These millstones stand in silent testimony to the importance of milling in Lancaster County. The first mill was built only a few years after the Mennonites arrived in 1710. Vital to agriculture, the mills increased in number to over 200 by 1839. Most were gristmills, where grain was processed; yet there were also mills where hemp was crushed for rope or tannic acid was obtained from bark. Stones were used to grind cocoa for chocolate, pigments for paint, and apples for cider.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, mills were central to the life of Lancaster County; towns grew frequently from these gathering places. Today few of these mills are still in operation, and even fewer continue to use millstones.
Early milling techniques, using millstones like these, can be seen at Millbridge Village, located on the Pequea Creek, the mill at the Village was begun in 1738 by John Herr, a grandson of Hans Herr.
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