Nether Providence Township.

For a second time the mills were rebuilt, and the business carried on by John M. Sharpless, at Waterville, until his death in 1875, and subsequently by his heirs until 1878. A company being formed by the name of John M. Sharpless & Co., in 1878, purchased land in Chester, on the river front, erected buildings thereon, and removed the work to the new location. The old grist-mill is still in use, now conducted by Nathan Sharpless, but the dye-wood works are standing idle.

Franklin Iron-Works. - On the 17th of December, 1795, William Vernon sold eighty-three acres of land on Ridley Creek, in Nether Providence, to Jonathan Worrell, who the same day conveyed the property to James Withey, and two days later, December 19th, the latter sold the tract to William Kerlin. The executors of Kerlin, on March 27, 1806, sold the real estate to Joshua Harlan, of Wilmington, Del., Thomas Chandler, of Nether Providence, and Samuel Sinclair, of Kennett, Chester Co. On the 13th of February, 1809, James and John L. Ham, of Nether Providence, sold to Joshua Harlan, Thomas Chandler, and Samuel Sinclair, "copartners in water-works," ten acres adjoining their other lands, with "right, liberty, and privilege of erecting a dam across the said creek [Ridley], at or near the scite of an ancient Butment on the opposite side of the creek," on land some time of Nathaniel Squibb, then of Harlan, Chandler, and Sinclair, with power to raise water in the dam five feet and six inches for the purpose of obtaining power, "to a level with an auger-hole long since bored in a rock on the creek side and no higher." It appears from this deed that a mill of some kind had many years before been erected upon this mill-seat, and had entirely gone out of existence. No account has been found of it since 1790.

On the 16th of January, 1810, Harlan, Chandler & Sinclair purchased of Nathaniel Squibb fifty acres of land in Chester township, on Ridley Creek, opposite their other lands, and on the 19th of March, 1811, sold all their lands to John Slawter, reserving one acre at the dam. Slawter was not "to dig any ditch, drain, or canal in the land conveyed . . . so as to convey any part of the water of said creek for any purpose whatsoever." In the assessment-roll of 1811, 1812, 1813, Joshua Harlan & Co. are assessed on slitting- and rolling-mill. It was operated by them with slight changes till 1827, when Thomas Chandler owned two-thirds of the property, and sold to James Cloud, who took personal charge Oct. 20, 1825. The latter bought Sinclair's third interest. Cloud continued until Jan. 16, 1826, and sold to Robert S. Johnson, then an iron merchant on Water Street, Philadelphia, "rolling-, slitting-, and saw-mill, and all lands mentioned." Frederick Johnson, a brother of Robert, was in charge of these mills for a year or two, and was followed by Nathan Roland for about two years, when John Gifford Johnson, a son of Robert, became manager, and remained as such until 1850. Philip Nelling, now of Middletown, commenced work at these rolling-mills Feb. 14, 1827, and continued there until 1848. The mills were then running night and day, with two sets of men, - four men each twelve hours. The mill rolled sheet-iron, which was all sent to Mr. Johnson's store in Philadelphia. The report of 1826 states that two to three hundred tons of iron and steel were rolled annually, and a ton of Lehigh coal was used in rolling a ton of iron. During the great flood of Aug. 5, 1843, the mills stood back some distance from the stream, but when the water came rushing down, in a few minutes the floor was flooded with eight feet of water, causing great damages. The large furnace was highly heated, and J. G. Johnson ordered Thomas D. Nelling, then a lad, to run on the roof, and go to the brick stack connected with the furnace and raise the damper. The boy declined, but Thomas Roberts, then employed in the mills, but now a farmer in Upper Chichester, drew the damper, and a moment afterward the furnace exploded, throwing a portion of the bricks through the roof of the mill. Two large frame store-houses, used for storage of band- and of scrap-iron and other articles, were washed away.

The slitting-mill was continued by Robert Johnson until about 1850, when his son, J. Gifford Johnson changed the mill into an edge-tool factory, and rented it to Robert Beatty, who ran it till 1855. In 1853, J. G. Johnson erected the present stone grist-mill. John Beatty, the brother of Robert, in that year rented the edge-tool factory, and operated it from 1855 to 1862. About the latter date the property was sold to William C. Johnson, who conducted the grist-mill and edge-tool factory until 1870, when John Dutton and John Booth purchased the property. Booth retired after a few years, and Dutton, the present owner, carries on the milling and edge-tool works.

Todmorden Mills. - The property on which these mills are situated belonged, in 1777, to Thomas Vichers, who, on June 7th in that year, sold one hundred and sixty-two acres to Alexander Willcocks, of Philadelphia. On the 7th of December, 1791, Jacob Benninghove, a tobacconist, of Philadelphia, leased of Caleb Harrison a small parcel of land in Middletown township for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, with the "right, liberty, and privilege to erect or cause to be erected a dam on and across Ridley creek from the land of the said Jacob Benninghove, which he lately purchased from Alexander Willcocks." It appears from this deed that Benninghove had purchased of Willcocks prior to 1791; the deed, however, from Willcocks to Benninghove bears date Aug. 30, 1793, and is for one hundred and sixty-two acres of land in Nether Providence. On the same day Joshua Harrison, son of Caleb, with consent of Jacob Benninghove, canceled the lease of 1791, and a new lease was made for nine hundred and ninety-nine years for the consideration of fifty Spanish milled dollars and an annual rent of "one grain of Indian corn, if demanded,