By all accounts, Paddy’s Run could have been considered a small village. It eventually became a small community of loggers and blacksmiths working for the mill of Gamble, White & Company. But before I dive into this topic, allow me to back up to the pre-Revolutionary War era, when this village was only a log cabin and a dream.

On April 12, 1915 the Renovo Daily Record ran a story on the interesting establishment that later became known as Paddy’s Run.

“It derived its name from its earliest white settler, Patrick McCormack, who with his wife, Martha (Sidwell) McCormack, came to this country from County Cavan, Ireland, and as near as can be learned, settled between the years 1770 and 1772, on the banks of the beautiful stream that has ever since been known as Paddy’s Run.”

“The McCormacks had for near neighbors the wolf, bear, wildcat and other wild and ferocious animals. Often their slumbers were disturbed by the terror-rousing cry of the panther, an animal more to be feared than any other in this mountainous country.”

“They knew, too, the fear of being attacked by Indians, and there is a tradition that a party of them once gave Patrick McCormack a lively chase along the run. He escaped to his log cabin and prepared for further trouble, but none followed. The food supply was often meagre, but they were intrepid and resourceful people and soon accustomed themselves to their surroundings, growing to love solitude, and finally, by hard labor, cleared and cultivated a little farm.”

“Mr. and Mrs. McCormack had seven children, all born at Paddy’s Run.”

Indeed the greenery of the area most likely reminded the McCormack’s of their ancestral homeland thousands of miles away.

The area of Paddy’s Run was once upon a time-ago part of Berks County, pre-Revolutionary War.

Fast forwarding a century and a few generations, Paddy’s Run was an area that was growing, so much so that a school house was constructed at the mouth of the run in 1874.

A mill was also built at the mouth of Paddy’s Run which was among the first, and for a long time one of the only, manufacturing establishments on the West Branch above the Big Island. More on the mill and logging later.

John Blair Linn’s A History of Centre and County Counties listed this on the Paddy’s Run area, unbeknownst to Linn that after his history book was published, a greater mill will have been constructed and flung into operation.

“Four miles east of Kettle Creek the western branches of Paddy’s Run take their rise, flowing in a southwestern direction six miles to Chapman Township. This was formerly a great trout stream; large sums of money have been expended in constructing dams, clearing out driftwood, and cribbing its banks, and it is in all profitability in as good condition for log-floating as any stream of its size in the lumbering districts.”

“The Paddy’s Run road, extending from the river to the Cross Fork, in Potter County, was first constructed by Devin, Chatham & Co., about twenty-two years since. On the 21st of March, 1865, the Legislature granted a charter for a State road from the river up Paddy’s Run, to be constructed at the expense of Chapman and Leidy townships. The high and even grade of the road is good evidence of skillful engineering.”

“Fire-clay is found in these hills, and quite recently coal, said to be of an excellent quality, has been discovered on Paddy’s Run, in this township.”

A lengthy article appeared in the Renovo Record dated June 11, 1874 on the establishment of the mill and logging operations at Paddy’s Run.

Here, the firm of Gamble, White & Co. was organized in 1872 and a mill about 73′ x 90 in size was constructed. This contained all modern improvements required for the manufacture of lumber including an 80 horsepower engine and a blacksmith shop for general repairs and horse shoeing that was completed by “a competent mechanic.”

Several dwellings aside from the large boarding house were contained there employing 35 men with the main encampment being located seven miles above the mill, and was said to have been “one of the most pleasant and delightful summer places.”

Four dams were built on the stream with enough “pools” that could hold up to six million feet of logs. “The reader can form a better idea of the magnitude of these dams when informed that twenty thousand dollars were expended in their construction.” $20,000 in 1872 is worth $498,568.85 today, adjusted for inflation of course.

“A narrow gauge railway was constructed that ran from the piling grounds of the company, at the mouth of the stream, to the mill, a distance of a mile and a quarter.” “The grade in which the distance ran rose to an altitude of about 130’ and cost about $10,000 to construct the road bed.” “Cars were hauled up the mill by horses, and in return, when loaded, ran downhill by gravity with one man being stationed on the rear car to manage the break.”

The piling grounds were at the mouth of the stream in a little valley near the main track of the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, where there was a siding of 3,700 feet in length, on which the cars run and are loaded ready for shipment to market. The yard could contain up to 3,000,000 feet of lumber.

What was manufactured since 1872:
1872: 3.2 million feet
1873: 4.2 million feet
1874 (thus far, June) 2 million feet

Wayne Short’s History of Renovo book series highlighted more information on the milling operations at Paddy’s Run.

“Employees usually had steady work from late March to late September, when the mill would suspend its operations.” “It wasn’t uncommon for the workers to cut five million feet of lumber, in addition to lath and pickets.” “On July 8, 1876, the Gamble, White & Company’s sawmill burned completely and put thirty-five men out of work. It was rebuilt and commenced its operations the following April.”

“In May of 1878, the firm erected a new planing mill which confined the business of the mill to turning out flooring and siding exclusively, employing five workers.”

“Again on March 26, 1887, a fire consumed the planing mill, together with its valuable machinery and contents including a shingle machine, lath mill and planing machines, while the engine and boiler were repairable.” “A large quantity of lumber, indulging doors and 50,000 feet of railroad car siding, was also destroyed.” “The losses were estimated at $15,000 and were partly covered by insurance.” Jake, of StateFarm, would have to wait 130 years before he could adjust this insurance claim.

And as if by clockwork, another fire in April 1888 destroyed the sawmill at a loss of $15,000-$20,000 with only $3,000 of insurance coverage.”

Today, Paddy’s Run exists in the minds of those who live there and might even recall a time when saws buzzed. It also exists as a two mile trail to the falls that were once the site of many a felled log. To the family of Patrick McCormack, it was their solitude and their fortress to defend from unwanted attacks. To me, it is nature; wild and free.