The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-10-17
BABYLON'S OLD MILL
a Landmark OF Long island That TIA,
Long Attracted Artists to 1T.

Long Attracted Artists to 1t.
The old mill at Babylon, besides
being a laDdmark on Long Island,
has given inspiration for many
paintings. AS seen by different art.
istic eyes, it has appeared on canvas
IN many ways, ofton used only as
part Of the middle or background
scenery, often as the main subject.
Art clubs and schools have made
special excursions TO view and sketch
the old mill. The effects of the re.
Election in the deep and dark waters
of the pond are most striking, and
SO is the color harmony with the old
framework. Not only the present
generation of artists have made pill
grimages to the mill, but their fa-
theirs and grandfathers have done
the same, for the mill was already
built in 1851. which date is clearly
cut i'll II Of the main beams. The
outside walls are covered with large,
old fashioned shingles, giving an ap-
p%earanoe of old masonry. Before the
erection of the present building a
sawmill occupied the site, and many
a fine tree from the surrounding
woods was cut UP there for ship.
building.
Old Judge Garrett Monfort built
the present mill some time around
1751 and ran it for about 80 years
that is. until 1SO1-as a gristmill.
The mill in those days was an i'm
portant factor i'll the progress of
Long Island, making all the -four
and feed for the neighborhood. Peo-
pie drove from many miles around
TO bring their grain to be ground
there. 1t is situated on the boundary
line between the towns Of Islip and
Babylon, at the head of the Stump.
vans creek, where its artistic beau.
ty at once attracts the attention of
visitors.
The mill changed hands and be-
came the property of the Oakley
family. The Oakleys were a family
OF millers, and they ran it for GO
years as a gristmill. Old Nathaniel
Oakley was a we'll known character
in his days. Especially the school
boys OF that time, who are now well
to do business men of mature age.
remember, with joy, the quaint old
miller in his long robe and his white
chimney pot hat, who was always
Oh the lookout for some fun.
At present the mill is no more
turning the millstones. For ten
years the mill has been rented to
David Ricketts,, who turned it into
a whip factory.
The stream below the mill is a
favorite spot for trout fishing. Prior
to the construction of the lower road
the banks OF the pond above gave
way occasionally during a spring
freshet and carried the bridge down
the stream. Years before the rail-
road "a built the old stagecoach
was coming through one dark night
on its way from Deer Park to Pat.
chogue, when the horses baked. The
driver tried to urge them on, but
they would not move, so he got
down to see what the matter was
and found that the bridge had been
carried away. The instinct of the
animals had thus saved the passen-
gers from a dangerous plunge. By
doing so they prevented a romance
from being cut short. In the coach
there was a young man who for
many years had loved a pretty
daughter of Babylon and was on his
way to marry her after q long strug.
gle. His father, a rich Long Island
farmer, did not want his son to a
ry the daughter of a poor Babylon
family. Therefore the young man
had to give up the farm and make a
living for himself and his bride. At
last he succeeded, and on the night
the bridge was swept away was on
his way to Babylon, where their
long delayed wedding was to take
place. The old mill figured in the
romance because it was for a long
time the meeting place of the lovers.
New York Sun.