In 1803, Jonathan Brink of Milford, Pennsylvania, purchased the Haines property and erected one of the early sawmills just below White Mills. Around 1823, a sawmill was constructed on the Lackawaxen River near where the Chroma Tube factory stands today. At the time, the area between Honesdale and Hawley, Pennsylvania, was sparsely settled, though it is likely that several farms and dwellings dotted the surrounding vicinity. The new mill, built for a Daniel Parry & Company of Philadelphia, and its ancillary buildings were all painted white, which led to the village being called "White Mills."
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, White Mills has a total area of 1.517 sq mi, of which 1.483 sq mi is land and 0.034 sq mi, or 2.2%, is water.
Demographics
As of the Census of 2010, there were 659 people, 280 households, and 191 families in White Mills. The CDP's population density was 444 people per square mile, and there were 325 housing units at an average density of 214/sq mi. The racial makeup of the populace was 96.7% White, 1.1% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% of other races, and 0.6% of two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of all races made up 3.0% of the population. 68.2% of White Mills' households were families, 48.9% were headed by a heterosexualmarried couple, and 28.6% included children under the age of 18. 13.2% of households were headed by a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% by a male householder with no wife present, and 31.8% consisted of non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% consisted of a person 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83. White Mills' age distribution was 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% between the ages of 18 and 24, 21.9% between 25 and 44, 30.7% between 45 and 64, and 19.6% 65 years of age or older. The population's median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males in the same age range. According to American Community Survey estimates, the median income for a household in White Mills in 2013 was $50,045, and the median income for a family was $49,531. Males had a median income of $34,250, while females had a median income of $18,239. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,661. 11.8% of families and 14.0% of people were below the Census Bureau's poverty thresholds, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over. According to self-reported ancestry figures recorded by the ACS, the five largest ancestral groups in White Mills in 2013 were Germans, Irish, Italians, Americans, and Poles.
