Barlow (Horner's Mill during the Civil War) is a populated place between the Gettysburg Battlefield and the Mason–Dixon line in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, situated at the intersection of Rock Creek and Pennsylvania Route 134. North of the creek on the road summit is the principal facility of the rural community: the 1939 community hall at the Barlow Volunteer Fire Company fire station. The hall is a Cumberland Township polling place and was used by Mamie and Dwight D. Eisenhower after purchasing their nearby farm (President Eisenhower became an honorary company member in 1955). (cited by Geiselman p. 104) Horner's Mill was the site of an 1861 Union Civil War encampment, and the covered bridge was used by the II Corps and General George G. Meade en route to the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.
Barlow is located near the U.S. Route 15 interchange to the north and has three Taneytown Rd intersections, with the Barlow-Greenmount, Barlow, and Barlow-Two Taverns roads. South of the community is a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Spangler-Benner Farm) near the Mount Joy Lutheran Church and cemetery. The neighboring communities of Barlow are Greenmount 2.9 mi to the west, Round Top 3.3 mi to the north, Two Taverns 5.1 mi to the east, Harney, Maryland 3.1 mi to the south, and Fairplay 3.2 miles to the southwest.
Geographic Chronology Date Topic Event Coordinates 1738-03 Robert Black settled in a disputed Calvert/Penn area (This list is cited by the 1886 Adams County History: The term "Scotch-Irish of the border" was a name given to these settlers by the colonial land grabbers of the Penn coterie (A. Boyd Hamilton, Harrisburg)." of which in 1740 the "Penn coterie" named "The Manor of Maske". In 1763, the Mason-Dixon survey placed a marker near the confluence of Rock Creek and Marsh Creek, south of the subsequent site for Robert Black's mill. A Black's Cemetery 1760 gravestone identified Robert Black's death (the heirs made a 1792 property claim). In 1762, a Robert Black remained in each of Cumberland and Mt Joy townships. 1787-01 mill "Robert Black of Mount Joy Township has built a merchant mill with undershot water wheel on the waters of Rock Creek and wants a road from the mill to John Little's" --cited by Geiselman p. 83. NOTE: The Little tavern is depicted on the Baltimore Pike at a run (now Little's Run @ Two Taverns, Pennsylvania) on 1821 Small & Wagner map. 1799 mill The "Henry Black, miller", property assessment was $756 after the 1799 death of Robert Black (Transcription text does not identify a grist mill, nor land in Mt Joy Township, nor specify land south or east of Rock Creek.) (in 1838, the was Henry's son, Robert Black). 1808 PA 134 The Adams County court approved a road from Gettysburg to Maryland past Black's Mill at the end of the road from Little's. 1821 mill The map symbol (waterwheel) for the "Black" mill on the south bank of "Rock c." was depicted on the west side of the road between Gettysburg and Taneytown. mill Flooding carried away part of the dam at Black's Mill, which became George W. Horner's, 1838–49, and Silas Miles Horner's, 1849-1890. In June 1826, a Shippensburg wagon team died after being swept from the fording at Black's mill.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MHElAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xvIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3537,3636240&dq=black's-mill+gettysburg&hl=en 1828-04-30 mill "Black's Mill, Rock Creek" accepted wool for John Arnold and on June 25, 1828, for the Rochdale Factory. Later at "Black's Mill, on Rock-creek" on May 6, 1833, wool was accepted for the "Middle-Creek factory". In 1863, "Andre McKinney's, near Black's Mill" collected wool for the Rochdale factory. 1841 bridge John Camp built a covered bridge of two 60-foot spans downstream of the Black's Mill dam for the road between Gettysburg and Taneytown, Maryland. (see also 1897 article) 1858 mill The "S Horner Saw & Grist Mill" was depicted on a mapped island of Rock Creek near the "N M Horner" and "S M Horner" dwellings. (depicts "School Ho" on Sentz Rd and near "Smith Shop", a "Sch Ho" on east side of Barlow Rd) 1858 school Willow Grove school was depicted on the southeast corner of the Taneytown Rd crossing over Plum Run ("Dr. J. Runkle" property) after previously opening upstream along Plum Run "on the Theodore McCallister property", then moving to Lott Road (now Soloman Rd) on the Harry Black farm. 1861-05-06 Civil War Captain Stoneman's four companies of cavalry from Carlisle Barracks encamped at Horner's Mill 1863-07-01 Civil War General Howard's 2 divisions: "my Third, General Schurz, and my Second, General Steinwehr, in the order named, taking the route by Horner's Mill" to Gettysburg. The detour used a Marsh Creek fording and passed Myer's Mill, Rock Creek Chapel, and Horners Mill; which the Third Division passed at 10:30 a.m. (Hartwig cites: The War of The Rebellion. A Compilation of The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1889, Series 1, Volume 27, Part 1, pp. 701, 727) In 1947, an XI Corps marker was placed on the Taneytown Rd's east side south of the Barlow-Greenmount Rd. Marker dedicated on December 12, 1947. and after the marker had been lost, it was replaced on the west in late July 2008 at the Barlow fire hall. 1863-07-01 Civil War Winfield Scott Hancock's troops from Taneytown used the nearby fording downstream of Horner's Mill, as well as the covered bridge, to arrive at Gettysburg ~3 pm. 1863-07-01 Civil War At night, General Meade crossed the Horner's Mill covered bridge en route to Gettysburg (HMdb contributor Craig Swain) after Hancock had returned via Horner's Mill to brief Meade at Taneytown. 1863-07-02 Civil War The II Corps (Union Army) departed from a bivouac near Horner's Mill to arrive at Cemetery Ridge at 7 a.m. 1863-07-03 Civil War General Farnsworth's Union cavalry watered their horses near the Horner's Mill covered bridge prior to Wells' charge on South Cavalry Field. 1863-07-06 Civil War At 4:15 a.m. General Howard at Horner's recommended the XI Corps maneuver to Emmitsburg. 1863-07-07 Civil War The XII Corps (Union Army) left the Gettysburg Battlefield via Horner's Mill on orders to go to Frederick, Maryland, via Taneytown. 1871-04-18 bridge A contract was issued for restoring the Horner's Mill covered bridge to higher piers after it was "swept away by a flood…half a mile" downstream. 1879 mill Bids were solicited for carrying the mail via Horner's Mill between Gettysburg and Harney, Maryland. 1881-03-03 The stone home near the mill was sold by Newton M. Horner to J. Gibson Walker, and subsequent transfers were to Charles Hartman (1913), John Adams (1919), John Dietrick (1922), Lloyd Dubbs (1924), Samuel Gault Weaver (1925), and George & Elsie Geiselman (1930). 1885 store Josephus Mills opened a general store in part of his home near Horner's Mill (former "S M Horner" dwelling on west of Taneytown Rd/Horner's Mill Rd intersection.). 1886-02-12 mill The Horner's Mill dam breached during a flood and ~ of the breast was carried away. 1887 PA 134 The low truss iron bridge over Plum Run was contracted (superstructure contract to Gilbert & Smith foundry, stone work to Nelson Collins). 1889-06-06 bridge Flooding further damaged the Horner's Mill covered bridge, which had center pier damage from the 1886 flood, but the "Grand Jury refused to approve a bridge". 1890-12-20 store The Barlow Post Office began in the Josephus Mills store NOTE: Geiselman/Clevelend (1996) entitled Ch. 5 "Spring Flood" for the August event. with David H. Sterner carrying the mail to/from the Sedgwick Post Office at Round Top. 1892-08-02 mill Silas Mc. Horner offered for sale the "MILL BUILDING, first story of stone and upper stories of frame … adjoining lands of … Josephus Mills and store". NOTE: Silas Mc. Horner sold the tract to Theodore McCallister on December 24, 1892, who along with his wife Mary C. McCallister sold it 2 days later to Josephus Mills, and Mills' heirs sold it to widower Calvin Heagy on November 4, 1914.Deed 4898 1897 store The "smaller house which contained a store operated by Josephus Mills" was replaced by Abner S. Mills, who ran the store in the new house until 1911. The subsequent operator and his wife, "John W. Black and Emma S. Black", sold the store to "J. Carna Smith" in July 1914 (deeded on March 29, 1915). 1900-01-22 Barlow had a population of ~43 with 10 dwellings plus the school, a steam chopping mill, 2 ice houses, "and an ice cream manufactory … famous for the celebrated Barlow ice cream." The 1828 Rock Creek Chapel (Methodist Episcopal Church) and 1852 Mount Joy Lutheran Church were "both a " from Barlow. (map without creamery) 1909-05-04 organization The Barlow Rural Telephone Company's party line was completed. (1914 telephone officers) Geiselman p. 86-7: "…a six-party line, the subscribers were William G. Durboraw, Sentman Schriver, Franklin Cromer, David Maring, William Cromer, and terminated in the Abner S. Mills store. Each had to pay fifty dollars…" Lloyd Durboraw sold his Barlow phone stock in 1944. After 1954 "phantom voices", the group ended in 1957 when replaced by private lines. 1921-08-24 organization The Barlow Community Association's 1st picnic was at the nearby Shriver's Grove. Later annual picnics were held at Benner's Grove south of Barlow (called off ). 1923-04-01 organization The Barlow Community Milk Association was formed to consolidate exports from Adams County. 1923-04-20 bridge "Barlow Bridge No. 27" (image at Geiselman p. 118) was contracted for concrete to increase the road width to 20 feet from 16. In 1921 the Taneytown Rd from Gettysburg was paved only 3 miles. 1923-08-30 bridge The upstream temporary bridge flooded into the unfinished new bridge, flooding 2 hogs and 20 beehives from the miller's house and floating pies from the kitchen oven. 1927 organization The Barlow "Pig Club" was formed, and in 1932 the Barlow Home Economics Club organized. 1929 school After having moved to the road's west side, Willow Grove school was used for February–April services during Mt. Joy church renovations. 1929 store James Carnahan Smith closed the "Barlow General Store" (goods auctioned 1939, building rented 1940, sold 1944,Deed 2420 Deed 4898