The Mill at Greystone

The Ezekiel Cole Mill on Coles Creek, the first mill in northern Columbia County.

William Hess came from Northampton County with his father-in-law, John Godhard, in 1792 and purchased a tract of land four miles long from the mouth of Coles Creek to North Mountain. He built a log cabin near a spring near the old Laubach store. His sons George, John, Andrew, Tobias, Conrad, Frederick, Henry, and Jacob took up residences in the valley of the creek above their father. His son-in-law, "Ezekiel Cole, located on a tract south of the homestead, at the home many would recognize as the later-day home of Hervey Long, and in 1795 he built the first grist mill in northern Columbia County at "Cole Town at the mouth of Coles Creek." He continued to operate the mill until 1820. Many interesting stories are told of the hospitality of Ezekiel Cole.

The Coles Grist Mill was owned and operated by Ezekiel Cole, Jr., from 1820 to 1848, the year he died. Albert Cole, eldest son of Ezekiel's son Alinas Cole, eventually operated the mill until his death in 1917. In 1918 the property was sold at public sale to Byron Keller, and the old mill was removed in 1920.

The water power for this mill furnished power for four buhr flour and feed mills and a saw mill. The buhrs were imported from France. The water wheel and transmission equipment were handmade wood. The mill always enjoyed a healthy number of customers even from over the mountain in Sullivan County.

In 1923, the Kettle Club, Bloomsburg, purchased the house. At one time, the house was known as the Greystone Club House.

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John Herbert Laubach recalls that there are some references to Ezekiel Cole in the "Day Book" of John Christian Laubach. Christian (the early Germans tended to "throw away" the first name) Laubach moved into the northern end of Columbia Country about 1794 or 1795. John Herbert writes,

"I would not consider the Day Book spelling as authoritative. John Christian tended to write things according to German phonetics. However, since so many of John Christian's associates were German immigrants, they probably did use the German spelling in their early days.

In any case, John Christian referred to Ezekiel Cole as "Sik Kohl." In German, an "s" that begins a word is pronounced as a "z." Hence, the German "Sik" would be pronounced "Zeke."

On December 24, 1794, John Christian recorded that "Sik Kohl" had borrowed a substantial sum (22 Pounds) from Johannes Gotthart," known elsewhere as "John Godhard." Godhard was the grandfather of John Christian's wife. He came to live with John Christian late in his life. Several local persons borrowed money from him.

There were additional references to "Sik Kohl" in August, 1795, when John Christian worked for Zeke Cole in connection with corn, perhaps the milling of corn. The "Day Book" of John Christian Laubach was lent me by Ethel Laubach, the widow of John Paul Laubach. It was written in German and tracked much of the day labor of John Christian from the time of his youth near Bethlehem, Pa. The time period was from 1782 until 1795. John Christian settled near the crest of what is now Kearcuff Road, near Camp Lavigne