Mill Creek is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of
Opequon Creek, belonging to the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
and
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
watersheds, located in
Berkeley County in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
's
Eastern Panhandle.
Its name reflects its past as a popular site for various types of mills, beginning with one constructed by
Morgan Morgan
Colonel Morgan Morgan (November 1, 1688 — November 17, 1766) was an American pioneer. He was thought to have founded the first permanent settlement in present-day West Virginia at Cool Spring Farm.
Biography
Early life
Little direct evidence ...
in the mid-18th century near his cabin in present-day
Bunker Hill.
Headwaters and course
Mill Creek is formed by a series of
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
s on the eastern flanks of
North Mountain along Frog Hollow Road (Virginia Secondary Route 654) in northern
Frederick County,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Mill Creek crosses into Berkeley County, West Virginia, and continues its flow in a northerly direction along the eastern flanks of the mountain, parallel to
County Route
A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...
51/2. Along its course, Mill Creek is fed by a number of smaller
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
-fed streams. Mill Creek then turns to the northeast towards the historic hamlet of
Gerrardstown, where it then meanders and heads east along Gerrardstown Road (
West Virginia Route 51). The stream passes under County Route 24 and turns to the southeast flowing through hilly terrain where it continues to be fed by smaller unnamed spring-fed streams. After Mill Creek passes under County Route 24/3, its size and flow increase and it then passes under
Interstate 81 where it flows through the community of Bunker Hill. East of Bunker Hill, Mill Creek parallels County Route 26 and then meanders southeast through a gorge where it then empties into Opequon Creek south of
Tarico Heights on the Berkeley County border with
Jefferson County.
Tributaries
Tributary streams are listed from the headwaters to the mouth.
*Torytown Run
*Sylvan Run
See also
*
List of Virginia rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Virginia.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries, arranged in the order of their confluence from mouth to source, indented under each larger stream's nam ...
*
List of West Virginia rivers
References
{{Coord, 39, 18, 41, N, 77, 59, 49, W, region:US-WV_source:GNIS_type:river, display=title
Rivers of Berkeley County, West Virginia
Rivers of Frederick County, Virginia
Rivers of Virginia
Rivers of West Virginia
Tributaries of the Potomac River