Daily Republican., 1889-05-31
OLD "REMINISCENCES.

The Oid Minis and NIiii-OHmurs of WI
mingtorl-The stiinans Ruld Tho First
Mili-Snmuel Kinks Mlll-Then the
NardeVers and Tatnails.
In this article | Will say something
about the MILLS aud mill builders resi-.
dences inside OF our city, as FAR as | hAA,
been able TO gl' all my information from
historical scraps. In my las contribu.
ten, somebody in dressing up my article
atou the first settlers OF Wilmington
made me FAY that there was a place
called 'Lardia" In MessSpatamla when
| wanted to lay 'lgnded'' IN NJ ssapota.
mia. OF course there was no such place
as "Landil. Bu 10 the IN lis,
The first mill We iud any account of
was Ashmoud ami I-uioI jLdham S mill,
Til y We're sous or crandsons of 1ymon
etidhan. They bad their mill On the old
stldimm land, al the present Old barley
mill dam, between the present Adams
and jacks Il streets, AID their residence
stood near WuwaSett avenue, between
ihcse streets. The mill was there in 1918.
but how long be ore that date have no
data, but there was mil and ferry there
at that time, and It is likely that was the
first mill On the BrandgYiue.
In 1870 Samuel Kirk bought some four
acres of land, and water rights out nf
the same dam but for some unexplained
cause he did not build his mill there.
Bu5 in l1.1 he bought strip OF land Of
the Stilhams of 20 acres more, which tx
tended down To tho south side of King
ttrset, and he built his residence on the
site 50 long occupied by Bishop Lee, aud
is now occupied by Bishop Coleman. His
mill was built at the side of the creek
Just below his house. | he short race to
the first or lower dam furnished the
water for the first Brandywine mill along
side OF tide water, where boa'S could
come alongside.
The mil Vas built soon after 17:17, and
became a company mill aud did much
grinding. But at that time people hal
to slit or separate the meal from the
bran at their homes. In this company
were prominent men of those days.
Among them | find the names OF Thomas
West, John Richardson, Peter Alrich
and Timothy Scott with Samuel Kira.
But the great demand for meal caused
men OF genius with money to turn their
attention 10 the manufacture OF flour.
Men who had first settled in the original
Delaware, but outside of the twelve
mile rallies, came to tue Brandywine to
clnbhTh III bhe mining BUSINESS. OllVer
Candy came down from Bucks County,
Pa, and became a shareholder of the |
Kirk mill, and he with Timothy Scott |
obtained Il controlling interest.
Their success in the bu mess, the start. |
ing of WillingtOwn by Thomas Willing |
and its enlargement by William Shipley |
and the changing of the name OF tue |
town to Wilmington were notable events
of those times.
The Marshalls, shipleys, Tatnalls, Gil
pins, Gibsons, Hollingswofths and Others I
all turned their attention to the manu-
facture Of flour and meal. After Oliver
Candy got control of the mill and saw
mil he did not live long. He died about |
1867, but his connections, the Pools and |
Shipleys aud younger Caubys, carried on
the business ON a more extensive scale for
n few years alterward.
But at the time OF the death of Oliver
Candy the Vanievers took up the idea of
starting mi i and saw mill on their land
GU the east aide OF tile Brandy wine, but
some six hundred feet further down the
stream, where they had better depth of
tide water for vessels.
They brought the water from the same
dam that supplied Canby's mil. This
mill was built in 1856 or 1857. 1t also
become u company mill and among the
shared o!ders were the names of Nande