Codorus Creek Watershed - Mills of York County

This is a listing of water-powered grist mills located within the Codorus Creek watershed in York County, Pennsylvania. Codorus means “rapid water” in the native tongue. Alternate spellings include “Katores”, “Cadores”, and “Cotorus”. This watershed drains 278 square miles of southwestern and central York County.

The Codorus watershed has many branches and tributaries. You can jump to them directly by using one of the following links:

Codorus Creek Main Branch
Codorus Creek Upper West Branch
Long Run
Codorus Creek Glenville Branch
Codorus Creek West Branch
Oil Creek
Codorus Creek South Branch
Centerville Creek
Jefferson Creek
Codorus Creek East Branch
Mill Creek

The mills are listed in order as the water flows.

Codorus Creek Main Branch

The main branch of the Codorus Creek begins in different places depending on the source of information. The GIS and Google maps show the main branch beginning just above the state line in Manheim Township. Other sources place the beginning of the main branch in North Codorus Township where the South Branch joins at the Indian Rock Dam. This site uses the latter, more historic, definition.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Weiser’s		Site	pre 1846	Grist	Trib 08087
Hoke’s	D. E. Horn & Co.	Site	c1807	Flour, Grist, Saw	Codorus Creek
King’s		Site	c1799	Grist, Saw	Codorus Creek
Violet Hill	Owings Bros/Sechrist & Ihrig	Site	1869	Flour, Grist	Tyler Run
Tyler’s	Spring Dale	Site	c1860	Flour	Tyler Run
Loucks	S. W. Hershey’s	Site	c1750	Flour, Grist	Codorus Creek
Loucks #2		Site	c1835	Feed	Codorus Creek
Small’s	York Flour Mills, Ardent Mills	Business	1835	Flour	Codorus Creek
Samuel Myers	York Roller Mills	Storage	Pre 1771	Flour, Grist	Codorus Creek
Mundis	Brillinger’s	Storage	c1750	Flour, Grist, Saw	Codorus Creek
Glades Road	Smyser Distillery	Office	c1840	Grist, Distillery	Trib of Codorus

Codorus Creek Upper West Branch

The Upper West Branch of the Codorus Creek begins in West Manheim Township at the Mason-Dixon line. It flows north until it becomes the basis for Lake Marburg. This part of the stream was called the Furnace Run before the lake was created.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Frank Fuhrman	Baum’s	Site	c1820	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	W Branch Codorus Creek
Garrett’s		Site	c1840	Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
Fuhrman’s	Albright’s	Site	Pre 1856	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	W Branch Codorus Creek
Kindig’s		Submerged	c1836	Flour, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek

Long Run

Long Run begins in West Manheim Township, flows north-east into Manheim township, then turns north and flows into Lake Marburg in the Codorus State Park. It originally kept flowing north until it joined the West Branch of the Codorus creek.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Jacob Werner’s	Charles Brandt	Site	1849	Grist, Saw	Long Run
Allison’s	Claude Warner	Site	1833	Grist, Saw, Cider	Long Run
Jacob Albright’s	Hartman’s	Submerged	c1821	Grist, Saw, Oil	Long Run
William S. Dubs	Hinkle’s / Nace’s	Submerged	Pre 1774	Grist	Long Run
Adam Warner’s	Dubb’s / Kershner’s	Submerged	1891	Grist, Saw, Cider, Oil	Long Run

Codorus Creek Glenville Branch

The Glenville Branch of the Codorus Creek begins in Manheim Township not far from the state line. From there it flows north through Glenville (hence its name) on up through Brodbecks and Sinsheim until it joins with the West Branch coming out of Lake Marburg. Some sources call this stretch of the creek the “West Branch” and there are road signs to that effect. The GIS map and Google maps call this the “Codorus Creek”, that is, the main branch. Grant Voaden called this the “Glenville Branch” and I have chosen to do the same to avoid confusion with the other West Branch.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Gordon S. Snyder	Green Ridge	Business	1825	Grist, Saw	Glenville Branch
George Keller’s	Barnhart / Jacob H. Snyder	Site	1872	Flour, Grist, Saw	Glenville Branch
Snyder Flour Mill	Codorus Mill	Site	c1780	Flour, Grist, Oil, Saw	Glenville Branch
Milton Myer’s		Site		Grist	Glenville Branch

Codorus Creek West Branch

The West Branch of the Codorus Creek begins in West Manheim Township at the Mason-Dixon line. It flows north until it becomes the basis for Lake Marburg. That segment may be found on this page under the heading “Upper West Branch”. As the West Branch exits Lake Marburg, it forms the boundary between Heidelberg and Manheim Townships and flows northeast until it joins the Glenville Branch at the northern-most point of Manheim Township. The 1821 map calls this portion of the stream the “Hammer Creek”. The West Branch then passes south of Spring Grove and flows north-east until it joins the South Branch at Indian Rock Dam.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Kraft’s	Heidelburg	Site	c1789	Flour, Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
Reynold’s	Rennoll’s	Site	c1800	Grist, Saw, Plaster, Oil	W Branch Codorus Creek
Samuel Dubb’s	Samuel Boyer’s	Site	1781	Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
Menges	Hershey / Colonial Valley	Haunted	1748	Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
George Myers		Site	1884	Grist	Bunch Creek
Texas Grist Mill	Solomon Martin	Site	c1857	Flour, Grist, Saw	Stoverstown Branch
Eyster’s		Site	c1840	Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
Bare’s	Mumma’s	Site	1764	Flour, Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
Daniel Bair’s		Site		Grist, Saw	Trib 08196
Keystone	Sprenkle’s	Site	1810	Flour, Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek
Bender’s	Klinedinst / Wiest’s Dam	Site	c1772	Flour, Grist, Saw	W Branch Codorus Creek

Oil Creek

The Oil Creek originates in Parkville in Penn Township and flows northward on the east side of Hanover and continues north-east until it joins the West Branch of the Codorus in Heidelberg Township.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Mumma’s		Site	Pre 1775	Flour, Grist, Saw, Oil	Oil Creek
Rudisill’s		Site	c1860	Grist, Saw	Mumma’s Rumn
Jacob’s	Eichelberger’s	Site	1851	Grist, Saw	Oil Creek
Shutt’s	John F. Hershey	Site	Pre 1860	Grist	Oil Creek

Codorus Creek South Branch

The South Branch of the Codorus Creek begins south of Shrewsbury. It flows north-west through Glen Rock and Seven Valleys. From there it winds its way north and east until it joins the main branch at the Indian Rock Dam.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Ruby’s	G. M. Henry	Site	c1795	Grist, Distillery	S Branch Codorus Creek
G. M. Henry	Helb’s Tannery	Site	c1833	Grist, Tannery	S Branch Codorus Creek
Rosedale	Heiss Oil Mill	Site	c1780	Flour, Oil	S Branch Codorus Creek
Bortner’s	A. K. Bortner	Ruins	c1860	Flour, Grist, Cider	Trout Run
Seitzland Roller Mills		Site	1848	Flour, Grist	S Branch Codorus Creek
Brodbeck’s		Residence	1860	Grist	Rock Run
Glen Rock Valley	Seitz	Site	1810	Flour, Grist	Rock Run
Glen Rock	Owings Brothers/Gladfelter	Business	1837	Flour, Grist, Textile	S Branch Codorus Creek
Jonas Bortner’s	Klinedinst’s	Site	1839	Grist	Krebb’s Valley Run
Larue Mill	J. E. Zeigler’s	Site	1845	Grist, Saw, Cider	S Branch Codorus Creek
Seitzville Flour Mill	Chinault	Business	1866	Grist	S Branch Codorus Creek
Gladfelter’s	Seven Vallleys Flour Co.	Site	c1755	Flour, Grist, Saw	S Branch Codorus Creek
H. S. Shaeffer	Jim Shaeffer Sawmill	Site	c1860	Grist, Saw	Fishel Creek
Fishel’s		Site	c1820	Flour, Grist, Saw	Fishel Creek
Gladfelter Station	Falkenstine	Site	1832	Grist, Oil, Fulliing	S Branch Codorus Creek
Rennoll’s	Tunnel Mill	Site	1816	Flour, Grist, Saw	S Branch Codorus Creek
Day’s	Green Valley Mills / Sprenkle’s	Site	1819	Flour, Grist, Cider	S Branch Codorus Creek

Centerville Creek

Centerville Creek begins in Codorus Township about a half-mile from the Maryland state line. It flows northward until it joins the South Branch of the Codorus just north of Glen Rock. A major tributary is the Pierceville Run which also begins near the state line and joins the Centerville Creek west of Glen Rock.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Hildebrand’s	Nace’s	Site	c1821	Grist, Saw, Cider	Centerville Creek
Warner’s		Site	c1835	Flour, Feed	Centerville Creek
Honeytown		Site	c1820	Flour, Grist, Hominy	Centerville Creek
Henry Bortner’s		Site	c1875	Grist	Pierceville Run
Rockville	W. P. Miller	Site	c1840	Flour, Grist	Pierceville Run

Jefferson Creek

This tributary of the Codorus Creek South Branch originates in North Codorus Township just north of Jefferson. There are two named tributaries, Buffalo Valley Hollow and Brush Valley Hollow. It joins the South Branch at Seven Valleys.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Buffalo Valley	Sterner’s	Site	1866	Flour, Grist	Buffalo Valley Hollow
Cornbower’s	Eichelberger’s	Site	c1871	Flour, Grist, Saw, Cider	Buffalo Valley Hollow
William Spangler’s	Cold Springs	Storage	c1821	Flour, Grist	Jefferson Creek
Shaffer’s		Site	c1875	Grist	Brush Valley Hollow

Codorus Creek East Branch

The East branch begins northeast of Shrewsbury and flows northward through the Spring Valley County Park where it becomes the basis for Lake Redman and Lake Williams. From there, it flows west until joins the South Branch at Twin Arch Road.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Rehmeyer’s		Site	c1856	Flour, Grist	E Branch Codorus Creek
Brillhart’s		Site	c1826	Flour, Grist	E Branch Codorus Creek
Seaks	M. Trout	Site	c1860	Grist, Oil, Clover	E Branch Codorus Creek
Grim’s		Site	c1857	Grist, Distillery	Emmas Creek
Tyson’s		Site	1828	Grist, Saw	Seaks Run
Michael Henry	Keeney’s	Site	1812	Flour, Grist, Saw	E Branch Codorus Creek
Barshinger	Michael Grim/Jacob Kohler	Site	1853	Flour	Barshinger Creek
Yost’s	Tempest Ness’	Site	c1758	Flour, Grist	E Branch Codorus Creek
Inners		Site	c1795	Flour, Grist	Inner’s Creek
Kreidler’s	Shearer’s	Submerged	c1779	Grist, Saw	E Branch Codorus Creek
F. P. Dietz	Keystone Woolen Factory Grist Mill	Site	1832	Flour, Grist, Saw, Wool	E Branch Codorus Creek

Mill Creek

The Mill Creek begins at Red Lion and flows northwest. It joins the Codorus in York, just south of Route 30. Some documents call this the “Little Codorus”.

Name	AKA	Disposition	Built	Type	Water Source
Neff’s		Site	1871	Flour, Grist	Mill Creek
Stiles’	Ore Valley	Site	c1800	Flour, Grist, Saw	Mill Creek
Strickler’s	Strickler’s Machine Shop	Site	c1875	Grist	Mill Creek
Wagner’s	Enterprise Station	Site	1854	Flour, Grist	Mill Creek
Bowser’s Cider Mill	Rider’s / Gotwalt’s	Storage	1895	Flour, Feed, Cider	Mill Creek
Spring Garden	P. A. & S. Small	Site	1830	Flour	Mill Creek
Dosch’s	Small / Lefever / Plank Road	Site	c1740	Flour, Grist, Oil, Saw	Mill Creek
Elmwood Roller Mills	John Small’s	Site	1885	Flour	Mill Creek
Flory’s	Fahs, Smith & Co.	Site	c1840	Flour, Grist	Mill Creek
Diehl’s	Hively’s	Site	1740	Flour, Feed	Mill Creek