Hereford Township may have a small population, but it has a big, interesting history. It’s not always the major moments that are the most fascinating; sometimes it’s just the way people lived their lives that paints a vivid picture and allows us to imagine this same town in an entirely different era.

Hereford’s History as a Mill Center – With a Notable Mill Operator

When you picture a small Pennsylvania small-town girl in 1903, you may envision one who helps around the farm or diligently works beside her mother learning all the skills necessary for being a wife and mother. Things were a little different for a girl named Sallie R. Treichler who worked on the family farm and, more notably, the farm’s rye mill.

Her father, David Treichler, was a farmer and the proprietor of the mill, but it was Sallie who kept it running. At just 17 years old she was operating the 100-year-old family gristmill almost singlehandedly. She lifted three-bushel sacks of rye and worked from dawn to late into the evening turning that rye into flour.

When the grinding stone needed to be adjusted, she didn’t call in a tradesman or ask her dad for help. Instead, out would come her hammer and chisel, and she’d work the stone herself.

Her hard work yielded an impressive 2,000 pounds of flour in just ten hours.

Today, a girl or woman running such an operation might not seem very noteworthy, but in 1903 Hereford Township, it was enough to warrant a lengthy article in the Reading Eagle.

The mill stood for many years, but it was razed in 1978. Happily, that newspaper article penned well over a century ago keeps the legacy of Sallie alive.

Nearly a Century of Hereford Township Moving Services

O’Brien’s Moving & Storage has operated in the Hereford Township area since 1928, and we provide an old-fashioned work ethic and customer-focused service that is getting harder to find these days. Whether you’re moving your family across town or relocating your business to the other side of the country, we can help.

We’re part of this community, and we’re proud to offer exceptional moving and storage services to our neighbors! Contact our Berks County movers today for more information about how we can help with your next relocation. You can also fill out our online contact form now to schedule a free consultation and accurate cost estimate.