Daniel Boone blazed the trail through these mountains on his way to Kentucky in 1759. This opened up the door to European settlement throughout the area, and one of those early settlers was a gentleman by the name of Henry Mock. He and his family were on their way to settle in Kentucky but landed in this area due to its breathtaking beauty and abundant resources. He decided to build a house along with a grist mill and sawmill along the banks of Laurel Creek that runs alongside our Lodge (where the Damascus Old Mill Inn and Restaurant are now located). The community of Mock’s Mill had been established.

Years Later, Mock’s Mill was purchased by John Imboden. He believed, in error, that under the seemingly endless supply of timber along these mountains lay a rich and equally unlimited supply of Iron Ore. His dream was to develop a modern “Steel City”, rivaled to become as famous as its ancient namesake on the other side of the world. Unfortunately, the iron ore was only located along the surface and did not run deep and this massive dream was not ultimately realized.