The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-29

ana the dam was QanlaSeu extensively
but the town evidently thinking Mr..
Norton had a burden, voted to bear the
Expense of repairing it. With al this
kind treatment Norton, however, soon
grew tired of the work and the town
freed him from his contract the sanef
year he took it.
Norton continued on as the town mil
Ter, but had as an assistant Eblnezer
Benton, who was chosen November 5,
1905, In 1922 the town voted to build a
"bolting mill" whatever that was, and
ordered that the expense Of the same
be paid from the earnings of the town
mill. 1t appears that at this period in
its existence the mill was a source of
considerable profit to the town, for on
December 10, 1747, the committee in
charge of the mill was directed by the
votenS to pay over to the town all the
earnings except two hundred or two
hundred and fifty dollars, which was
to be kept as a sort of emergency fund
for repairs, etc. "A new mill had been
erected but five years previous to this
vote, so it appears that the earnings
of the mill each year were coasidera-
bic. Water power had always been
used for the operation Of the mill
stones. but about this time the voters
thought a wind mill would be more
advisable. A large\ number of the cit
liens were in favor Of the wind mill,
but the idea of changing from water
to wind for motive power was
dropped without being voted upon in
town meetino
The town miller experienced a great
amount of trouble on account of rats
and light fingered citizens. The grain
was stored in the mill and evidently
sundry citizens made 1t practice of
taking what grain the rats left during
the night. This led up in 1888 to the
vote which is on the Guilford town
records to-day, to the effect that the
town provide "a convenient place, in
the lower part of the Town Mill, for
securing bags of -four and meal from
damage and rats, and that There be
procured a good lock and key for the
door of said apartment, to prevent in
iuries that otherwise may happen,
which was decidedly charitable
way of putting on record the fact that
some Of the citizens were in the habit
of stealing grain from the town mill,
The old mill had by this time be-
come thoroughly unfit for further use,
and in 1891 the town voted to have a
new mill erected on the site of the old
one. the same to have two water
wheels instead Of one. 1t was also
voted that one of the wheels operate a
burr-st0ne which was probably for
coanse grinding, and the other to run
| flint stone for -four and other ane
stuffs. Room was also to be made for
another pair Of stones when they We're
needed. In December, 1886, a commit
tee was appointed by the town to in
vestigate and report on "the most ad-
vantageous plan by which the town
may be furnished with constant
grinding in future years" What the
committee reported isn't recorded. but
in 1909 on account Of some dissatisfac-
ton apparently over the operation Of
the mill by the town. it was leased fol-
five wears. The old mill was used un.
til 1853, when it had passed its useful
ness, like many of the millers who hac
run it, and November 7 of that veal
the town voted to build a new mill or
the site of the old one to cost three
thousand dollars, and that 1t be thir'
ty-five by forty feet in size. The new
mill was built and completed in 1855
and is in operation yet The first mil
Ter in the new mill was Ebenezel
Woodruff. for many years one Of thu
well known men Of this town and whC
died only short time ago, one of tht
Oldest inhabitants of the town. HI
served in this capacity for some years
and then Ashael B. Morse succeeded
him, holding the place for a long pc
Rod. Mr.. Morse died some years agc
/, and then his son succeeded him ant
holds the post at the present time.
. While the old mill does not play tht
important part in the towns affains /
did in the old days, it is still an alb
! ject of much veneration and respec
among Guilford people, for they rea
lie that the mill, next to the girs
Congregational church, established il
} 1913, is the Oldest thing in town.
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