Schnure's Mill on The Isle Of Que

H.N. Backhus Mill, 1853

The Isle of Que Mill,  Rebuilt in 1865,  Razed in 1929

  From left to right: H.D. Doebler, Abe Long, William Roush.

The mill was located at the east end of Mill Street, on the west side of Penns Creek.

Howard Schnure, William Roush, Abe Long, and Howard Klinger, at the Isle of Que Mill, 1889

The original mill was constructed prior to 1784, when Simon Snyder [later the Governor of Pennsylvania] came to Selinsgrove from York to open a store.  Snyder purchased the Isle of Que Mill that year.  

Snyder sold the mill to Andrew Oberdorf, and Oberdorf sold the mill to Anthony Selin, in 1790. The  property then  passed to Henry W. Snyder after the death of Simon Snyder.

"December 27. 1827. the Isle of Que property passed by court to Henry W. Snyder in partition of the property of Simon Snyder, deceased, and in November, 1828, John and P. E. Derring, administrators of the Simon Snyder estate, sold to Henry Snyder the "mill tract" of twenty-seven acres and one hundred and forty-five perches, whereon was an apple orchard, a merchant mill, a fulling mill, smith shop. carding machine, several dwellings and a distillery for $7,010. The deed for the property was not recorded until September 20. 1828.

 In November of the same year Henry W. Snyder, who by the way was the son of the second Mrs. Simon Snyder, nee Antis, received damages for injuries to "his mill," and a lot on the Isle of Que due to the construction of a canal. The amount paid was $1,500."

In 1839 the mill was owned by George Roush Jr & Jeremiah M. Eckel.  Henry N. Backus became the owner in 1857, with his family living in the old mill house at 100 east Mill street. 

"This homestead was surrounded by an ornate wooden fence. which was white-washed every spring.  One beautiful spring day Miss Elizabeth Backus, the pretty daughter of the miller, was white-washing the fence, when an interesting looking man ; with a Bostonian accent asked for her father and was duly escorted to the mill by Miss Backus. 

 Romance then and there was started in the lives of those two young people.  He was Thomas Else of Boston, and after they were married the bridegroom declared that what really attracted him was the "humble task of a job well done".  

So much for the art of white-washing; we also understand Mark Twain thought well of it.

Incidentally, that  man Else was first to appear hereabout wearing "Factory Made Shoes." He canvassed this territory  for a Philadelphia manufacturer of shoes and was the pioneer in that movement locally, which spelled the doom of hand-made, home-made footwear."

In 1865 the mill was owned by Daniel R. Royer and Mary Ann Klopp.  In 1866 they sold to George Weist.  On August 1 1868 it was purchased by S.J. Pawling and Azariah Kreeger.  Howard D. Schnure at some point joined the venture, and in September of 1879, Howard's father George purchased the interest from Pawling and Kreeger, George then forming a partnership with his son.

The Schnures rebuilt the mill, installing new and improved machinery, and a large grain warehouse.  They connected the mill with the railroad by means of a siding in 1877. The new mill was located a little north of the original mill.  

View of the mill from the Schnure home, showing the electric wires running from the mill to the house.

Howard D. Schnure ran the mill for many years. He utilized the water power for his own Hydro-electric system in 1898, the first electric lights in Snyder County.

The light hanging from a high pole between the home and mill, was a marvel of its time, as it sputtered and fluttered and was admired, a think of beauty and wonderment."

"People drove- by buggy of course - from miles around to gaze at the gasless light.  Old-timers recall that the owner of the first streetlight used to take his kerosene lamp from the kitchen each night at bedtime, and go to the mill to close the gates of the water turbine, shutting off his power for the night."

In 1899, the mill was being operated by M.L. Kreeger

The 1904 Ice Gorge on Penns Creek.  See more here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-ice-gorge-on-penns-creek-at.html

Schnure's Dam, and the Isle of Que Mills

In 1905 the mill property was acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad.  J.F. Youngman eased the property from the railroad, operating the mill from 1908- 1920.

July 1 1920 - The Isle Of Que Mills, a mill site from the Revolutionary War Period, ceases operation on account of lack of proper repairs by its owner, the Pennsylvania Railroad.  (Schnures Chronology)

The mill was torn down in 1929.

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