George Washington's
Gristmill at Mount Vernon.
MOUNT VERNON, VA. Visitors will see the water-powered mill in
operation, discover how it works, and learn how this particular
mill played an important role in George Washington's vision for
American's future as "granary to the world."
The project has been supported by a grant from Cargill,
Incorporated, a company with roots in the milling industry that
go back 120 years.
George Washington was one of the nation's most innovative and
entrepreneurial farmers. His 8,000-acre Mount Vernon estate
included 3,500 acres of cultivated farmland. In the last decade,
the national attraction has made numerous additions to the
property to enhance the visitor experience and to tell a more
comprehensive story about the character of George Washington. The
mill is preceded by recent additions of a four-acre farm site, a
fruit and garden nursery and the George Washington museum.
According the James Rees, executive director of Mount Vernon,
adding the gristmill to Mount Vernon's experience does more than
teach visitors about early American flour production. "Washington
is considered America's 'first farmer' because of his pioneering
approach to the business of agriculture and his vision for the
nation's self-sufficiency. Even as he built a new nation and laid
the foundation of the American presidency, he was determined to
create a new economy in which farming would play a critical role
at Mount Vernon and throughout America." He noted that "The
gristmill helps us teach visitors the entrepreneurial spirit of
Washington's agricultural businesses."
Inside George Washington's Gristmill at Mount Vernon.
By the 1760s, Washington replaced tobacco with wheat as his
staple crop because it commanded a more reliable market, required
less labor to produce and was less destructive of soil fertility.
To enable Washington to increase overall production of flour and
meal, and to be able to produce high quality flour for sale in
the overseas market, Washington erected a large new stone
gristmill in 1771. The mill was a highly profitable venture and
Washington aggressively marketed his milled flour to customers
nearby and as far away as the West Indies, England and Europe.
Although the original gristmill structure no longer exists, in
1993 the Commonwealth of Virginia reconstructed Washington's mill
on the original site, based on a combination of documentary and
archaeological evidence and opened its doors to the public.
Declining visitation to the state park and the belief that the
property would be best served if joined with another nearby
historic site led the Commonwealth to propose that Mount Vernon
take over its operation. Legislative authority enacted the lease
and subsequent conveyance of the property to Mount Vernon in
1996.
Dr Dennis Pogue, associate director of Mount Vernon for
Preservation, leads the restoration team that includes
British-born Derek Ogden, a world-class millwright who lives in
Madison County. "We assembled the nation's leading authorities so
that we could present one of the nation's most authentically
reconstructed Eighteenth Century mills." He added, "Mount
Vernon's visitors will see the entire flour production process -
from seed to table."
The second phase of the project will take place later this year
when the millworks become automated using technology developed
and patented by Oliver Evans of Delaware and installed by
Washington in 1791. George Washington was one of the first
American farmers to use Oliver Evans automated mill to make flour
production more efficient and less labor intensive. In fact,
President Washington signed US Patent No. 3 for Evan's invention.
According to Ogden, "The opportunity to highlight Washington's
agricultural innovations through the ongoing restoration of this
mill is a gratifying endeavor."
Grinding stone inside George Washington's Gristmill at Mount
Vernon.
Archaeological investigations are also underway at the property
to identify and investigate the sites of the cooperage, slave
quarters, animal enclosures and the distillery that are known to
have been erected nearby the gristmill. To date, the original
stone foundation of the distillery has been revealed and the site
is undergoing intensive archaeological excavation and as the
final phase the estate hopes to reconstruct the entire gristmill
complex.
Visitors to Mount Vernon will be able to observe all phases of
the process required to produce flour in the Eighteenth Century
manner, beginning with workers in colonial garb sowing the seed,
then harvesting the wheat, and managing Washington's treading
barn, where horses walk on the second level of the circular barn
to separate the grain from the straw.
After further cleaning, the sacks of grain are delivered to the
gristmill to be ground into flour and packed in barrels. Once the
mill passes the necessary inspections, Mount Vernon's retailers
plan to sell the freshly ground flour in its gristmill gift shop.
The total cost of the gristmill project including restoring the
millworks, installing a water circulating system to power the
mill wheel, fabricating and installing the Evans system and
adding parking and other conveniences to support the anticipated
increase in visitation will be approximately $1.2 million.
The George Washington Gristmill complex will be open to the
public seven days a week from April through October, 10 am to 5
pm. For information, 703-780-2000.
