Mill Creek (South Branch Potomac River)

Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

Mill Creek is a 14.0-mile-long (22.5 km)^[1] tributary stream of the South Branch Potomac River, belonging to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The stream is located in Hampshire County in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. Mill Creek flows into the South Branch west of Romney Bridge near Vanderlip along the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50).

Headwaters and course

Mill Creek's source lies in a hollow along Patterson Creek Mountain (2641 feet) in the extreme southwestern corner of Hampshire County near the "four corners" (where Mineral, Hampshire, Hardy, and Grant counties touch). At a confluence with Elmlick Run north of Purgitsville, Mill Creek flows northward parallel to U.S. Route 220/West Virginia Route 28 through the community of Rada. Continuing to follow U.S. Route 220/W.V. Route 28 north, Mill Creek curves eastward at Junction after flowing under U.S. Route 50. East of Junction, the creek runs by the Sloan-Parker House and continues northeastward with Mill Creek Mountain (2119 feet) bounding it to its east and Patterson Creek Mountain to its west. At Mechanicsburg, Mill Creek increases in size as it is joined by Titus Run, Sugar Run, and Dumpling Run. The wider stream makes a ninety degree turn in front of The Burg and enters Mechanicsburg Gap through Mill Creek Mountain. Mechanicsburg Gap is notable because of its many springs and the natural gateway it created for pioneers and settlers heading further west during the mid-18th century. Nearby overlooking Mill Creek and the South Branch are the Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches on Mill Creek Mountain, south of the gap. At the hanging rocks at Phoenix Curve on U.S. Route 50, Mill Creek winds northward towards Vanderlip where it passes under a South Branch Valley Railroad wooden train trestle and joins the South Branch.

Trout fishing

Mill Creek is stocked with rainbow trout from its mouth on the South Branch to Junction. The stream is stocked once in February and once every two weeks from March through May by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

Bridges

Bridge	Route	Location
Bridge at Purgitsville	US 220/WV 28	Purgitsville
Trinity Road Bridge	Trinity Road (CR 220/11)	Junction
Bridge at Junction	Northwestern Turnpike (US 50/WV 28)	Junction
Mechanicsburg Straight-Away Bridge	Northwestern Turnpike (US 50/WV 28)	Mechanicsburg
Phoenix Curve Bridge	Core Road (CR 50/53)	Mechanicsburg
Mill Meadow Wooden Tressel	South Branch Valley Railroad	Vanderlip

Tributaries

Tributary streams are listed in order from south to north.

• Elmlick Run
• Camp Run
• Horselick Run
• Titus Run
• Sugar Run
• Dumpling Run
  • Mayhew Run
  • Long Meadow Run
• Core Run

Image gallery

• 

  Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

• 

  Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

• 

  Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

• 

  Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

• 

  Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

• 

  Mill Creek at Mechanicsburg Gap viewed from the Core Road (County Route 50/53) bridge near Romney

• 

  Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at Junction

• 

  Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at Junction

• 

  Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at Junction

• 

  Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at Junction

• 

  Mill Creek viewed from Trinity Road (County Route 220/11) bridge at Junction

See also

• List of West Virginia rivers

References

1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011

External links

Media related to Mill Creek (South Branch Potomac River) at Wikimedia Commons

Potomac River system Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Tributaries | Variant names District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia Streams shown as: Major tributaries • subtributaries • (subsubtributaries) • (subsubsubtributaries)

Tidal Potomac River Gulf Branch | Donaldson Run | Maddox Branch | Windy Run | Spout Run | Foundry Branch | Rock Creek | Boundary Channel | Tiber Creek | Rocky Run | Washington Channel | Anacostia River • Pope Branch • Watts Branch • Hickey Run • Northwest Branch • (Sligo Creek) • Northeast Branch • (Paint Branch) | Four Mile Run | Oxon Creek | Hunting Creek • Cameron Run | Broad Creek | Henson Creek | Swan Creek | Piscataway Creek | Little Hunting Creek | Dogue Creek | Accotink Creek • Daniels Run | Pohick Creek | Pomonkey Creek | Occoquan River • Bull Run • Broad Run • Cedar Run | Neabsco Creek | Powells Creek | Mattawoman Creek | Chicamuxen Creek | Quantico Creek | Little Creek | Chopawamsic Creek | Tank Creek | Aquia Creek | Potomac Creek • Accokeek Creek | Nanjemoy Creek | Port Tobacco River | Popes Creek (Maryland) | Gambo Creek | Piccowaxen Creek | Upper Machodoc Creek | Cuckold Creek | Wicomico River | Monroe Creek | Mattox Creek | Popes Creek (Virginia) | St. Marys River | Yeocomico River | Coan River | Hull Creek Upper Potomac River North Branch Potomac River | South Branch Potomac River | Town Creek | Little Cacapon River • North Fork Little Cacapon River • South Fork Little Cacapon River | Fifteenmile Creek | Sideling Hill Creek | Cacapon River • Lost River • Trout Run • Capon Springs Run • Dillons Run • Edwards Run • Mill Branch • North River • (Grassy Lick Run) • (Tearcoat Creek) • (Bearwallow Creek) | Sir Johns Run | Warm Spring Run | Tonoloway Creek • Little Tonoloway Creek | Sleepy Creek • Meadow Branch | Licking Creek | Cherry Run | Back Creek • Hogue Creek • Isaacs Creek • Tilhance Creek | Little Conococheague Creek | Conococheague Creek • Back Creek | Opequon Creek • Abrams Creek • Mill Creek • Middle Creek • Tuscarora Creek (West Virginia) | Antietam Creek | Shenandoah River | Little Catoctin Creek | Catoctin Creek (Virginia) | Catoctin Creek (Maryland) | Tuscarora Creek (Maryland) | Monocacy River • Rock Creek • Marsh Creek • Alloway Creek • Toms Creek • (Middle Creek) • Double Pipe Creek • (Big Pipe Creek) • (Little Pipe Creek) • Owens Creek • Tuscarora Creek • Carroll Creek • Linganore Creek • Israel Creek • Double Pipe Creek • Bush Creek • Ballenger Creek • Bennett Creek | Little Monocacy River | Goose Creek • Little River | Broad Run (Virginia) | Sugarland Run | Broad Run (Maryland) | Seneca Creek • Dry Seneca Creek • Little Seneca Creek • Great Seneca Creek | Difficult Run | Cabin John Creek | Dead Run | Little Falls Branch | Pimmit Run | Rock Run | Watts Branch | Muddy Branch Shenandoah River North Fork Shenandoah River • Cedar Creek • Smith Creek | South Fork Shenandoah River • North River • (Middle River) • South River North Branch Potomac River Stony River | Abram Creek | Savage River | Georges Creek • Laurel Run | New Creek | Limestone Run | Warrior Run | Wills Creek • Brush Creek • Little Wills Creek | Evitts Creek | Patterson Creek • Mill Creek | Dans Run | Green Spring Run South Branch Potomac River North Fork South Branch Potomac River • Mill Creek • Seneca Creek | South Fork South Branch Potomac River • Kettle Creek | Lunice Creek | Mill Run | Mill Creek | Big Run | Buffalo Creek Lakes and reservoirs Lake Accotink | Lake Anne | Lake Artemesia | Lake Bernard Frank | Lake Braddock | Breckenridge Reservoir | Brushy Fork Lake | Burke Lake | Dalecarlia Reservoir | Georgetown Reservoir | Jennings Randolph Lake | Kingman Lake | Little Seneca Lake | McMillan Reservoir | Mount Storm Lake | Lake Needwood | Sleepy Creek Lake | Stony River Reservoir | Tidal Basin | Trout Pond | Warden Lake