Colebrook Furnace Grist Mill Endangered!
- Robert Tomes
- Feb 18, 2020
- 3 min read
When visiting the Colebrook, PA area this month, I was able to visit the site of the Colebrook Furnace Grist Mill. The mill is located about .25 mile west of the IronMaster’s Mansion in South Londonderry Township on Elizabethtown Rd. (Rt 124)
(Southside of Colebrook Grist Mill)
Since Colebrook Furnace was a charcoal powered furnace, it took massive amounts of lumber to keep the fire blasting twenty four hours a day. After the forests around the furnace were cut down to power the furnace, many of the remaining fields were used to plant assorted crops to help feed the furnace workers, their families, and supplement the local agricultural needs.
The crops would be harvested, brought to the mill to grind down the seeds of wheat, corn, rye, and oats. The finished product would be sold by the iron furnace company store which sustained many families through the changing seasons of south central Pennsylvania.
It was interesting and surreal for me to think that perhaps John, Regina, Peter, John, William, Elizabeth, Charlotte and other Tomes family members all utilized this mill for substance in the early 1800s. There is a saying in the family history crowds that “all genealogy is mythology without documentation.” Thankfully, I was able to find the documents that I believe link the family not only to working at Colebrook Furnace but to purchasing materials and supplies that were processed in the grist mill. Below you will see a few pages from the Colebrook Furnace company store log from 1835 to 1837. The logs show specific items bought by the Tomes family and some show how much they paid for them. These few pictures are far from an exhaustive list. Additional details will be explored in a later blog post.
(April 18, 1835 - Peter Tomes purchases 12 whole Shad fish and one bushel of oats)
(June 20, 1836 - Peter Tomes purchases $3.00 worth of wheat. $83.00 worth in today’s purchasing power while John Tomes purchased $2.00 worth of wheat and rye.)
(Jan 7, 1837 - Peter Tomes purchases $3.00 worth of buckwheat and John Tomes gets $2.00 worth of regular and buckwheat)
You can see the price difference in the wheat rose from $1.50 to $2.50 between the years of 1836 to 1837. This increase in price likely was a result of winter kill and a Hessian Fly infestation that was wrecking havoc on wheat supplies throughout the region. From an article that appears in the Philadelphian paper, “The National Gazette,” on June 14, 1836 it says, “from Dauphin County- from all parts we learn that the wheat crop is going to be lighter than it has been in the remembrance of our oldest citizens. In many parts of our county, our farmers will not reap as much as they have sowed. This is also the case in the counties adjoining. The wheat crop is gone - nothing can save it, and those who are so fortunate as to have any to dispose of may expect a higher price for it than it has commanded for twenty years, unless our wants are supplied from a distant source. The source of this misery is the Hessian Fly, which we have learned from various correspondents has also made the crops of Rye and Corn unfavorable.“
According to multiple sources, the Hessian Fly originated in Asia and traveled to Europe through the trading routes. During the Revolutionary War the fly is said to have hitched a ride in the straw beds of the Hessian mercenaries that were brought to the rebellious colonies by the British army. Little did Gen. George Washington and his half frozen ragged army know that the band of Germans that were defeated at Trenton on the day after Christmas in 1776 brought with them the mayetoila destructor. Subsequently, more than 50 years after the end of the Revolutionary War, this invading bug was causing famine like conditions that were a precusor to the Financial Panic of 1837.
Today, the Colebrook Furnace Grist Mill is endangered by another type of destructor, time and neglect. As I walked around the over two century old building, I could see major erosion, crumbling, and many slate shingles missing from the roof. Currently, the land the grist mill is located on is owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The PGC’s expertise is in game management and not historical building restoration. South Londonderry Historical Society has been in talks with the state for the last 5-7 years about ways to preserve this important historical landmark.
(Westside of Colebrook Grist Mill)
(Northside of Colebrook Grist Mill)
Below you can read more articles about the Colebrook Furnace Grist Mill. We don’t know how long this place will exist, perhaps you can take steps to help preserve and make others aware of it‘s imminent demise.
I love this detail! Genealogy is more than dates and places. It is what our ancestors did during their lifetime. Great job Rob!