The Kenderdine Mill, at the intersection of Keith Valley and Davis Grove Roads in Horsham, is a beautiful and well-preserved example of an early 18th century mill and industrial complex. The mill was built in 1735 and remained in operation until 1917. It was later restored by Ronald Mintz and was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1992 (Registry #91002011). The mill and complex are currently a private residence.
Joseph Kenderdine built the mill and later sold a half-interest to his brother Thomas. Following Thomas’ death in 1779 the mill continued operation until 1796 under a younger Joseph Kenderdine. It was then sold to brother-in-law Joseph Paul139. Paul and his son James operated the mill until 1810 when they sold it to John Shay. Shay enlarged the Joseph Kenderdine house and built a new residence closer to the mill at about this time. He later added a third story to the mill and made modern improvements to the millworks. Later in the 1800s, Amos Ely139 owned the home and in the early 1900s it became the property of the Hagartys, who were relatives of the Kenderdines.
The Original Purchase
Richard Kenderdine purchased 250 acres of wilderness along Park Creek from Samuel Carpenter for £125 in May 1713. The property was 3/4 of a mile long by 1/2 mile wide139 and bounded by what would become Horsham Road to the west, Babylon Road to the south and Park Creek to th north. The eastern border is described by Charles Harper Smith in The Settlement of Horsham Township, 99 as the border with other landowners. Richard died shortly after the purchase and the land was left to his son Richard Jr. At some point between 1718 and 1731 Richard Jr. sold 50 acres of the land on the north side to Sir William Keith. This property eventually became part of Keith’s Fountain Low Plantation (Graeme Park). The log cabin he built and lived in stood until 1850. Richard Jr. passed away in 1733.
Richard’s brother Joseph built the original grist mill on the property between 1734 and 1736. Access between Fountain Low/Graeme Park was via a trail that would become Keith Valley Road. Access to Horsham Road was via a private road called Kenderdine Lane or Mill Road92 that the brothers built to reach Babylon Road. In 1745 this would become part of Davis Grove Road. Horsham Road was extended from Stump Road to Norristown Road partly based on need for access to the new mill.99
According to Smith, in 1736 Joseph also purchased 151.5 acres on the west side of Horsham Road to provide a more abundant supply of water to the mill. In 1746 Joseph sold a half-interest in the mill to his brother Thomas and by the time of their deaths — Joseph in 1769 and Thomas in 1779 — both had acquired considerable wealth.99
After Joseph’s death in 1769 (per Smith99, but on Feburary 23, 1778 per Kenderdine,139 ) son-in-law Joseph Paul purchased the 36 acres surrounding the mill from the other heirs. Between 1779 when Thomas Kenderdine died and 1796 the mill was owned by Joseph and Jacob Kenderdine and operated by Joseph. They sold their interest in the mill to Paul in 1796. Paul’s son James helped him work the mill until 1810 when they sold the mill and 48 acres to John Shay. Shay died in 1819 and bequeathed most of the land, including the Joseph Kenderdine House, to his son Jesse, and five acres with the mill to his son John.
Smith 99 states that Joseph Kenderdine moved to the Horsham property in 1738 but his place of residence was not known. It may have been where a foundation had been discovered (pre-1943) a few yards south of the ‘Alcorn House’ but Living Places92 reports that this house was likely built by Richard Kenderdine and pre-dates the construction of the mill. It was added on to in the early 19th century, probably by John Shay.
The following is mostly taken from the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Kenderdine Mill Complex dated December 10, 1991.
- the original fieldstone mill building (third story added in the 19th century) with its attendant raceways.
- a mill owner’s house dating from the early 19th century when John Shay purchased the property.
- stable and carriage house constructed in the middle of the 19th century by the Shays.
The mill complex was positioned in a shallow valley where two small waterways could supply a millpond and dam and millrace. These two water sources assured a sufficient head to operate the mill. The site was linked to Graeme Park, which was opened in 1736, by a path which later became the Keith Valley Road. A generation later the Davis Grove Road was opened on the south providing a more direct link to the site.
Across Keith Valley Road is an earlier, fieldstone house constructed in two phases which began as the original house of the Richard Kenderdine family. It later became the home of Richard’s son, Joesph Kenderdine, a millwright and the probable builder of the mill. (This building, the Joseph Kenderdine House was razed in 2012.)