New book explores history of Lancaster County water wheels

It began with an interest in taking pictures. "I am an amateur photographer," said Don Kautz, author of the recently published "Mills of Lancaster County." "I started photographing gristmills in 2014 because I liked how they looked."

Kautz's hobby has produced a book - his second, actually - titled "Mills of Lancaster County," published by Maschof Press. Kautz will sign copies of the book and chat with interested buyers at the Groff Store House, located at 433 Newport Road, Ronks, adjacent to the Mascot Roller Mill, on Friday, Nov. 17, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Kautz's new book will point readers to locations in Lancaster County where mills once existed or can still be seen. "There are about 100 left, but they vary from complete ruins to private residences and everything in between," said Kautz. "The first part of the book talks about all the existing mills and tells their stories," he said, noting that if a covered bridge that was accompanied by a mill still stands, he has covered it in the book. "The second half of the book is a catalog of all 300 some mills that have existed in the county with their information "Who was the owner and when did they close?" Kautz added that the second part of the book could be helpful to those doing genealogical research.

According to Kautz, water-powered milling peaked around the Civil War with methods such as steam and eventually diesel replacing water power. "In the 20th century, electricity became the power, but some of the water powered mills were used to generate electricity in the early years," Kautz explained. Kautz pointed out that most mills closed in the early 20th century, with the Mascot mill being an exception. "The first mill at Mascot was built in 1738," Kautz said, adding that the current building sports a stone dated 1767, but that the building was raised up to four stories in the 1830s. The mill closed in 1977. "That's not typical. That's a pretty long run," said Kautz.

Mascot was one of many area mills that also served as a post office. "You came there to get your mail, your flour, and to catch up on the local news," said Kautz. "Mills were a gathering place," he added, noting that the placement of roads and communities was affected by the location of a mill.

Kautz's first book, "The Conestoga River: A History," grew out of his interest in the Conestoga Navigation Company, which opened the river up to navigation from Lancaster to Safe Harbor. "I was giving some talks about that and someone suggested I write a book," recalled Kautz, who noted that the river, which has its origins in Berks County travels into Caernarvon Township, through Bridgeport, and eventually to Manor Township, entering the Susquehanna River at Safe Harbor.

More information about Kautz's work may be found at https://donaldkautz.com.