6 photos explore milling and millers in York County’s Menges Mills
Heidelberg Township’s Colonial Valley Mill is up for sale on Saturday. Fortna Auctioneers is handling the sale and has details on its website. And this York Daily Record story fleshes out details of the sale of this historic setting. Here’s what the history book – ‘Millers’ Tales, Mills of York County’ says about the property: Products – various; Type of mill- grist, saw; Property owners – Alvin L. Hershey, Andrew Hershey, Christian Hershey, Peter Menges, Robert T. Menges. Also of interest: Colonial Valley sale offers chance to get into 1780s house and own stone mill.
You just can’t get enough photographs of Menges’ Mills Colonial Valley Mill, up for sale this weekend.
So when the auctioneer sent us some photos, we’re putting some up for your enjoyment.
You’ve seen one, showing how locals hauled things to and from the mill for much of its lifetime, via horsepower. Here are three more, plus two bonus photos from YDR files:
This photo shows a machine with a technical name: Mill masher. Interesting, the “Gazetteer of York and Adams Counties” reminds you that this rural area of southwestern Pennsylvania was also a station on the railroad. So Menges Mills was a place where mechanical, horsepower and hydropower met. The west branch of the Codorus Creek, which starts in West Manheim Township near the Mason-Dixon Line, powered the mill. ‘Millers’ Tales’ states: “It becomes the basis of Lake Marburg and forms the boundary between Heidelberg and North Codorus townships. It then flows south of Spring Grove Borough, proceeding northeast to join with the south branch.’ 
Owner Brenda Sterner is show in the area of 1780s construction. The sturdy construction indicates why the mill, stone house and other structures on the property have stood so long.
It’s a form of adaptive reuse – turning an old mill into an old haunted mill. For years, Colonial Valley played host to the Haunted Mill Scream Park. The old mill is not alone in York County as home to Halloween fun. Hykes Mill along the Conewago Creek is another.
Plus 2:
This water wheel drove a vertical saw inside the old mill.
You don’t see this every day. A vertical saw. This saw, with its mechanical parts, is intact in the old mill. This saw remind you that when it’s all added up, the Colonial Valley property, for part of its working life, was a big saw mill.
Also of interest:
See more photos of Colonial Valley on the auctioneer’s site and this YDR.com gallery.
