In 1772, as shown by the depositions in the Skipton-on-Craven boundary case, there was a saw-mill on the Little Antietam just below the bridge on the Chewsville road and opposite the present residence of Harvey J. Hartle. Nothing now remains to mark its site.

mills

One of the first grist-mills in the District was that of Christopher Burkhart on Antietam creek a mile north of Leitersburg. The site is now embraced in the lands of Samuel Martin. It is probable that this mill was established as early as 1770. The erection of the mill-dam resulted injuriously to the lands of Peter Shiess, who resided on the opposite side of the creek, and in 1779 Burkhart purchased from him eleven and three-fourths acres of land, "together with all and singular the water and water courses, and all the drained lands, meadows, and other of the benefits of the waters stopped and gorged up by the damming of the water for the use of the above named Christopher Burkhart's grist* * and any other waters that may be stopped or gorged up by means of said Christopher Burkhart's mill-dam, for the benefit and advantage of said Burkhart and his mills in any kind or nature whatever." In 1797 Burkhart leased the mill, dwelling house, and lands adjacent thereto to Levan Hays for the term of seven years at an annual rental of £200. A "new mill-dam" recently erected is referred to in this lease. By his will, executed November 10, 1797, he devised the mill property to his son, Christopher Burkhart, in whose possession it continued until his death in 1838. Among those who operated it under lease from him were George Shiess and Samuel Lyday. After the property passed out of the possession of the Burkharts the successive owners were Henry Funk, Henry H. Snively, Daniel Mentzer, George Bell, and Christian Lehman. The old mill was a two-story stone structure, equipped at the close of its career with two sets of buhrs. This building was removed in 1857 by Daniel Mentzer, who erected on the same site a new mill that was regarded as one of the most commodious on Antietam creek. It was three stories high and the walls were built of stone to the second story. This building was completely destroyed by fire on the 29th of January, 1886. Only the foundation walls now remain to mark its site. There was also a saw-mill connected with this property at one time; it survived the period of its use

fulness and after reaching an advanced stage of dilapidation was eventually removed.

Christian Lantz seems to have formed the idea of erecting a mill soon after he became a resident of Leitersburg District, for in 1775 he purchased from Jacob Leiter two and one-half acres of land, the boundaries of which are described as "Beginning at the end of thirty-two perches in the sixth line of a tract of land called Skipton-on-Craven and running from thence down Antietam creek on the northwest side of said creek *** to include the whole of the creek and all the advantages of the water for water works." The last clause is significant. In 1783 Lantz entered into an agreement with Leiter "not to raise the water or dam further or higher than the aforesaid corners or marked stones when there is not a flow in the creek, but at all other times he and his heirs and assigns are at liberty to raise the dam or water if they choose as far as the said stones but no farther, only when the flow is high." In a provisional disposition of his lands in 1792 Christian Lantz assigned the mill property to his son Christian and adjacent land to his son George, reserving to the latter "the use of the water every Monday night, Thursday night, and Saturday night forever, to be let through a hole made one foot square in the said Christian Lantz's mill race where George Lantz may think proper for the convenience of watering the said George Lantz's meadows."

The Lantz mill was situated west of Leitersburg on the opposite side of the Antietam creek and a short distance above the turnpike bridge over that stream. At the beginning of the century this crossing is referred to as "Lantz's fording on the Nicholson's Gap road." From Christian Lantz, Jr., the son of the first proprietor, the mill passed to his son-in-law, John Byer, by whom several other manufacturing establishments were also operated here. These included a saw-mill, tannery, hemp-mill, and distillery. Fowler & Ziegler subsequently bought the property, equipped the mill with new machinery, and transacted an extensive business, which rapidly declined after they discontinued operations.

On the south side of the turnpike at the point where Marsh run crosses the District line stands one of the oldest mills in Washington County. This mill is located on a draft of the Nicholson's

Gap road in 1791 under the name of Rench's mill. It was built by John Rench, who purchased the site in 1780 in connection. with a tract of over four hundred acres. He died in 1794 and by the terms of his will the mill was devised to his son, Peter Rench, by whose heirs it was sold in 1819 to Joseph Miller. The next owner was Abraham Schmutz, from whom the property passed to D. G. Yost and Adam Kinkle in 1826. On the 29th of June, 1833, Yost and Kinkle entered into an agreement with Frederick Ziegler for the sale of the mill and all its appurtenances, in consideration of which he agreed to deliver to them at Hagerstown "375 barrels of good, merchantable, first proof whiskey, to be the same quality of whiskey which the said Ziegler has been in the habit of selling in Baltimore, Georgetown, and other cities at from fifty to fifty-five cents per gallon." It was further stipulated that the capacity of the barrels should average thirty-four gallons. At this time (1833) the mill was operated under lease by Thomas Phillips. The property appears to have been in litigation about this time, as Ziegler did not secure a valid deed until 1847. At his death it passed to his son, David Ziegler, of Greencastle, Pa., in whose possession it has since remained. The present lessee is Samuel Hartman.

Some time near the close of the last century General Sprigg built a mill on Marsh run in the extreme northwestern part of the District. It was a two-story stone structure about forty feet square. The power was originally derived from a dam a half-mile distant. David Brumbaugh, who subsequently purchased the property, improved it in various ways and excavated a reservoir with an area of half an acre. Brumbaugh sold it to Jacob B. Lehman in 1854, and from him it was purchased in 1858 by his son, Henry F. Lehman, the present proprietor. The old stone mill was removed in 1869 and replaced by the main part of the present structure, a brick building thirty-eight by forty-five feet in dimensions, to which a frame addition thirty by thirty-one was added in 1878. Steam power was introduced in 1887, and at the present time engines of thirty-five horse-power are used. The use of buhrs in the manufacture of flour was discontinued in 1887 in favor of the roller process, to which the gyrator system of bolting was added in 1897. The present capacity of the mill is fifty barrels per day. It is also provided with facilities for the

manufacture of other mill products, and in the character of its equipment and the extent of its business is justly regarded as one of the leading mills of Washington County.

An advertisement in the Washington Spy for May 3, 1793, refers to "Jacob Gilbert's mill, on Little Antietam creek, seven miles from Hagerstown and two miles off the main road leading from said town to Nicholson's Gap." Here Gilbert owned two hundred acres of land, which he purchased in 1789 from Abraham Stouffer, who is said to have built the mill. He derived his title from Christian Hyple. In 1800 Gilbert sold it to Abraham Moyer, by whom it was owned when the Smithsburg road was opened. He became insolvent and in 1825 the property was purchased at sheriff's sale by Frederick Bell, who built the present mill in 1837-38 and equipped it with new machinery throughout. He died in 1839 and in 1840 the mill was bought by his son, Frederick Bell. Among the subsequent owners were Samuel Etnyer, David M. Deitrich, Jeremiah Fahrney, Elias R. Stottlemeyer, and George H. Bowman, the present proprietor, who purchased it in 1886. He introduced the roller process in 1896 and has also improved the property in various other ways.

Strite's mill near Leitersburg has been known by this name for more than half a century. The mill site and adjacent land were owned by the first Jacob Leiter at his death in 1764 and devised by him to his son, Christian. He sold it in 1790 to Peter Shanaberger, from whom it was purchased in 1792 by Samuel Kraumer (Cromer). While it is possible that some previous owner may have built and operated a mill at this site, there can be no doubt that the present structure was erected by Kraumer. A large stone in the front wall bears the inscription, "S. K. 1798." Further authentic testimony occurs in a deed from Jacob Leiter (of Peter) to Felix Beck for land subsequently owned by George Ziegler, the boundary of which is described as beginning at a tree on the west bank of the Antietam creek "two perches below Samuel Kraumer's mill house." This deed was executed in 1799. In 1807 Kraumer sold the property to John Russell, who was from the Shenandoah valley in Virginia. He died in 1808; his son, Christian Russell, by inheritance and purchase secured a two-thirds interest in the property, which he operated until 1829, when financial reverses compelled him to sell it. He then engaged in

other business and eventually lost his life in a steamboat explosion on the Mississippi. Stephen Martin purchased the mill in 1829 and owned it until his death. It was bought in 1843 by Christian Strite, by whom the south wing was built for grinding plaster. He died in 1862, after which the property was purchased by Samuel Strite, the present owner. This is one of the largest mills on Antietam creek and is equipped throughout with modern machinery. The present lessee is John C. Strite.

Early in the century the Barr family built a mill on their estate in the eastern part of the District on Little Antietam. Here they conducted a variety of industrial operations. In one stone building there was a plaster-mill, saw-mill, and clover-mill, and in another a nail factory and distillery. The property was purchased in 1823 by Daniel Winter, whose son-in-law, Isaac H. Durboraw, was the next owner of the mill. The present proprietor is Rudolph Charles, who bought it in 1894. It is a substantial stone building. A short distance further down the creek is a saw-mill, owned by Jacob B. Stoner.

ROCK FORGE.

Great Rocks was a tract of fifty acres originally patented to Daniel Dulany on the 5th of April, 1750. The boundary is described as "Beginning at a bounded white oak standing near a spring called the Locust spring on the east side of Great Antietam about a mile from the Temporary Line." This spring is situated a short distance down the creek from the Rock Forge bridge. In 1769 Daniel and Walter Dulany of Annapolis, executors of Daniel Dulany, Sr., sold this tract to Lawrence O'Neal; and several years later it was purchased by Daniel Hughes.

Below the Locust spring the bank of the creek is quite steep; but the "great rocks" from which the tract derived its name are some distance above. Here the rocks rise precipitously at the southern bank of the creek and for some distance west of the present channel, which turns to the south at right angles with its former course and passes through a deep and narrow gorge. There is ample evidence that the creek originally described a circle of fully half a mile around the northern front and western slope of the rocky barrier through which it now passes. It is impossible to account for the immense deposits of sand on the farm