Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-09
EARLY MILLS IN DELAWARE.
BY Amos isrinton.
=TsEcoNp PApER.l

The Second Swedish Mill - John
Printz, the Swedish governor, with a
second colony of Leople, came to the
Delaware River in 1913 and chose for
his seat of government what is known
as Tinicum, close to the river and some
twenty miles further up than the point
selected by Governor Minuit for his
seat of government. Historian Cant
panius says that Governor Printz had
a mill built on the Tenecong Ia branch
of Darby Creekl in 1913, which ran
early and late and made both coarse
and fine flour. The stream was after
wards known as Cobb's Creek, but
the milf passed away many years ago.
The Third Swedish Mill - A mill
Just below Chadd's Ford, on a branch
OF Har, ey's Run, q small tributary of
the Brandywine, was probably the
third Swedish mill. The Swedes had
a settlement there early in their history,
but the exact date is uncertain. The
mill was there when tho English took
possession of the country in the time
of Penn, and was kept ur for many
years as q corn mill. Seventy i've
years ago lin lS24), my people resided
near the place, and /, boy of about
five years of age. with my Barlow knife,
made many water wheels out of sticks
and cornstalks and had them turned by
water out Of the same place where the
tub mill wheel had been in use some
hundred and seventy-five years before
(gi hiding grain for the Swedish settle
ment). also went to school for the
first time in the old hip rooted Swedish
house. The house was of brick, but
many Of the bricks were Of very soft
kind. 1t had been used as a tavern
and place of entertainment for those
passing over Francis Chadd's ferry.
This house had withstood the storm Of
the Battle of the Brandywine II Sep
temher, l777, Little did l think, when
l was living there and heard the people
toll of the old Swedish house and mill
and the battle of the Hessians and
General Wayne in l777, that one day.
in recorded history. | would find the
story of Swedish settlers before William
Fem came.
The Fourth Swedish Million the
west branch of Beaver Creek, trihu-
tary OF the Brandywine. were another
Swedish settlement and mill. The
mar6s of the race and the mill site
could be seen in 1889. The settlement
was along the hills on what is now the
road from Smiths Bridge 10 Elan on
the Wilmington and Concord turnpike.
The records OF the tracts of land in this
section are still in the New Castle
county Court House.
The Fifth Swedish Mill--Red Clay
Point, now Stanton, was the site of q
Swedish mill which supplied the settle
ment on Bread and Cheese Island and
its vicinity. The tub mill was erected
on Mill Creek between White and Red
Clay Creeks. Sore years ago the
marks of the old mill were still visible.
1t was owned by company of Swedes.
In 1851, the copmany comprised A BRAN
Man, Thomas Wollaston, John smith,
Joseph Barnes, Aren't Jansen, Jacob
Jansen, John Neumefs, Ola Thomason
and Henry Garretson. The mill and
surrounding lands were owned by John
Gardner in 1859, and by -------- Mar
shall in 1884. Some years later, mill
was built on Red Clay Creek, near this
old Swede mill and since that time has
been known as the Baily or Stanton
Mill. E,t, ,t
How much work the original mill
did is not known. 1t was tho foro.
runner of a mill, erected about 1740.
Marshall owned the site on which q
merchant -four mill was built. Mills
were then unfortunate in having a
low grade Of machinery of the labor
saving kind. They had, however,
learned to drive two parallel shafts
with one leather belt. 1t so happened
that some meal got heared up and came
into contact with the buckle that
Joined the ends Of the belt and as the
belt passed over the wheel the meal
dropped off. From this, the millerssre-
ceived the idea for the conveyor and
elevator.
The Sixth Swedish Mill = On the
Brandywine, mt or below Ashmond
Stedhams ford, the site of the old
barley mill, was the Sixth Swedish
mill. Tho date of building is uncer-
tain. In 1878, Cornelius Empson secured
grant to have "a ferry on the Brandy
wine at Ashmond Stedham's ford. 1t
seems that Jacobus Vandever had u
ferry down near the present Eleventh
street bridge and was making money
Empson owned largo tract of land
joining Vandever's on the north, and
had to pay toll every time be crossed
the stream; hence his reason for aErly-
ing for ferry at the. ford road. Both
the ford and the mill were benefit to
Empson, but that did not smooth the
temper of Mr.. Vandever. and he soon
afterwards applied to the authorities
for grant to build a mill lower down
than Stedham's. And Tradition says
that he built mill just below the first
or lower, or undershot dam. There
is no sign of mill at that place;
many yenrs later a mill was built
further down and on the tide
How tine Stedham mill was geared is
not known. 1t was not a tub mill, for
the water was turned in and took hold
of the lowest part of the wheel, which
was therefore an undershot wheel.
So ends the story OF tho Swedish mills
for the present.
THIRD PAPER.]
Dutch Mills-In 1866, after the Dutch
had subdued the Swedes in Delaware
and laid out their town in n good size
at New Castle or New Amstel, and
people began to settle In the town the
first great want was mills to grind their
grain; and soon after, q horse mill was
put into use, and later. wind mill.
The latter was set up in the northerly
end OF the towr near tho great dyke,
and continued in use for some time; it
did not prove sufficient, however, to do
all the grinding that was needed. In
this emergency, Joost Rugger got the
privilege Of building tide-watei mill
at the junction of tho None Souch
Greek and the Christiana. In 1865, he
secured large grant of land, so as to
have timber to build the tide .hank and
inill house, and began to biiiid, having
also imported b pair Of mil 4 stones from
Holland at the cost OF eighty forms.
be completed his mill but it proved
bad for him, for the digging up of the
marsh mud for the banks, caused i'll.