Witness to canals, Civil War, American Pickers: 1841 York County mill has uncertain future

Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record
·5 min read
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Celebrating its 183rd birthday, an historic mill at the end of Locust Lane in Manchester Township is waiting for its next chapter to begin. Planning for a new township park, after the mill was purchased along with eight acres in 2023, will probably begin next year and the township may be advised to demolish it.

The mill, once powered by the Codorus Creek, has shared our early canal transportation history, was broken into by Confederate Civil War soldiers, was broadcast during a moment in pop culture on the show "American Pickers" and most recently was acquired as a township park that shares access with the Heritage Rail Trail County Park.

Myers Mill, right, is now part of a future Manchester Township park. The miller's house, at left that was once part of the complex, is now a restored house in private hands.
Myers Mill, right, is now part of a future Manchester Township park. The miller's house, at left that was once part of the complex, is now a restored house in private hands.

Tax records indicate Samuel Myers initially operated a Grist Mill and Saw Mill on the property during 1799 according to historian Stephen Smith. Myers Mill is indicated, at this Codorus Creek site, on William Wagner’s 1821 Map of York & Adams Counties, according to Smith.

If you look online for references to the mill, it’s known as the Myers Grist Mill, Mundis Mills, Inc. #1, Locust Lane Mill, and Sholly’s Mill, most recently by word of mouth. Mills tend to earn the name of the people who were associated with its most recent relevance.

Some pulleys and belts from the mill are still visible on the fifth floor of the mill.
Some pulleys and belts from the mill are still visible on the fifth floor of the mill.

According to historian Stephen Smith, The Codorus Navigation Works was “completed in November of 1833, the 11-miles of canal and slackwater, via the Codorus Creek, allowed navigating 70-foot long canal boats between downtown York and the Susquehanna River. There was a lock for the canal near the mill. The tow path was on the opposite side of the Codorus from the mill, accessible by a covered bridge.

More about the canal: Mundis Mill at midpoint of Codorus Navigation

The current brick building would have been constructed along the Codorus about 10 years after the canal opened. The miller’s stone house. which is right next to the mill, is restored and maintained as a private dwelling.

Historian Scott Mingus refers to the The Myers grist mill when it played a part in Civil War history “as one of several similar establishments that once dotted the banks of the Codorus Creek north of York.”

The Heritage Rail Trail County park passes near Myers Mill at the end of Locust Lane in Manchester Township.
The Heritage Rail Trail County park passes near Myers Mill at the end of Locust Lane in Manchester Township.

“In late June 1863, this peaceful setting was the site of a break-in and robbery (by the Confederate Army during the Civil War). The perpetrators were infantrymen from the famed (and much feared) “Louisiana Tigers” of veteran Brigadier General Harry Thompson Hays of New Orleans,” Mingus writes.

“One patrol visited Myers’ mill, which was locked,” Mingus added, citing Major General Jubal A. Early’s memoirs that describe how the men were scouting for supplies.

Wavey glass lets light through an office enclosure on an upper floor of Myers Mill.
Wavey glass lets light through an office enclosure on an upper floor of Myers Mill.

“Myers later filed a damage claim (to the government for $86.50), citing that Hays’ infantrymen broke into the mill and destroyed some of his private property. They also walked off with 8 barrels of stone ground flour, 15 bushels of corn, and 15 empty meal bags.”

Also near the mill building, a covered bridge once crossed the Codorus Creek when Locust Lane used to cross the waterway before the current road crossing on Emig Road was built in 1955. Maps included in a York Daily Record story by Smith show the covered bridge was removed the same year.

More about the Civil War: The Louisiana Tigers visit Myers’ Mill in Manchester Township

A map of Myers Mill with how it operated in 1833 and 1937
A map of Myers Mill with how it operated in 1833 and 1937

The mill remained in operation until 1977, Mingus states, adding that it last was run by water power in 1954, which seems to have happened around the same time as the bridge replacement.

Around 1991, Mundis Race Road was moved away from the mill and the creek to its current entrance off of Emig Road to bypass flooding issues. Minutes from a September 1992 Manchester Township Board of Supervisor meeting say that the board took action to vacate the former roadway after the new road was completed.

You can still see parts of the previous roadway and cross a bridge that was once used while traveling north from the mill by vehicle. This is now a pedestrian bridge along the rail trail.

What remains of the dam that once supplied Myers mill with water power from the Codorus Creek.
What remains of the dam that once supplied Myers mill with water power from the Codorus Creek.

When Bob Sholly purchased Locust Lane Mill in Pennsylvania, the four-story building was completely empty, according to a ydr.com story published in 2015. Twenty-five years later it was packed with antiques, according to the story.

By the time Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz from the History Channel show “American Pickers” showed up, the place was so jam-packed with antiques that they could barely walk through it, the story said.

More about the visit and Bob Sholly: Collector sells York antiques to 'American Pickers'

Around 2014, his collection caught the eye of the “Pickers,” after a recommendation from the Hershey Museum. The half-hour segment of the show, which first aired Dec. 16, 2015, didn’t have time to show all the treasures Wolfe and Fritz found inside the mill.

In May of 2023, eight acres of creek-front property and the mill building were purchased by Manchester Township for a park.

From the outside, the stout brick building almost five stories high looks sound and is topped with a slate roof.

Years of heavy work can be seen cut into the stone of the facade of Myers Mill.
Years of heavy work can be seen cut into the stone of the facade of Myers Mill.

The interior of the building is in rough shape. Roof leaks have taken its toll on sections of the floors. The water race has long been filled in below the building.  A large circle cut through several floors tells the story of a forgotten purpose.  Some of the mill equipment remains installed in the upper-most floor. A few leftover pieces that were more effort to move than their value are scattered about from the auction days.

According to Manchester township manager Tim James, the future of the mill is uncertain at this point, stating, “There has been no Board guidance on the property at Locust Lane.” James said that he assumes that the board will budget in 2025 “to advertise for proposals for the park or planning consultants to develop a game plan for the property.”

“It is unclear what will happen with the building itself as hopefully planning analysis will offer options for the Board to consider in future years,” James said.

More about the park: New creekside park land, mill with Civil War history acquired in Manchester Township

I have captured life through the lens since 1983, and am currently a visual journalist with the USA Today Network. You can reach me at pkuehnel@ydr.com.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: 1841 mill in Manchester Township, now a park, has uncertain future