Milford Mills was a village in the Marsh Creek Valley of Chester County, Pennsylvania that was inundated by the construction of the Marsh Creek Dam in 1972.

Milford Mills, Pennsylvania
Village
Montrose School House on Covered Bridge Road, now under the water of Marsh Creek Lake
Milford Mills, Pennsylvania Location of Milford Mills in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Milford Mills, Pennsylvania Milford Mills, Pennsylvania (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°03′54″N 75°43′42″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Chester
Elevation	272 ft (83 m)
Population
• Total	0
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	19335
Area codes	610, 484

Milford Mills was one of several farming villages settled by Welsh, Scots-Irish and English in the first quarter of the 18th century in Upper Uwchlan Township.[1] Like nearby Lyndell and Dorlan, Milford Mills grew during the 19th century as paper and textile manufacturing flourished. Bypassed by large-scale industry in the late 19th century, the region reverted to an agricultural economy until after World War II when the Pennsylvania Turnpike brought suburban development to northwestern Chester County.[2]

In 1961, the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters selected the Marsh Creek Valley as favorable location for a flood control and drinking water reservoir to serve the Brandywine River Valley.[3] Despite protests from some residents, the State of Pennsylvania acquired 34 properties throughout the region for the project, razing the village and nearby woodlands.[4][5] In 1972, the earthen Marsh Creek Dam was completed, standing at 89 feet (27 m) high and 990 feet (301 m) long.[6] Today the site of Milford Mills lies beneath the 530-acre (2.1 km²) Marsh Creek Lake: part of a water management project operated by the Chester County Water Resources Authority and the State of Pennsylvania.

Abandoned roads and traces of houses, barns and other structures can be seen on the shores of the lake and in adjacent recreation areas in Marsh Creek State Park.

Gallery

• 
  The Larkin Covered Bridge was once located in Milford Mills.
• 
  Milford Mills is currently under Marsh Creek Lake.
• 
  Marsh Creek Lake where Marsh Creek Valley and Milford Mills once stood
• 
  Larkin's Covered Bridge at its original location on Covered Bridge Road [7]
• 
  Map of Milford Mills from an 1883 Atlas
• 
  A portion of Milford Road abandoned following the construction of the Marsh Creek dam.

References

This Chester County, Pennsylvania state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This article relating to the history of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e