Paradise Township near Ronks in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Original Head Race & Water Turbine
This area, now retired from mill operation, was the end of the "head race" or canal originally used to divert water from the Pequea Creek to run an "undershot" water wheel, inside the Mill in 1738.
[Captions:]
At Mill, water turns Undershot Water Wheel till 1889 then two waer turbines provide power.
This turbine made by the Christiana Iron Works replaced the old wheel in September of 1889 and continued in use till the mill stopped active commercial milling in 1928.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1889.
Location. 40° 0.581′ N, 76° 9.685′ W. Marker is near Ronks, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County. It is in Paradise Township. It can be reached from South Ronks Road south of South Soudersburg Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 South Ronks Road, Ronks PA 17572, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and in the Susquehanna Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Soudersburg Methodist Church (approx. Ύ mile away); A Very Old House (approx. 1.7 miles away); In Memory of Henry Keiper Long (approx. 1.8 miles away); Strasburg Rail Road (approx. 1.9 miles away); Reading Observation No. 1
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. History of Railroad Pump Cars (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been permanently removed); Pennsylvania Railroad No. 7688 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Pennsylvania Railroad No. 3750 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Pennsylvania Railroad No. 460 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Pennsylvania Railroad No. 6755 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Monongahela Railway No. 67 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Lehigh Valley No. 40 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); Pittsburgh and Lake Erie No. 508 (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 384 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 10, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
