The History of Sarver's Mill
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Sarver's Mill is the historic site where, in 1792, Massey Harbison and her infant escaped the Indians who had murdered her two older children by hiding behind the waterfall, so close to the search party that she could clearly hear their voices. Four years later, in 1796, Benjamin Sarver built the first gristmill in Butler County at the site, and imprints from the mill's flume and waterwheel can still be seen in the rock ledge at Old Mill Falls today. The town of Sarver gradually built up around Sarver's Mill, beginning with Ben, his wife, Elizabeth, and their thirteen children. The Indian War that broke out in 1791 had a direct impact on life along the Allegheny River and its tributaries, including the west branch of Buffalo Creek, later referred to as Sarver Run at Little Buffalo. John and Massey Harbison and their three children were among the first settlers in that region of Pennsylvania. John was a military scout who was often away on missions, while Massey was left at home with an infant and two older sons aged three and five. Early on a May morning in 1792, Massey and her children were awakened as Indians led a violent raid on their cabin. The Indians brutally murdered the crying middle child and took Massy and the other two children captive as they ventured on horseback toward the mouth of the Kiskiminetas and beyond. Later that day the older child was also murdered because he kept crying over his lost brother. In her grief and devastation, Massey wanted to die, too, but decided, instead, to find a way to save her baby. The mother and child remained alive the first two days of their captivity only because one of the Indians claimed the fair-haired Massey as his squaw and saved her life on more than one occasion from other members of the raiding party. On the third day, Massey pretended to be asleep around noon and caused the Indian standing guard over her to relax a bit, providing a narrow opportunity to escape with her infant. While the hunters combed the woods for the two fugitives, Massy hid almost face-to-face with a nest of baby rattlesnakes, praying that her baby would not cry and disclose her hiding place behind a log in the dense underbrush. Later, with the hunting party close on her heels, Massy held her baby close and hid behind the waterfall that would soon become the site of Sarver's Mill at Sarver Run on the west branch of Buffalo Creek known as Little Buffalo, as the Indians searched in vain for what had now become their fleeing prey. Luckily, heavy falls provided camouflage, and the overhanging rocks provided shelter for the two to rest and gather strength, as Massey was barely able to walk. On the sixth day, after more than three days of walking barefoot through uncharted territory, carrying a child, and hearing the enemy sometimes only a few feet away, Massey made her way back to civilization near a fort on the Allegheny River. The three men who first saw her were hesitant to rescue her for fear it was a trap for another Indian attack. However, they finally retrieved a canoe and took Massey and her baby to safety on the other side of the river from her captors. One hundred and fifty thorns were taken out of her feet, and the shredded nightgown she had worn for six days in the wilderness was replaced with warm clothing. When asked how she found her way back home, Massey answered, quite seriously, "I followed a flock of mocking birds and robins that stayed with me for three days, and they led me here." Four years later, in 1796, Benjamin Zarber, a German name that eventually became Anglicized to Sarver, moved his wife, Elizabeth, and thirteen children to Little Buffalo Creek. At the very falls where Massey Harbison and her infant had found refuge and escape from the Indians, Ben Sarver set up the first gristmill in what later became Butler County. For many years people traveled from far and near to Sarver's Mill, as it remained the quality mill in the area for decades. Evidence of Sarver's Mill can still be seen today in the rock ledge at what is now known as Old Mill Falls. |
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