating mill in Lancaster County. In 1824, the sometimes flour, grist and saw mill was capable of turning out 100 barrels of flour/day.40' 2.38N, 76' 11.67W 325'/99 meters Leola Quadrangle