Willow Mill

Willow Mill, the only mill building still standing in Silver Spring Township, was a substantial industrial complex in its prime. Built in approximately 1794, the mill was still grinding grain through the end of the 1800s. The site then transitioned into an outdoor retreat and amusement park. The mill itself was named after its different owners, being variously called Walker’s, Fisher’s, Bucher’s, and Huston’s Mill.

John Walker built the first mill on this site between 1793 and 1795. Walker developed a manufacturing complex that contained seven acres with a grist mill, saw mill, and a three-fire forge. However, he went into debt and the property was seized in 1805.¹ The next owner, Thomas Fisher, kept the mill until his death in 1834.² Fisher did not do the milling himself, but rented out the mill on shares. Fisher received two-thirds of the toll grain and flour making and one half of the sawing. ³

The industrial site continued to develop under the ownership of George Bucher. By 1845, Bucher had added a clover mill and plaster mill. When he advertised the property for sale in the American Volunteer of 1868, he described the merchant mill as having four run of stones, with the latest improvements, including a kiln for drying corn. The mill was also the site for Bucher family events, including the weddings of Mary and Clara Bucher, the miller’s daughters.⁴

The mill was purchased by James Saxton Huston in 1880, who proved to be rather unlucky with fire. “In 1881, his mill took fire and was entirely destroyed, together with a large amount of grain and flour and the miller’s home. He immediately rebuilt the mill, but in September 1885, it again burned down with greater loss than the former fire.”⁵ Huston rebuilt the mill as it exists today. The mill stayed in the Huston family until the death of James’s daughter-in-law, Annie W. Huston in the late 1920s.

The mill began to fade from the industrial scene, although the next owner, Raymond DeWalt, was no stranger to industry. His name was given to a line of power tools he developed, starting with the DeWalt “Wonder-Worker” radial arm saw.⁶ However, DeWalt preferred to emphasize the mill’s natural and historic setting. He and his family ran the mill alongside an inn and recreation area as part of a retreat promoting the simple country life. A menu for DeWalt’s Willow Mill Inn included specialties like Willow Mill Milk, Special Salad, Country Dinner, and a Meatless Health Menu. The corn meal served to guests was made at the mill and so was the inn’s electricity.

DeWalt’s retreat became better known in later years as the home of an amusement park.  The area was rented and developed for this purpose in the 1950s by Ronald Rohrbaugh, who was followed by other managers of the park. The 1972 Agnes flood decimated the park, but it was rebuilt and continued to offer a merry-go-round, roller coaster, boats, miniature golf, and other rides until 1989. After the amusement park closed, the area was used for storage and as a trailer park until 1995, when the land was purchased by Silver Spring Township. The mill and one acre was given to the township at that time. As of 2014, the property is in the hands of The Friends of Willow Mill who are raising funds to restore the property as a community center. ⁷