Milford chronicle., 1935-07-26
MEMORIES or MIEFORD
GRIERS

, Near where now the dupont BouIe
ward crosses, on its trestle, Have,
r Lake, runs the causeway that con
: meets the Milford Harrington roas
with what some of MS remember e.
< the Presbyterian Branch road ant
& which is now known as Kings 1ieh.
3 way. This causeway at the time oi
4 which l write was lined with willow
7 and maple trees, dense growth oi
1 branches and. bushes hiding a view
4 OF the lower ponds. HOffecker's
: woolen mill was located at the
southern end of the road, employ
ing quite a number of men in the
manufacture of good grade of NAL
laheu goods. This lake to the west
was better known as Grier's mill
pond and in fact, the whole of those
parts was known as "Griers."
Here it was that a thriving little
settlement existed, brought together
because of the foundry and machine
shops owned and operated by the
late George S. Grier. The Grier resi-
dence was located beside the tracks
of the then Junction and Break
water Railroad" and on the left go
ing south were the cupalos and cast
ing sheds of the foundry and an over
shot water-wheel that furnished the
power needed until it was later fol-
lowed by the steam engine; and on
the right were the carpenter and pat
tern shops and manufacturing
plant and warehouse for farm ma
chinery and evapOratOrs.
The drying of fruit particularly
peaches, which were so largely
grown on the peninsula them was a
business of no small importance, and
as a consequence, such well-knOwn
personages of that time as the Wyne- |
hoops, Cuykendalls. VIM. r. Phillips, |
Silas Jenkins. the Hopkins Brothers,
and George S. GTieT, were engaged /
in the manufacture of evaporators or
the drying of fruit to the benefit of
a large number of men and women.
George S. was man of vision
and unbounding energy, and not only
was this energy used in the develop
ment of a paying business, but it
has been handed down tothe present
in his progeny (The read
srs will recognize this in the de-
of the Caulk Dental man.
and in other enterprises
Turing the past thirty years, and in
he realty improvement in the south
western environs of the town we
owe, but we must leave this mod
'rn story for a later telling)
In the days of which l write
irieT's pond and the dam there, with
he wonderful old trees that grew
bout it, were magnets that drew the
'outh of Milford, especially. in the
aZy days of summer. Pilgrimages
we're daily made to the Swimming
lole" there. generally in the morn
ng and at ven'tide when the sun
vas dropping in the western skies.
So. hidden in the rustic dropping
# the willow branches. benches were
JAILED between the old. tree trunks
nd from the log wharf springing
Ioards swayed over the pure water
# the pond. From these many of
Is took our first headers" and it
vas here many a boy had his first
essOn in swimming. This was the [
deal swimming place of our boy {
oOd days and its memory fingers s
ct with gray-haired men who may I
e separated by many miles and r
lany years from its reality. At any t
ate we remember we were never T
lOlested there, and there were no g
lles as to wearing trunks. The bot v
I'm here was of pure yellow sand. il
nd the depth from a few inches to t.
.veral feet. When the gates of the Il
am were up a bit. as could be count /;
| on nearly every evening. there
as a draw that made the sport of D
winning exciting and interesting. G,
hen, too. there was the whole pond cl
attract the youngster who wanted n,
i'd was capable of a longer swim. =
was here that many a youth de-
loped his muscles and became
rOng and vigorous for the battles
later life. Races were pulled off,
e course being from the dam across
e pond to the Island" so-called,
t not an island. at all.
1t is here, near the terminus of our
ces of those days. that now the
ung people of Milford have their
INNING beach, SO generously over
an and controlled by the magnom- =
ty of Milford citizens.
R. ]. MEARS,
D. c.,
lv % 1Q25