Date of moving mill was about 1875 :
Distillery, first one at Big Spring about 1866. 2nd
distillery near mill blew up about 1870; two fellows killed were
John Schertz and Sam Statler. Mill was about 35 x 40 and two stories
high. Engine for mill was shipped here from New York. Run by Lafe
Mason for a year in Roanoke.
Big sycamore stump 7 or 8 feet through stood
N.E. of Partridge school where poker was played. Poker players were
Green DeFord, Ike DeFord, George Hayner and others. Sam Mullins
jockey, Lunkhead was best horse. Ike Snyders best race horse was Old
Lunkhead.
Speaking of mills, well I remember 70 years
ago when I was a boy 13 yrs old, carrying the U.S. mail from Spring
Bay to Peoria twice a week over what is now Route 116. There was at
that time between East Peoria and the Isaac Snyder mill on Partridge
Creek eight flour or grist mills as they were called. In active
operation, six of these were driven by water power, a steam mill on
the N.E. corner of the four corners of East Peoria, owned and
operated by Mr. Schertz. A water mill as they was called owned and
operated by a Mr. Adams and later owned by Joseph Camp, brothers of
the late Chris Camp in Metamora. Located were the fish pond is on
Route 116 (Dixon Fishery). Another owned and operated by an old
German by the name of Fillager, the old frame house still stands
just below Route 116 opposite the artesian well. It also was driven
by water power. Then there was another water power mill one mile
west of the junction of route 116 and the Spring Bay road on Ten
Mile creek owned and operated by Thomas Andrews.
Then came the Roland Crocker mill just a mile
north of the Andrews Mill just over the line in Woodford County. It
was one of the first, if not the first mill built in Woodford
County. It was also a water powered mill and one of the last to
cease operations. Then the Hoshor mill 2 miles north of the Crockers
mill owned and operated by William and Perry Hoshor, a water powered
mill and if memory serves me right the last to quit grinding custom
work.
Then comes the Spring Bay steam mill owned and
operated first by George Hefflebauer and the later by H. Freaduck
who done a good business in the hayday of Spring Bay, but it has
long quit operations.
Then comes the Isaac Snyder mill on Partridge
Creek on half mile west of the Partridge school house. It operated
until about the year 1875 when it was torn down and removed to
Roanoke Il and operated as a steam flour and feed mill, but now long
closed a victim of big business. The Snyder mill was not the first
mill on Partridge Creek. As a boy I remember the frame of an old saw
and grist mill just across the creek from the Partridge school house
on the property of the late Saul Winkler. It was erected and owned
by Mr. Johnson, father of the late Lewis J. Johnson.
So much for the history of the old water mills
and there wonderful over-shot wheels. Happy was the miller the lived
on the mill as the wheel went around with a free good will. As the
wheel went around with its gentle roll, the miller managed always to
get his Toll.
Written by Garrett H. Mason, Jan 27, 1937.
Mill Stones
History and photo submitted by Shirley A. Adams.