Grist Mill Wheel

Grist mills played a BIG part in development of American communities. In fact many a town sprang up because a grist mill was there. The mill was much more than a place to get you corn or wheat milled. It was a place to swap yarns, catch up on local gossip, complain about the price of "you name it". It was the CNN of the community. Sometimes you had to wait a long time until your grain was milled because others got there ahead of you.

The mill stone was the most important part of the grinding process. This one (as you can see) has been used a lot hours. It ground slowly, but could grind exceedingly fine if that's what you wanted. Today, you find these stones mostly at historic sites or antique shops.