The Middle Creek Millstone: A Broken Stone with a Forgotten Story

Rising steeply from the White Oak Picnic Area, the Millstone Trail rewards hikers not only with a ridge-top view but also with one of Lancaster County’s quieter curiosities: an abandoned millstone. Resting quietly beneath the trees, the massive, circular stone looks surprisingly intact—until you notice the crack running through its face.

Can you spot it?

This millstone was meant for an apple pomace mill, designed to crush fruit into pulp for cider and applejack. With a square hole at its center, it was most likely intended as a runner stone, the rotating top half of a pair. But something went wrong. Perhaps a flaw in the conglomerate rock gave way, maybe a careless strike during quarrying. Whatever the reason, the stone split before it could be used. Its makers left it behind, and here it remains an unfinished tool turned forest relic.

In early America, cider was more than a refreshing drink; it was a staple of daily life. Apples were plentiful, and cider was often safer than water to drink. To make it, farmers hauled their harvests to pomace mills, where great round stones—sometimes called “knob mills”—were hitched to horses and rolled in circles over heaps of fruit. The crushed pulp was then pressed for its juice, which fermented into cider or was distilled into applejack.

The Middle Creek millstone never saw that service. Nature had spent millennia forming the conglomerate rock used here, cementing pebbles into a durable matrix, but when it cracked, the cutter’s effort was wasted. More than 200 years later, hikers can still sense the sting of that failure when they come across the stone, lying silent on the ridge.

The millstone is just one story in a much larger landscape. Today, Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area covers 6,000 acres of rolling woods, wetlands, and fields straddling Lancaster and Lebanon Counties. Managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, it is best known for its seasonal spectacle of snow geese with up to 200,000 birds blanketing the lakes each spring. The contrast is striking. People flock here for the natural wonder of the migration, yet hidden along a wooded ridge is this artifact of the region’s industrial and agricultural past.

Did You Know?

What’s applejack? Early American cider makers concentrated hard cider into a stronger spirit by freeze-distillation in winter—letting barrels partially freeze and removing the ice (“jacking”). The result, called applejack, could reach 20–40% ABV. Later versions were true apple brandy distilled from cider. Today, the name can refer to either aged apple brandy or a brandy/neutral spirit blend.

The classic American sour cocktail, Jack Rose, is made with applejack or apple brandy, grenadine, and lemon or lime juice. Known for its crisp, tart, and fruity profile, it was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s and even appeared in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises. 

Planning Your Visit

Park at the Middle Creek WMA White Oak Picnic Area on Millstone Road in Stevens. The blue-blazed Millstone Trail begins opposite the picnic area exit. Follow the loop clockwise. The eastern leg is steep and rocky, climbing toward the overlook. Along the ridge top near the half-mile mark, look to your right for the abandoned millstone before reaching the vista. Here are the GPS coordinates for the millstone: 40.265097, -76.226806. Click here for a Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area trail map.

The entire loop is approximately 1.2 miles long but packs in a wealth of history, nature, and a stunning view, making it well worth the climb.

.

Learn More

📖 Learn about more unique places like this when you step off the beaten path with Uncharted Lancaster: Field Guide to the Strange, Storied, and Hidden Places of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Adam Zurn. This one-of-a-kind 239-page guidebook uncovers 56 fascinating sites, from the county’s very own fountain of youth to the oldest continuously operating short-line railroad in the western hemisphere.

Packed with history, local stories, and GPS locations, this book is your ticket to exploring the mysterious corners of Lancaster like never before. Whether you’re a lifelong local, a history buff, or just looking for a unique adventure, this field guide will spark your curiosity and send you exploring. Start your adventure here.

---

Adventure Awaits!

Never miss a new post or article by signing up for email updates below and following Uncharted Lancaster on Facebook or Instagram.

---

Further Reading

• Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area
• AllTrails: Millstone Trail