Homestead Gristmill - Stone Ground Grains Homestead Gristmill Shop Now Enjoy the wholesome taste of fresh-ground whole grains from Homestead Gristmill. Our historic timber-frame mill was originally built circa 1760 in the Long Valley of western New Jersey. Water-powered mills such as this one once dotted the American countryside. In use for almost one hundred and sixty years until it closed in 1918, Homestead Heritage found the mill in 2000, neglected and in disrepair, and brought it to Texas, where it has found a new home and renewed life as a working building at Homestead Heritage. Welcome to Homestead Gristmill The first-known written record of our gristmill originally located along the Hollow Brook or ‘Mill’ Creek in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, is when a German immigrant named Asher Mott decided in 1768 to sell his share of the family property to his older brothers, John and Gershom. The property stayed in the family until 1800 when Robert Emley purchased the mill and 30 acres for $213.30. In 1814, John Teeter acquired the mill and property.

By then, the mill was the business and social center of a village that included six residences and a sawmill located downstream. This hamlet was referred to as Teetertown. Six years later, the mill was extensively remodeled and turned over to Mr. Teeter’s son-in-law Samuel Dorland. The Dorland family operated and maintained the mill until 1881. In 1908, following several ownerships, Philip Sliker purchased the mill, constructed a new miller’s residence and began to process flour under the brand name of “Teetertown Buckwheat Flour.” But in 1918, after ten years of operation, Mr. Sliker retired and closed the mill. After it last ground grain in 1918, the Teeter mill went through a series of owners, most of whom were looking for a quaint country getaway from the bustle of New York City. Left neglected for decades, by the turn of the twenty-first century the aged mill was in need of either demolition or restoration. In 2001, the craftsmen of Homestead Heritage carefully documented and dismantled the Teeter mill and restored it in its new location in central Texas.

Given a new life as Homestead Gristmill, the mill is now open to the public year round, grinding fresh whole wheat flour and corn meal, much as it did over 230 years ago. In addition to three types of wheat and corn, we also grind oats, rye, spelt, rice, buckwheat and soybeans. We use the single-step process of grinding with natural granite stones which preserves the nutritional value of the grain. We mix our flour into a variety of baking and cookie mixes as well as hot cereals. All the grains we use are grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers. You may view our complete product list on our website or call for more information. Contact Us 800 Dry Creek Road Waco, TX 76705 Location If you're in Central Texas, stop by and visit us. Located on the campus of the Ploughshare Institute For Sustainable Culture, the Gristmill is part of a working craft village. Related Sites Power Gristmill Power Gristmill To check availability of this item, enter your billing zip code: GO Enter your discount or quote number here: Quote #: Tweet Product Description Ideal for grinding all small grains, roots, bones, shells, and coffee.

Just the mill for grinding cornmeal, whole wheat flour, or soybean flour. Capacities up to 300 lbs. per hour. Made of rigid cast-iron and finished in nontoxic red enamel. Mill is fully adjustable and features self-aligning bearings and 1" steel shaft. Grinding burrs are 5-1/2" diameter and made of extra hard, cast steel alloy for long service. One set each of coarse and fine burrs are included along with 5-quart capacity hopper, 12" diameter V pulley, and feed slide. Can be disassembled for cleaning and changing burrs. Requires 1 to 2 hp, 1750 rpm electric motor and 3" diameter motor pulley which are not included. Mill is 18" high (25" high with hopper installed). Partially assembled. Packed in two cartons. Shipped directly from our supplier. Allow extra delivery time.

Medieval Technology and American History - In-Depth Articles - The Grist Milling Process The Grist Milling Process excerpted from "The Grist Mill-fulling Mill Complex" from the Collections at Historic Bethlehem [PA] The milling of flour grew to be Pennsylvania's most important export industry. After the American Revolution, Philadelphia continued to be the center of the milling trade in America. The first grist mill in Pennsylvania was "completed and made ready for community service" in 1643 in Philadelphia, 100 years before the Bethlehem mill became operational. The mill was described as "a fine grist mill which grinds both coarse and fine flour, and trade is so great that it must keep going early and late." Bethlehem's mill ground grain not only for the early community but also for the surrounding area so it is easy to see why this establishment was a necessary and popular industry in the area. There is no evidence to date, however, that Bethlehem's flour was entered into Pennsylvania's export trade. The honesty of the Moravian millers may also have played a role in the mill's use, as well. Unfortunately, throughout history millers, had a reputation for dishonesty.

Their payment was a prescribed portion, or toll, of the finished product--one-eighth part of wheat and one-sixth part of corn, for example. Unscrupulous millers would be fined if they took more, and some tricky millers had a small extra chute from the vat to a concealed bin as a means to acquire more flour than was their due. Even an honest miller might put a square housing over his round stones and take what profit accumulated in its comers. There is no mention in the records of such dealings occurring with the millers in early Bethlehem, however. The heart of a grist mill was its grinding stones. Grinding stones were used in pairs. The bottom stone, or bed stone, was fixed into position, while the upper stone, or runner stone, moved. The stones were connected to the power source (water or wind) by a wooden "counterwheel," or contrate wheel, wedged on the horizontal drive shaft, which ran the trundle head, a small wooden lantern gear. The trundle-head shaft, usually called the spindle, turned six or eight times as fast as the waterwheel shaft.

This vertical spindle passed through the central holes of both grinding stones without affecting the fixed stone, or bed stone, at all, but it did turn the runner stones. An iron rynd, fixed on the spindle, crossed the funnel-shaped hole in the runner and had its ends firmly anchored in the upper surface of the stone. The lower bearing of the spindle rested on a beam that the miller could raise or lower to adjust the cut of his stones minutely, according to information gathered by his celebrated miller's thumb ("rule of thumb") when he felt the texture of the meal. The device could also separate the stones entirely to keep them from grinding on each other, and so prevent their setting fire to the mill as they sometimes did. Grain dribbled from a hopper and was guided by a spout, called the shoe, into the hole in the runner stone. It was moved outward by centrifugal force as the stone ground it. After leaving the stones' edges, the flour and bran were confined by a wooden casing, the vat, that covered the stones. It could escape only down a chute that led to a wooden bin on the floor below. The flour and bran now needed to be sifted and separated into grades.

This was done in the process called bolting. Silk bolting cloth was hard to come by, so in the most primitive mills the grind was sifted and resifted by hand in a temse, or sieve. By the late 18th century most mills had bolters to which little leather buckets fastened to a strap raised the mixed flour and bran by power taken off the main shaft. The bolter was a 16' long, gently inclined reel, usually octagonal, covered with a series of bolting cloths of increasingly coarse mesh; sometimes the lower one was made of fine wire screen. The ground meal entered the high end. As the reel revolved slowly, the finest flour fell through near the head into its own chute; common flour dropped at the mid-point, shorts or "canal," a mix of coarse flour and fine bran, left near the foot; coarse bran fell out of the open lower end. The miller and his helpers had little time to loaf in the course of their work day. When grain arrived in a cart or wagon or in a sack slung over a horse, they had to hook a rope to it and haul it to the top floor of the mill.

This was a hand-over-hand job in many small mills, with only a single pulley to help. They had to keep the hopper full, watch the grind, and change the gap between the stones, sometimes no more than the thickness of paper, as needed. Even when there was no hand sifting to do, the meal had to be measured, tolled, and bagged in the presence of the customer. A man wanted his own grain ground, not just an equivalent amount of some other man's grain. So the miller had to tag each man's sacks and grind them separately when that man's turn came. The strict first-come-first-served turn was each man's legal right and was always observed. Millstones were made of ordinary granite or sandstone, quarried in full-size chunks. Each member of the pair had to be furrowed. The runner stone had furrows cut on the bottom and the bed stone had patterns cut on the top. Stones varied in size from four to six feet in diameter and weighed as much as one ton. Furrows varied in pattern; the early stones had curved grooves and the later stones had a variety of straight line furrows.

The grooves serve as channels through which air can pass and carry off heat generated by friction during the grinding. They also serve as a path for ground flour or meal to escape. The distance between the two stones could be adjusted slightly for each type of grain--corn, rye, wheat, etc.--and they had to be perfectly balanced and could not touch each other. Stones improperly balanced could ruin the product, damage the stones, and the friction could even cause a fire. Although the grooves on the stones rip and tear the outer husk of the grain, it is the flat areas that actually grind the husks and kernels into flour. A good miller kept his millstones "picked" sharp because dull stones ground coarse flour. Coarse flour was called "cakey" and tended to ferment faster. Occasionally the miller had to shut down to recut the dulled grooves in the working surfaces of the millstones with a very hard chisel-headed hammer called a millbill. Itinerant stone dressers might also do the work, taking six to eight days to resharpen a pair of stones. The grooves had what might be called a check-mark profile, one side nearly vertical, the other sloping.

They were arranged variously, but always in such a way that the upper ones would shear across the lower, with the steeper edges opposed to achieve a cutting action. The most common arrangement was in groups of straight grooves, each group parallel to a tangent of the central hole: the bed stone was just slightly concave; the runner stone was convex but was almost imperceptibly flatter than the bedder. This made the stones bear hardest at their outer edges and therefore grind finest there. While early millstones were quarried locally, later stones were often shipped from distant sources. French buhr stones were considered the best— and they were expensive. The French quarried them in smallish lumps from beds of softer stone, shaped them to fit together, and bound them with heavy iron bands into the thick disk shape of all millstones. Others stones were shipped from domestic quarries: granite of Rhode Island, sandstone of western New York and southeastern Pennsylvania being highly regarded. The better the stones, the less they had to be picked and trimmed to keep them sharp. About Us About Us History Services Questions Dedicated Staff Media Room What's a Grist Mill?

A grist mill is a grain mill that turns whole berries of grain or whole kernels of corn into meal or flour. At Kenyon's Grist Mill, we still do it the old-fashioned way and continue to use the original granite millstones quarried from Westerly, RI. These huge stones produce the exceptional texture and quality not found in modern, steel ground flours. Single pass stone grinding also preserves the vital, natural nutrition of the grains. Kenyon’s offers the ingredients that health conscious consumers are searching for, ground the simple, old fashioned way of long ago. We encourage you to read about the difference between genuine stone ground products and steel ground products here . Our Location & History Our building is nestled along the banks of the Queen's River in the village of Usquepaugh. We are the oldest manufacturing business in Rhode Island, and the second oldest continuously operating business in the state. Although our current building dates back to 1886, we've been grinding meals & flours continuously on site since 1696. For more history, click here . In the old days, farmers would bring their corn - or grist - to be ground. The miller usually received a portion of the meal as payment. C.D.

Kenyon, who purchased the mill in 1909, saw the potential for selling the ground meal. He began to brand it in sacks with the Kenyon name and made it available to everyone. The grain was transported as far away as Providence by horse and buggy, and delivered to various markets throughout the state. In 1916, the company bought a Model T truck, which made deliveries easier. This made it possible to satisfy the growing demand for Johnny Cake Meal, which then extended to the entire state of Rhode Island, and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Quality, Nutrition & High Standards Kenyon's Grist Mill is regularly inspected by the Rhode Island Department of Health and the FDA. This qualifies us to ship throughout the country and stand behind our products' excellence. Customers have sought Kenyon's products for generations because of our honesty, dependability, and high standards. We pride ourselves in doing business the right way and feel honored to be preserving a piece of Rhode Island's history. Kenyon's Grist Mill is always looking for new sources of locally grown grain, especially the rare crop of Rhode Island Flint Corn. Although we try very hard to purchase our grains as local as possible, it is also important to consider the farming methods used.

Our farmers source non-GMO seed and do no use pesticides. We do not use any additives or preservatives. If you are inquiring about an allergy, click here . Our Online Store & Popular Products: Johnny Cake Meal, Clam Cake Mix & More! We are best known for our genuine stone ground cornmeal, especially stone ground white cornmeal (or Johnny Cake Meal) to make Johnny Cakes. This traditional Rhode Island food dates back to the colonial time when Native American Indians introduced corn to the settlers. At first, they were known as "Journey Cakes". Settlers often took them along on their journeys. The "r" eventually got dropped and "Journey Cakes" became, "Johnny Cakes". Other popular items are Clam Cake Mix, Pancake Mixes, Corn Bread & Muffin Mix, Brown Bread Mix, as well as a variety of other meals, flours and other mixes. Our adherence to time honored techniques does not prevent us from introducing other nontraditional organically grown grains to Rhode Island such as Red and Blue Corn. To learn more about all of our products or to order online, click here .

Lightfoot's Pine Soap & Other Local Favorites Kenyon’s Grist Mill is the premier national distributor for Lightfoot's Pine Soap. Made right here in Rhode Island, this soap is produced by one of the oldest soap makers in the country! For more information, click here . We also sell Rhode Island Maple Syrup & Honey, Jams, Coffee Syrup, Quahogs, and more! Purveyors - Where to Find Us Our products can be found in local Rhode Island markets, as well as gourmet and specialty shops. Many fine restaurants also feature Kenyon’s products, and each May numerous granges, legion halls, and churches, prepare our Johnny Cake meal for their May Breakfasts. Products may also be purchased on our web site, through mail order, or simply stop by our Grist Mill Store just across the street from our mill. For a list of purveyors, click here . Hours of Operation & Directions Click here . 2017 Summer Tour Weekend & Kayaking Event at the Mill: July 22 & 23 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free admission. Free parking right at Kenyon's Grist Mill. Enjoy free tours of the mill with Johnny Cake demonstrations.

Sample free Johnny Cakes and local coffee. Larger orders of Johnny Cakes will be available for purchase. Visit the shop for a variety of Kenyon's products and local items. Kayak along the Queen's River for only $15/hour per person. All equipment is provided. Kayak rentals are first come; first serve. We will not be taking reservations. All rentals will be on the Queen's River only. For directions, click here . For more information about Queen's River Kayaks, click here . 2017 Autumn Tour Weekend & Clam Cakes/Chowder Event at the Mill: October 21 & 22 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free admission. Free parking right at Kenyon's Grist Mill. Enjoy free tours of the mill with Johnny Cake demonstrations. Sample free Johnny Cakes and local coffee. Larger orders of Johnny Cakes will be available for purchase. Visit the shop for a variety of Kenyon's products and local items. Warm up to some Clam Cakes & Chowder. Kayak along the Queen's River for only $15/hour per person. All equipment is provided. Kayak rentals are first come; first serve.

We will not be taking reservations. All rentals will be on the Queen's River only. For directions, click here . For more information about Queen's River Kayaks, click here . This is a wonderful, smaller event to take place of the larger Johnny Cake Festival. We hope to bring the Johnny Cake Festival back soon. For more details, visit JohnnyCakeFestival.com . Private Group Tours Kenyon's Grist Mill has been offering private group tours for many years. Our historic attraction and culinary heritage is a major draw across the country. It has been a pleasure to meet so many people and share what we do. We are a proud member of American Bus Association and have also attended the National Tour Association. If you are a tour operator who is looking for more information on the mill and site, click here . Walk-ins and Small Group Tours All of our customers are very important to us! Although we love our visitors too, in order to get our orders out on time, we are very focused on production and office duties Monday through Friday, making it nearly impossible to give an unscheduled tour. Production does not usually run on weekends. Please respect that we are a small business with limited & dedicated employees. Click here for more information on our special events with tours.

We've dedicated time to open our doors to the public with free tours, Johnny Cakes, and a whole lot more! With ample time, we may be able to schedule a private tour. Please call 800-7-KENYON. Take a video tour here . Annual Community Fairs & Demos Be sure the visit the Kenyon's Booth as we travel New England cooking our Clam Cakes and Chowder at Community Fairs. For a list of dates and locations, click here . Don't miss us in the Rhode Island Building at the Big E in West Springfield, MA. We also participate in Johnny Cake cooking demonstrations and sampling at smaller events across Rhode Island throughout the year. Queen's River Kayaks: Kayak Rentals/Trips Since 2009, we have been offering full-service kayak rentals by the mill on the Queen's River, Wood River, and Pawcatuck River. Queen's River Kayak Company operates from late April to October (sometomes September can be difficult, as we are at the Big E). To make a reservation, or to get more information, click here .

Flood 2010 On March 30 & 31, 2010, Rhode Island experienced a state of emergency when waters rose to levels that hadn't been seen in over 100 years causing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and businesses. Although the mill was virtually undamaged, the earthen dam and spillways, also owned by Kenyon's Grist Mill suffered severe damage from the excessive rain. Our dam was built in 1696 to create a reservoir of water to power various mills on the site. It has created a very well established watershed that must be protected and preserved. This part of Rhode Island's environment stretches through South Kingstown, Exeter, and North Kingstown. The Nature Conservancy’s Queen's River Preserve and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Eppley Preserve and Fisherville Brook Wildlife Sanctuaries rely on this reservoir, which creates a habitat for a variety of wildlife. Since the site is privately owned, all of the work that has been done in Usquepaugh on the dam and spillways has been done at Kenyon’s Grist Mill’s expense without federal funding.

The final estimated costs for the completed restoration project range from $600,000 to $1,000,000. We are looking for contributions of work, materials, expertise and funding. Please be in touch if you are looking for a very gratifying project to maintain and secure a piece of Rhode Island’s history and environment. Click here for more details and photos on the flood. © All Content Copyright - Official Website of Kenyon Corn Meal Company 21 Glen Rock Road/P.O. Box 221 West Kingston, RI 02892 Tel: 401.783.4054 | Tel: 800.7.KENYON Ten Facts About the Gristmill · George Washington's Mount Vernon Learn more about Washington's merchant mill and the important role that it played on George Washington's Mount Vernon estate 1. George Washington constructed his merchant mill in 1771. Augustine Washington, George’s father, likely had an operating mill on his plantation (the future Mount Vernon) as early as the 1730s, but by the 1760s this dilapidated mill was in great need of a replacement.

By 1769, George Washington had decided to create a new mill that would be located along Dogue Run, about a half-mile away from the old mill. Lumber for the mill was harvested from Washington’s Mount Vernon lands, the large river rocks used for the foundation were floated down the Potomac from sources near the falls of the Potomac, and smaller stones were used for the walls were locally quarried. Washington's resolve to improve and expand his gristmill enterprise marked a significant turning point in the management of his plantation. During the 1760s Washington had moved away from tobacco cultivation and began to plant more grains, primarily wheat and corn. The switch to grains gave Washington a dependable cash crop, something tobacco did not provide. With an expanded and more efficient gristmill, Washington could turn his crops into another product, flour or cornmeal. The gristmill could also bring in revenue by grinding grain for neighboring farmers and exacting a toll from this work. Washington could also purchase grain and grind it, selling the product for a profit, the true purpose of a merchant mill.

An expanded gristmill allowed Mount Vernon to be less dependent upon prices in England, as flour and grain were purchased in a wider market, again something tobacco growing did not allow. According to an 1803 insurance document, Washington’s gristmill was 32 feet by 46 feet. In 1783, Washington described the mill in one of his letters, “two pair of Stones, one pair of which are French-burr, employed in the merchant business. The Mill house is of Stone, large and commodious, the dwelling house, which is convenient, is within 30 yards of it; and has a garden enclosed adjoining. A Cooper’s Shop is also near, and the whole convenient to tide water.” 2. Washington's mill utilized a 16' pitch back waterwheel that was placed inside the mill's walls. Many who view Washington’s gristmill from the outside may not immediately recognize the tall stone building as a mill. Washington decided to place his large, 16’ diameter wooden wheel inside the mill’s walls where it would be more protected from the elements.

Of the four prevalent varieties of water wheels – overshot, pitch back, breast, and underwheel, the millwright, John Ball , recommended that Washington employ a pitch back wheel. With a pitch back wheel, water drops out of the bottom of the flume and hits the water wheel at the 10 o’clock position rotating it counter clockwise. On the wheel are forty buckets, each of which, when full, would weight around 250lbs. Pitch back wheels, since they took full advantage of gravity, were considered to be one of the most efficient wheel types. The 16’ wheel was connected to a series of gears that stepped up the speed of the machinery and powered the large millstones that produced the finely ground flour and meal. 3. The gristmill employed two different sets of milling stones. Washington fit his mill with two sets of millstones, one set of French imported burrstones were used to grind wheat for the export market, the other set, which may have been German imports known as ‘cullin’ stones, from Northern Germany, were used to grind corn and other grains such as barley, oats and rye.

The French stones were the finest millstone available and known for their ability to produce the best flour. The quarries were discovered along the Marne River in the 13th century, and the French burrstones were exported throughout Europe starting in the 14th century. When mills in early Colonial America were first developed, these high quality quartz stones were desired and shipped over, along with German and English stones. In time millstone quarries were developed in America, and Washington’s mill may have employed a domestic set of stones for grinding corn as well. In operation each of the two sets of stones employed a lower, fixed “bed” stone and an upper “runner” stone that could rotate at more than 100 times a minute. Grain was fed through a hole in the runner stone, known as the eye, and then ground between the two stones. Each stone face was cut with a pattern of grooves called furrows, these furrows worked like scissors to cut and grind the grain into meal or flour. The runner stone was adjustable so the miller could raise or lower it in relation to the bed stone. This was accomplished by working a long compound lever known as the lighter staff.

With this lever the miller could adjust the gap between the millstones and therefore control the coarseness or fineness of the meal or flour. 4. Providing a reliable source of water for the mill was difficult. The power needed to operate the mill came from the large waterwheel and the waterwheel needed a sufficient supply of running water to make its revolutions. To supply water to the wheel at a proper velocity, Washington constructed a mill dam and pond at the upper end of Dogue Run Farm on the Dogue Run Creek, he then constructed a earthen canal know as a millrace or head race to bring water down from the pond to the new merchant mill site. The trench that became the all-important millrace was almost two miles in length, seven or eight feet deep, and six feet wide. The water then enter the mill through a wooden box known as a flume or penstock and the miller could open a water gate from inside the mill to release water into the wheel start to operate the machinery. The speed of the water wheel varied depending on how much the miller needed to grind and how fast he wished to work.

The mill could produce about 3,000lbs of cornmeal a day and along with another 5,000lbs of wheat flour a day. Construction of the millrace began on April 26, 1770 and lasted longer than a year. The arduous project greatly frustrated Washington who offered up cash incentives for quicker progress and later used slaves to speed up its construction. Even after its construction, the millrace remained a source of frequent trouble. Silt that deposited in the waterway needed to be regularly removed. Storms also damaged the race and repairs were frequently necessary. During the winter months, the water froze. And during hot, dry summer months the flow of water was not sufficient to operate the mill. In times with plenty of rain and water the mill operated about 9 months of the year, in times of drought records indicate that the mill might only run 6 months of year. Later Washington constructed a tumbling dam or weir on Piney Branch and turned that additional water into the millrace. 5. In 1791, Washington was one of the first mill owners to install the Evans automated system.

During Washington’s presidency, a millwright and engineer named Oliver Evans developed an automated milling system that was subsequently submitted to the new US Patent Office. Evans developed an advanced system where the bucket elevator was designed to move grain and flour through the mill without manual labor. The system also operated Evans’ new “hopper boy” that helped to clean and sort the milled grains. Each step of the milling process was united into one automated system that provided mill owners with a way to lower their labor costs while maintaining high production volumes. After reviewing Evans’ application, President Washington approved the patent for this revolutionary new milling system and recognized the potential of this new system for improving his own gristmill. George Washington had his private secretary Tobias Lear contact Oliver Evans to see if he would come to Mount Vernon to install the new system in his mill. Oliver Evans could not get away from his business in Philadelphia, but in the fall of 1791 he sent his two brothers to Mount Vernon to install and retrofit Washington’s mill with the new system. The reconstructed gristmill at Mount Vernon is the only mill in America that has a working Oliver Evans automated system – something that is well worth seeing during your next visit. 6.

Washington's mill ground wheat to export as the finest quality "superfine flour". “Superfine” flour was a purer and more finely ground version of flour that could sell for a premium. According to Washington’s records in 1799, superfine flour could sell for $8.50 a barrel as compared to $7.50 to $8.00 a barrel for fine flour, $6.66 per barrel for lower grade “middlings”, and $1.50 a barrel for “shipstuff” – the lowest quality. Once the Evans automated system was installed, Washington’s more efficient mill was able to produce even more superfine flour, thereby boosting his profits. 7. The gristmill ground corn which was fed to the enslaved community and livestock. In addition to grinding wheat into flour, the mill was also used to produce cornmeal that was an important staple for the enslaved community at Mount Vernon and was an important feed source for Washington’s livestock. And while Washington certainly loved his hoecakes and honey (made from cornmeal), corn was considered, at the time, to be of less value from an export point of view.

Cornmeal also proved to be an important ingredient in the production of spirits at Washington’s nearby distillery. But given the consistently high demand for ground corn for the Mount Vernon estate, Washington was forced to obtain this additional corn from outside sources. 8. The mill was operated by hired and enslaved millers. To keep the mill operating at peak efficiency, Washington required the services of skilled millers. Over the years Washington employed three millers – William Roberts, Joseph Davenport, and Patrick Callahan. As mentioned above, Washington had seen to the construction of a home for the millers and their families that was next to the mill. Of the three, Roberts was the most skilled, he was a miller and a millwright, which is rare. Roberts could repair or rebuild the mill machinery as needed. Washington commented in a letter to a friend that in 15 years (from 1770 -1785) he had never paid anyone for repairs to his mill (meaning he did not have to hire an outside millwright, these millwrights were contractors working on many mills in an area in which they lived) since Roberts could handle all the work.

Sadly, Roberts drinking problem forced Washington’s hand and in 1785 he fired him. From 1784 or 1785 on, a slave miller named Ben is listed at the mill. Washington mentioned Ben in a letter and stated that he knew the milling business very well. In the late 1790’s there was another young slave working at the mill, his name was Forrester and he seems to be in training under Ben and the hired white millers. 9. Washington's Gristmill was a highly profitable enterprise. Despite all the challenges in building, maintaining, and operating the mill, the enterprise proved to be a highly profitable one. In 1797, the gristmill produced 117 pounds of profit – the third highest of any activity at Mount Vernon. In that year alone the mill ground more than 5,000 bushels (275,000 pounds) of wheat and another 3,200 bushels (178,000 pounds) of corn.

Much of the surplus grain was sold to expanding markets in nearby Alexandria and Fredericksburg, but other shipments were sent as far away as England, Portugal, and the island of Jamaica. In addition to grinding grain from his own operations, Washington’s mill also ground grain for neighboring farmers, who paid 1/8th of their grain in “toll.” Merchant mills of this type could also ground grain bought from farmers and then sold for a profit. Washington regularly paid close attention to factors affecting local and world demand for his flour. While President of the United States, Washington took keen note of the positive and negative impacts that the 1793 war between Britain and revolutionary France would have on his grain exports. Seized American merchant vessels, the threat of famine, embargoes, and the continued population growth at home all factored into his production and investment decisions at Mount Vernon. 10. The gristmill was torn down about 1850 and rebuilt in 1932 by the Commonwealth of Virginia. After George Washington’s death in December 1799, the mill was operated by Lawrence Lewis, the husband of Martha Washington’s granddaughter, Nelly.

Over the ensuing decades the mill fell into disrepair and ceased operation sometime before the early 1840s. In the early 1850s the mill was dismantled. In 1932, in support of the bicentennial of Washington’s birth, the Commonwealth of Virginia constructed a replica of the mill after extensive archaeological efforts relocated the foundation of the original mill. Virginia operated the mill until 1997 when it was transferred to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. After a five year renovation, Washington’s gristmill was returned to its operational status and opened to the public where it remains today one of the great sites to visit at Mount Vernon. What to See Visit Washington's Distillery & Gristmill Learn more about the important role these buildings had on the Mount Vernon estate. Entrance is included in general admission and parking is available on site. Grist Mills Gristmills This very poor photo from the Beacon Express January 26, 2000, is thought to be a local mill and perhaps even the Nathey mill which my great great grandfather owned once. It looks like the wheel may be a Breast Wheel (see below).

Grinding stones that are attributed to that mill were found on Eglin Air Force base and are pictured in this article. Each time I start one of these projects I learn a lot. The reason I am doing this one is because of my ancestor's involvement in this field. Learning about gristmill workings is giving me an insight into his life and the hardships he had. I also come into contact with some very nice people. One is Hal Neuman who graciously allowed me to use 2 of his drawings from his page on gristmills. Another is John Lovett whose mill can be seen at He sent me a very well written essay on water mills. I have drawn on the expertise of many folks while doing this project and I wish to thank them. The earliest means of grinding grains was with a mortar and pestle setup. The mortar was a flat or, if one was lucky, a scooped rock on which to place the grain. The pestle was a rounded rock that fit the woman's hand nicely. She would rub the grain around on the large stone setting up a rhythm and making the job go easier.

Later, more thought went into the process and taller stones or hard wooden containers were made so that instead of sitting on the ground a person could stand and do their work. Either way, rubbing the grain between hard surfaces to break it up into usable particles, was a long and tedious job. Finding the right sized tree trunk for the larger vessels might be a chore as well. The larger systems did, however allow for 2 people to work together and we all know shared work is much more fun. There are interesting pictures of early women sitting together probably singing, laughing and talking while grinding enough meal for the family's use. Querns or hand mills were other alternatives. Hand mills first were two stones much like those of the gristmill. They consisted of a flat fixed stone and a "runner" stone that turned with a hole in its center into which one poured grain. There was a handle on the top stone with which to turn it while often there was no peg in its center to keep it in place ï¿½ one relied on the weight of the stone to do that. Other systems had an axle by which the top stone turned and had a piece of wood with which one regulated the particle size.

The meal would simply flow out from between the two stones and fell on the table holding the mill. The stones were very heavy and it took a lot of energy to get them started. After they were started, they were much easier to turn. They were often made of found stones that were roughly dressed and rarely maintained as were those of a water mill. Later hand mills were made of wood or metal. Animals were used to turn grinding stones, too. Gristmills turned by water have been around for many centuries, some as early as 19 BC. In the United States they were becoming quite common in the 1840s. Later mills were run by other means, but we will only look at water mills this time. Millers have made a pretty fair living by charging a portion of the grain as payment for their labors. In England only the miller was allow to grind grains. Small hand mills were outlawed forcing people to take their grains to a "custom" mill. There are three major parts to a gristmill: the raceway, water wheel and grinding stones. The raceway channels the flowing water to the wheel. The water forces the wheel to turn.

The turning wheel powers the grinding stones by a series of shafts and pulleys or gears and shafts. The grinding action of the stones breaks the grain into small, usable pieces like flour, cornmeal, and grits. There are many types of water wheels that were used. The first and least efficient looked like a great paddle wheel and was called "undershot." It was simply propelled by the flowing water pushing on its blades. The "overshot" wheel was much more effective and took more careful planning and placement. Water was directed to the top of it and it had blades that were more like buckets or troughs to catch and hold water. At the very least its blades were slanted rather than set perpendicular to the wheel. The weight of the water was the driving force and it built up momentum as it turned. One source says, "The overshot wheel is most effective when it turns as slow as it possibly and still handle the total flow of water available to it." It needed to be placed so that it was never in the stream as the motion of flowing water would slow its momentum. Breast wheels were another type that had the water directed at about 1/2 the way towards the top of the wheel.

It did better than an overshot wheel if water levels rose as it would not be drastically slowed by the water flow and was often used where it would be too difficult to use the more efficient wheel. It was half way between the two previous types. Another much more primitive type was the tub wheel pictured above. It was horizontal and required only a shaft between it and the grinding stones. It requires rapidly moving water and was also called a primitive turbine. Most wheels were made of wood and needed replacing about every 10 years. Sluice gates controlled the flow of water going to the wheels. The gear mechanism that caused the grinding stones to turn varied greatly. Sometimes determined by the financial circumstances of the owner but more often than not by the technology of the era and the area. Mostly there was a gear attached to a shaft turned by the water wheel. Additional gears and pulleys or simple setups of ropes wound around tree trunks turned the grinding stones. The diagram on the left shows an undershot wheel with an elaborate system of gears and pulleys, while the one at right shows a much less sophisticated arrangement. Some gears were like barrels with vanes on them while others look like the ones to the left. The grinding stones were mostly granite and purchased from afar.

The best ones came from Europe at great expense, but could last for a hundred years. Each stone weighed between half a ton and 2 tons and had to be lifted each year to be refaced. The wear on the grooves must be carefully repaired so that grains would be ground to the correct size. Uneven runner stones would also damage the underlying or "bed" stone. Stones were arranged so that the miller could raise them up or let them down to control the fineness of the product. Roughly cracked corn might be required for animal feed while fine meal was used for baking and intermediate corn particles were used as grits. Farmers grew corn, then had to store it on the cob in bins till it was dry. After that the kernels were rubbed off the cob and stored in bags or barrels until they were taken to the mill for grinding. Often the family had to rub the kernels off by hand, but there were machines available. One type is seen to right. The handle is on the other side of the machine. Dried corn was fed into the trough and shoved down with a stick. A rotating disk with ridges on it rubbed off the kernels.

They dropped from the bottom of the machine while the cob was forced out the side. It was still a lot of work, but much easier than doing it by hand. Once the kernels were ready for grinding, the farmer and often his family would pile them into a cart or wagon and drive to the mill. Many families made a social event of it. Perhaps much of the day would be spent there with the grownups visiting and the children playing around the millpond, chasing ducks or otherwise entertaining themselves. Likely mom would have packed a picnic lunch and perhaps there would be a visit to relatives or friends on the way home. Most of the millers would have been friends or relatives and during the unloading of the wagon, the news and gossip of the area would be exchanged. Perhaps other community members would be "hanging out" at the mill. The miller would take his percentage before grinding was started. Then the containers of grain would be unloaded onto the mill floor and transferred into the grain hopper. Depending on the setup, the bags or barrels could be poured into the hopper or perhaps they were poured onto the floor and scooped into it with large shovels similar to a coal or snow shovel.

(More elaborate mills would have several floors and the grain would be off-loaded into bins on ground level and conveyed to the hopper via a grain elevator. This system consisted of small buckets or cups that were run through the bins and up through the floor to be spilled into the hopper above. Often a mill that had grain elevators also had means of allowing the finished product to pour down chutes into bags held or tied to the lower ends.) When the grinding was finished the meal had to be put into containers and reloaded for the return trip home. Grain sacks were coarse and often made of burlap, while meal sacks were of a finer woven cotton. Both were used for clothing and other household products. The cotton ones used as fine dish towels were often completely lint free. I have made many pieces of clothing from flour sacks when I was a child. The shirt here is from the burlap type sack. Once home the sacks or barrels had to be stored in safe dry surroundings so the family could use them throughout the coming year. If a farmer had made a large crop, he might barter some of his meal to other families along the way for goods he either did not grow, or things he could not manufacture for himself.

Perhaps he would also have some of the corn cracked for animal feed, though I expect that might have been considered a luxury. Most animals can easily manage whole kernel corn. One can imagine the anticipation of the children as they thought of the wonderful foods mom would make from the freshly ground meal. The odors of the warm grain wafting from the mill during the grinding process had probably already whetted their appetites. Maybe they were planning a fishing trip so they could have fish and grits for breakfast soon. Oh, and the hush puppies mom would make . . . Some grinding stones outside an old mill The "bed stone" found on Eglin AFB and now displayed outside Jackson Guard ï¿½ thought to belong to the Nathey Mill at top of page. A close up of same stone showing grooves from which the meal poured upon grinding. The "runner" stone from the same site. Both are about 36" in diameter. Hole is where grain goes. ï¿½ ï¿½ ï¿½ The stones to the left are on a friend's property and are much larger than the two above. They are also not made of the same material and appear to be of a poorer quality.

This was found in the DeFuniak Herald-Breeze, but we neglected to note the paper's date: "One gem is the law passed Dec. 20, 1827, which required gristmill owners to take people in order in which they received their grain. They also were limited in the amt. they charged to 1/8 of the amt. they ground (if paid in grain)." More places of interest about this subject: A site that school children have developed on how a water mill works Saint Vincent Gristmill Welcome to the Saint Vincent Gristmill The Saint Vincent Archabbey Gristmill, built by the Benedictine monks has been in continuous operation since 1854. It has endured for many years to serve as a symbol of Western Pennsylvania’s agricultural heritage and of the vision of Saint Vincent founder Boniface Wimmer. We sell flour and bread , jam and many other products at the gristmill store. The Gristmill is open Monday to Saturday at 9 am to 4 pm. We are located on Beatty County Road, Latrobe, to the north of the Saint Vincent College campus. Our mailing address is that of the College, which can be confusing.

But if you type our GPS coordinates into your mobile device, you should have no problems finding us: 40.295448, -79.402506. Visit us on Facebook! home made grist/flour mill - Old world crafts - tribe.net home made grist/flour mill topic posted Tue, August 3, 2010 - 9:42 AM by beast anyone interested? i can tell you how to make either millstones or steel heads water, human, wind or mule powered just if i do it, leave some comments sos i know someone reads it besides me :P posted by: Tue, August 3, 2010 - 10:04 PM Sure! :-) Right now I'm thinking grains won't be enough payoff to grow, but I'm always up for changing my mind. I saw someone on the net who got 6 pounds of wheat from a 10x10 plot. Whole foods had wheat for $2 a pound. I suspect the seed, fertilizer (of whatever sort) and effort they put into it cost more than $12, lol.

Trina Wed, August 4, 2010 - 8:08 AM growing anything takes time if you think your labor is gold, then yes, its not gonna be worth your time to grow anything if you want clean, poison free food, that you know exactly where it came from your time spent is nothing, your health and your families health become more important as yet, they cant tax what you grow for yourself tho i admit that could become a probability when you buy stuff cheap, youre not supporting another american farmer, youre supporting the govt subsidies it all depends on what you want to put into living better Re: home made grist/flour mill Wed, August 4, 2010 - 10:04 AM Well, my labor probably isn't gold, but we're a long way from being able to quit the day jobs that may get us into a different life some day. :-) Right now I'm in the Planning And Experimenting Phase (lots of reading, saving for the land, and a few plants that definitely don't pay for themselves, lol). Then we move into the Most Bang For My Buck Phase (low time and effort for the production- for example blackberries instead of grain).

Eventually we'll probably move into the Increasingly Self Sufficient Phases (adding solar and producing more of what we eat). We have a long road for "living better", but we're on the path; or at least have drawn the map, lol. Trina Wed, August 4, 2010 - 12:38 PM do we want a home sized mill or a farm sized? farm is actually easier to make just costs a lil more to start Re: home made grist/flour mill Wed, August 4, 2010 - 1:18 PM I'd be more likely to use a home mill, but a farm sized one would probably work faster. :-) Trina Re: home made grist/flour mill Wed, August 4, 2010 - 2:44 PM In the physical position I'm in currently, a home-sized would be best. With the other things we are planning, a farm-sized woulfd be good. How about starting with the farm-sized and, if there is enough interest, do the home-sized.

MP & BB Mon, August 9, 2010 - 5:01 AM the heart of a mill is the millstones you can use the old fashioned stones or you can make iron plates plates are definitely faster and easier but if technology fades away youre gonna have a hell of a time redressing the plates anyways, for now, ill show how to make both types millstones: cut your stones out of good granite yes its very time consuming, slow and tedious you can make them whatever diameter you like usually around 3-4 feet but you want them at least 4 inches thick cutting with a stone chisel and finishing by rubbing with another piece of granite you dont take off big chunks you take off chips and dust be patient, its worth the time 1 stone will have a square hole thru the center your shaft goes in there to turn it this is your bottom stone the other will have slightly larger round hole your shaft passes thru this and turns freely in it this stone needs to be just a bit larger so it rests on the mill housing above the lower stone Mon, August 9, 2010 - 5:16 AM the grain you are grinding also passes down thru this larger center hole and as the lower wheel turns the

 rain is ground and pushed to the outer edge of the lower wheel once your stones are shaped thy need 'dressed' the bottom face of the upper stone and upper face of the lower stone you take a masons hammer and chip grooves into the faces first you decide which way your mill will turn your grooves run in a spiral from the center out like a galaxy looks if your mill turns clockwise, your spirals wil go counterclockwise these groves do the grinding and push the ground grain out from the center they dont have to be deep, 1/8 inch is more than enuff start by dividing your stone face into quartrs, then eight, then 16 keep going til youve got it evenly into 128 sections thn mark your first grooves and cut them when your grooves get far enuff apart that theres uncut space start a new groove from there out dont put too much curve in your lines, just a nice smooth arc do both stones the same Mon, August 9, 2010 - 5:31 AM iron plates work the same with just a few minor differences they arent as thick, instead of grooves, you weld beads on the faces and you bolt the top plate down

 since it wont have as much weight to hold it in place and your center holes will be much smaller lastly, your hopper can be bolted directly to your top plate using iron plats lets you make a much smaller mill too while the iron plates are easier and faster to make they will wear out and rot away much faster than your stone wheels the old millstones lifespan was measured in generations iron wheels only last years we've already covered the grindstones/wheels now we'll cover the grinding control/shaft your shaft not only has to turn, but it also needs to go up and down this regulates the fineness or coarseness of your grind for finer grinding you raise your lower stone right up tight to the top stationary stone so the mount for your vertical shaft needs to be made in such a way as to be lifted a large heavy lever mounted so you have the leverage to lift several hundred pounds of stone one-handed or one footed...lol.

and the ability to lock it into that position for the duration of your grind obviously you will want your fulcrum in as close to the shaft as possible but with enuff swing to move the grindstone at least 6 inches tho a foot would be better you need room to get between your stones to clean them after you are done grinding residual grain/flour left in your grinder will spoil, mold, ferment and contaminate any future grinds so it needs to be removed immediately when youve finished the outer end of this lever will ned to be pretty stout to handle the load its lifting and will need some form of locking mechanism to hold the stone in place you could tie it with rope or chain or notch a heavy piece of lumber thats anchored to the floor and slide the handle into the notch you want id think mounting a machine screw into the floor that passes up thru the end of your lever with a large hand crank to raise and lower your stone would be best it would take longer but is simpler to operate and can be easily adjusted by one person even while the mill is running Mon, August 9, 2010 - 9:48 AM the next part is the trough where your ground flour collects it needs to be below your bottom stone and extend

 in under the outer edges of it otherwise your flour will just fall thru to the floor below and it needs to be above your lifting shaft mount to keep the flour from filling your bearing surface and killing your mill youll want it round like your stones and sloped steeply down and outward so the flour doesnt build up near the lower stone and get sucked back under it at th bottom of the trough you will want a wall of some sort to stop the flour from falling onto the floor anyway the bottom of this trough should be rounded and smooth so you can scoop out the ground flour or sloped in such a way that all the flour runs to one or two openings that dump directly into bags or containers the mill will be high enuff already because of the lift lever on the shaft to make scooping the flour out easy but lifting it high enuff to dump into bags requires a good framework to elevate and securely carry the weight of the stones and the grain Mon, August 16, 2010 - 9:59 AM the hopper the shaft that turns your mill passes thru the hopper this stirs the grain and helps it feed down in between the stones the bottom of the hopper rests on the top stone and does not move hoppers are usually

 made of wood large at the top and tapered down to the size of your center hole they can be square or round, the grain will fall down inside eventually some mills have wooden trays that slide between the hopper and the stone this lets the miller regulate the amount of grain going in because of the shaft this 'door' has to be in 2 pieces one can set stationary or you can adjust both with a 3-4 foot millstone you will want your hopper at least 2 feet across on top that doesnt mean it cant be 4 feet, just at least 2 and 2-3 feet tall Mon, August 16, 2010 - 9:07 PM power supply there are as many ways to power this as there re imaginations to do so from the top you have wind power, large water wheel, horse, dog, human, goat or any large quadruped from the bottom you have water or some mechanical power like electric or an engine all you have to do is build a transmission something to take your power source and convert its output to turning your center shaft a long pole at rightangles to the vertical shaft will let animal power run it a large wooden gear will let air or water power work the main

 thing is it needs to turn slow and have power behind it if you have something that goes fast, gear it down if you have something that goes too slow, gear it up wooden gears are quite simple and easy to make just solid wooden wheels with pegs evenly spaced around the edges

Question: What product is made at a gristmill?
Answer: Flour