This converted grist mill was a major gun producing factory after the Revolutionary War, owned by William Henry. James Bryson, a gun barrel smith converted the former grist mill to the production of firearms in 1794. The boring mill was sold, along with the chopping mill property to William Montgomery in 1814.

A saw mill was built here in 1763, and by 1768, the same owner, Andrew Shultz, had a saw & hemp mill operation going. The grist mill came about in 1787, after additional water rights for Mill Creek had been aquired from Tobias Cryder. Another older, smaller, stone gun factory, the Mylin Gun Shop, c. 1719, is located about 1.5 miles south of the Mill Creek mill site , still on Eshelman Mill Road and about 0.5 miles north of US 222, opposite Long Rifle Road on the west side of Eshelman Mill Road.

The J. R. Montgomery gun factory was sold to John Eshelman (Eshleman) in 1844, who converted it back to a grist mill. The mill remained in the Eshleman family through 1899 with J. W. Eshleman owner/operator at that time. Not known when it was closed. It was in poor condition in 1969, poorer condition in 1987, at the time of the picture, and had disappeared by 1992.

There is a county or township park on the property. The funding was probably too low to permit rebuilding/restoring the mill; and since a structure such as that on a park property, with heavy use, would be a heavy liability, my guess is that the decision was made to tear it down. It is too bad that a structure of this signifigance and historical importance was allowed to slip away into oblivion.