Fascinating stories about Lower Merion mills and John Roberts III

http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/texts/first300/part07a.html

Walover’s Mill. After the Revolution Peter Walover, an immigrant from Menz, Germany, settled in Lower Merion. He was trained in papermaking in America at the Paul Jones Mill in Manayunk after serving as an indentured servant to Henry Drinker. The mill and miller’s house he purchased in 1807 was one of John Roberts’ original paper mills. The buildings were located at the current hairpin turn in Mill Creek Road at the narrow bridge.

For nearly ten years Walover apparently ran an efficient and immaculate mill, but the economic recession that occurred after the War of 1812 forced him into debt. His 33 acres of land with three "messuages" and a paper mill were sold at a sheriff’s sale in 1818. These buildings remain today serving as suburban residences.

The millers’ early 18th century home is known as "Tayr Pont" and is characterized by a second story porch. The mill building itself, along the side of the road, was run as a paper mill until 1848 by the new owners, Horatius G. Jones and Evan Jones. At that time Evan Jones renovated it to a cotton and woolen mill. Later he converted it to a flour mill called Merion Flour Mills. A date stone stating "E J 1848 Remodelled by Edw. S. Murray 1890" indicates a later conversion by Edward Murray, whose business was known as the Merion Roller Flour Mills.

Link to a photo:
http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/photodb/web/html3/062-1.html