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Brady township

The Sumac Mill In Brady Township

Did you know? From 1850 to 1868 a mill in Brady Township ground sumac leaves into fine powder.

Kessler and Brother put up the mill in 1850, above the furnace mill, for the purpose of grinding the leaves of the sumac bush to a fine powder. The leaves were gathered in the surrounding country in June, July and August, cured in the shade, and bought at one dollar per hundredweight.

The ground sumac was sold chiefly in Philadelphia and used to color morocco leather. The mill ran successfully until 1868. When Africa's county history came out in 1883, it had stood idle ever since, with its machinery still in the building.

Checked and confirmed. CONFIRMED 2026-10-30 against the sources listed: every factual sentence was tied to a verbatim passage and a script confirmed each passage is in its source. Where sources disagreed on a number, the number was left out.

Sources

J. Simpson Africa, History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania (1883)

Checked 2026-10-30 · County histories and primary sources, read in full

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Photographs from Brady township

The Jackstown aqueduct in Jack's Narrows, from a W. T. Purviance stereograph of about 1870 to 1880

The Jackstown aqueduct in Jack's Narrows, from a W. T. Purviance stereograph of about 1870 to 1880W. T. Purviance, about 1870 to 1880, New York Public Library. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Looking south along U.S. Route 22 north-east of Mapleton, in far southern Brady township, Huntingdon County, with Jacks Mountain behind

Looking south along U.S. Route 22 north-east of Mapleton, in far southern Brady township, Huntingdon County, with Jacks Mountain behindPhotograph by the Wikimedia Commons contributor Nyttend, 17 April 2015. Public domain · Southern Brady Township.jpg

Looking south along U.S. Route 22 in southern Brady Township near Mapleton, with Jacks Mountain behind, 2015

Looking south along U.S. Route 22 in southern Brady Township near Mapleton, with Jacks Mountain behind, 2015Nyttend, 2015. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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