Spring Mills, PA

Spring Mills sits at the confluence of Sinking Creek and Penns Creek in Centre County’s Penns Valley. The creeks shaped the village’s irregular road plan and powered the sawmill and gristmill that made the settlement a local center. Later, the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad brought resort travelers and freight through the valley, leaving behind a general store, historic hotel and tavern, and other buildings that still frame the retail core. Pennsylvania Route 45 runs along the north side, linking Spring Mills with Centre Hall, State College, and Millheim.

The mills are gone, but work has not disappeared from the creekside. A pharmaceutical company occupies part of the former mill area, while a pizza shop, salon, gunsmith, ironworks, and small meat plant give the village a practical commercial mix. Farms and wooded hills surround the homes, and the State College metropolitan area supplies larger employment, education, and health care. Spring Mills has an unusual layout because water, roads, and industry developed together; the result is a place where a short drive through the center still shows how a valley community was built.