Wagamon’s Pond, a scenic pool on the west side of Mulberry Street, has gone by several names in the past two hundred years of its existence. A little explanation of the origins of the pond will help shed light on these names have come into use.
A number of articles by the local press in the last few years have made the point that Wagamon’s Pond is not a natural pool; it was man-made, back in 1815, specifically to power a grist mill on what is today Mulberry Street.
The dam spillway that is visible today on the west side of Mulberry Street, on the Mulberry Street bridge over the river, is the same one that was built in 1815 as part of the mill project. The business partners who obtained the controversial charter from the state legislature – William W. and John S. Conwell, and Dr. Joseph Maull – inundated 52+ acres of white oak forest, nearly all of which they already owned, to form the “lake” we now call Wagamon’s Pond. There was considerable opposition to the granting of the charter from owners of existing mills nearby and other property owners. One argument was that the 52 acres to be inundated were white oak forest, which provided a material that was prized by ship builders. Another argument was that there were already eight sawmills and eight grist mills within a four mile radius of the proposed site. Petitions were submitted expressing the fear that the mill pond would create standing water that would produce a foul odor a well. Nevertheless. the charter was approved.
A two-story grist mill was built close by the dam, and operated into the 1890’s. Through 1868, as shown on the map from the Beer’s atlas of that year, the pond was know simply as “Mill Pond,” and did not receive any other official designation. It was also known to locals as “Paynter’s Mill Pond,” after the Paynter family acquired the mill in 1846. However, there is no survey or map that confirms the use of the Paynter name. We may thus consider it a familiar local term for the pond rather than an official geographic designation.
The Paynter heirs, Edwin R, Rowland C., and Hannah E. Paynter and Emma R. Wright, conveyed the mill property to John T., Hamilton K, and Daniel Wagamon by deed dated September 20, 1901. The Wagamons had been operating the old mill since 1898, but after acquiring the property, which included several tracts of land, tenant houses, the old grist mill and sundry other items for $1,100.00 in 1901, they demolished the old structure. On November 1, 1901,David A. Conner wrote:
Paynter’s old mill, recently purchased of the Wagamon Brothers, has been torn away, and a new one on modern principles will be erected on the old site.
The Wagamon brothers undertook the construction of a massive new four-story mill with modern rolling equipment. In the December 20, 1901 Milton News letter, David A. Conner wrote:
J. H. Davidson, contractor and builder, is building the mill house for the Wagamon Brothers. The frame is raised and it is a heavy one. The building is 36×40 feet, and three and one-half stories high.
J. H. Davidson was the same contractor who would later enlarge the Milton Methodist Protestant Church building (today’s Lydia B. Cannon Museum).
The photograph of the mill shown at the top of this posting is one of the earliest and least damaged pictures of the first mill built by the Wagamon Brothers; it was taken in the 1900’s. From a meticulous list of expenditures kept by Daniel Wagamon, we know the new mill cost approximately $2,000.00 to build, including the milling equipment and turbines; with the cost of the acquisition of the property, the total paid by the Wagamons to get the new mill operational was a little over $3,100. The new mill was assessed at a value of $4,000.00 by 1904. A few years after its completion, Hamilton and his brother William bought out John T.’s shares and became co-owners of the mill.
The Wagamon brothers were astute businessmen. David A. Conner writes, in his Milton News letter of April 18, 1902:
The flour mill of the Wagamon Brothers is now doing its best work. Harry Robinson, under whose charge the work is done, is an adept in the milling business and the pond has a full head of water, and when this fails, a plenty of steam can be raised. All of these facilities and conveniences, combined with a good market and ready sale for all of their manufacture, and plenty of custom work beside, makes this mill a paying one to its owners. The Wagamon Brothers made a decided hit when they built their mill in Milton.
Sometime after the Wagamon brothers acquired the mill property and built the new mill, the pool began to be called “Wagamon’s Pond” interchangeably with “Mill Pond” and “Paynter’s Pond.” As last as 1953, a Sussex County highway map uses the name “Paynter’s Pond” to identify the pond, and all three names appear in news articles and documents throughout the Wagamons’ ownership. The new mill continued to be a commercial success until it burned down in 1943. It was replaced by the Diamond State Roller Mills plant, which operated from 1946 to 1958. At that time, the mill changed ownership and continued to do so through the 1960’s. By 1972, the structure was a safety hazard. and the local fire department demolished it by burning it down.
Of the original three Wagamon brother who established the business in 1901, we have one portrait: that of Hamilton K. Wagamon, familiarly known as “Kirt,” who married David A. Conner’s daughter Hettie.
There is yet another name that appears in connection with the pond: “Lake Fanganzyki.” That name appears in only one context – David A. Conner’s Milton News letter in the Milford Chronicle, during his years as correspondent for that newspaper. There is no record of any such name in any deeds, land transfers, or other official documents or maps of the time. In fact, there is no reference to any person or place, real or imagined, anywhere with that name. Hancock and McCabe, authors of Milton’s First Century, believe that Conner is likely to have invented that name, just as he invented other honorifics and place names for Milton and Miltonians to suit his own sardonic style. I have no choice but to agree.
Thanks Phil, for another enlighting look at our Wagamon’s Pond. A special thanks also to Mr. Fred Pepper for access to his photos. WOW
REGARDS THE MILL POND ‘POND BY MANY A NAME’, I HAVE A MAP THAT INDICATES THE LOCATION OF THE POND, AND HAS THE NAME PAYNTER’S POND PRINTED IN. THE MAP HAS NO DATE THAT I CAN FIND. HARRISON HOWETH LEWES DELAWARE
Harrison, I would love to get a scan of that map you mentioned; there may be clues on it that could help us pin down the date. The Paynter family owned the first mill and the mill pond from the 1840’s through the end of the 19th century, so we are probably in that range, not later. Let me know if you could provide a scan; or I can come to your house with my scanner and do the job right there. The scanned image will be credited to you when I retrofit it to the post.
Having seen the map, dated 1953, it now seems to me that the name Paynter’s Pond persisted far longer than I thought. The posting has been updated to reflect that fact, with a portion of the map included. Thanks to Harrison Howeth for making the materials available to me.
An excellent story about Milton’s Mills, Phil. I lead the tours of old Abbott’s Mill and I always start outside, within plain sight of the millpond, and I remind visitors that there are no natural ponds in Delaware, and probably none in all of Delmarva. They were all created to supply a mill or mills with hydro-power.
Yes, that is true; Delaware is an odd state in terms of topographical features: flat as a pancake except way up north, full of water, but no natural ponds.
Hi Steve, my name is Dean Abbott, I grew up one house off the Circle in Georgetown.My Grandmother Phoebe Peck Abbott West (1886-1986) Always said we were related to Abbott’s Mill in some way. The Name Ainsworth Abbott seems to be associated to that story. Can you shed. Any light on this?? Our Abbotts were from the Ellendale and redden area my grandfather was Rufus Abbott, his father was James Abbott and his father was, I believe, George Abbott. Phil Martin knows how to contact me. I have moved to old Milton and have helped Phil and the museum here fill in some information about my great uncles who were all sea captains and ship builders out of Milton. Hope to hear from you, thanks, Dean.
Hi, Dean.
Yes, she was correct. Here’s what I know about his early life. I have no idea why his father passed away, apparently untimely. Ainsworth’s son’s story is interesting by it’s self. We’ll talk about that some other time.
Ainsworth (nmi) Abbott was born on June 22, 1885 in Ellendale, Sussex County, Delaware to John T. and Clara (Warren) Abbott. His parents had just married the previous year, on Feb. 27, 1884, but his father died when Ainsworth was less than two years old. His father left no will so his mother, Clara, petitioned the Delaware Orphans Court to settle his accounts. His 47 acres of property in the Cedar Creek Hundred were sold to the highest bidder, a William S. Fisher, for $600. Of this Clara received: $182.56 (equal to $4,564 in 2015) and two year old Ainsworth received: $89.84 ($2,225). (The Orphans’ Court was also responsible for partitioning the real estate of a person who died without a will.)
His mother eventually remarried and in 1900 15 year old Ainsworth was living with his mother and his step-father, David Lofland.
Ainsworth married 19 year old Linda W. Donovan (b: 1885) on Oct. 30, 1904, the wedding performed by E. B. Taylor in Ellendale. Linda’s father was James H. Donovan and her mother was deceased.
In 1909 Ainsworth and Linda had a son, Nelson Welsey Abbott and in 1910 Ainsworth was working as a Carpenter, doing odd jobs. By 1918, when Ainsworth registered for the WWI Selective Service, he lived in Ellendale and said his nearest relative was his mother, Clara Lofland, so he and Linda must have had already separated. In the 1920 census, Linda and Nelson were living alone and by 1930 Linda had married Isaac Clendaniel, a team driver. Nelson became an electrician, married Viola Ann Vodakin on Aug. 30, 1930 and they resided in Wilmington at that time. Nelson died in 1959 at 50 and is buried at Barretts Chapel.
Phil,
May I reprint parts of this story in my blog, gristfromabbottsmill.net?
Every other week I write about Sussex county mills, slowly working my way down the coast from Milford.
I would certainly give credit for where it came from. Maybe you’ll pickup a few new readers.
Phil, It is my understanding my great grandfather, Andrew Bryan ran the mill for a period of time. Just wondering if you had any information on him? He was also the grandfather of Jean Spasato and Patsy Huff.
Dean, according to ancestry.com, the grandfather of Jean Sposato and Patsy Huff was George Andrew Bryan (1848 – 1928), who in 1880 was an active ship carpenter (nice bit of info for my other research area). By 1910 he was a farmer, and had a side hustle in the state legislature (he was a Democrat). He died of two strokes withing two weeks of each other. I can find nothing tying him to the Paynter/Wagamon Mill. Their great-grandfather was Andrew Bryan (1813 – 1853). I can find nothing on him.
I have researched ALL of the mills in Delaware. All I could find information on, at least. I could find no record in my Indian River chapters, but if I can have an email address, I’ll send it all to you so you can look for yourself. It is very likely that he might have been a miller or an assistant, rather than a mill owner.
Dean, I have researched ALL of the mills in Delaware. All I could find information on, at least. I could find no record in my Indian River chapters, but if I can have an email address, I’ll send it all to you so you can look for yourself. It is very likely that he might have been a miller or an assistant, rather than a mill owner.
I will reply to the email you sent today (I didn’t recognize your name right away).
Phil, please do not worry about this. It was simply passed around within the family years ago that Andrew Bryan ran the mill in Milton for a period of time. If I get a chance, I will ask Jo Carol, Jean Spasato‘s daughter Who lives in the old Bryan Homestead on federal Street if she has any knowledge about it. Jean Spasato was the daughter of Mary Bryan Marvel, who lived in that house her entire life and was Andrew Bryan’s daughter and a sister to my grandmother Elizabeth Veasey Bryan Jarvis.
OK, I’ll forget it. Just trying to help.
Phil, Thanks so much for responding back.. My brother James Timothy Abbott actually has Andrew Bryan‘s desk from state legislature. Apparently you could take it with you when you left the legislature. They’re small simple desks. It was very nice to know the name of his father.. I had asked Spasato years ago if she knew anything about his side of the family and she didn’t.