George Washington's entrepreneurial spirit was on full display July 4 at his first-of-its kind Grist Mill where grain was transformed into three types of flour through an 18th century revolutionary invention.
Located on Route 235 just three miles south of his Mount Vernon Estate, Washington's Grist Mill employed the innovative genius of Oliver Evans' automated milling system. This system raised the grain from the ground level of the mill to the top floor, three levels up, via a leather belt elevator with attached metal cups.
"If it weren't for this elevator, I'd be carrying the grain up those three levels," said J.J. Peters, a miller/intern from Kansas who works at the restored stone mill. He is joined by other millers who oversee the process of transforming raw grain to flour using the same process employed by Washington more than 200 years ago.
THE ELEVATOR BELT operates within a wooden constructed vertical shaft. The cups scoop the grain and carry it to a separating area on the top floor. From there it goes into a grain cleaner and on through the complex process.
Ultimately turned to flour, the finished product reaches the "hopper bay" on the top floor where it is dried and cooled by a large, turning spiked wheel. "This is necessary before it can become usable flour," Peters said.
The driving force behind this process is a large, 40-bucket water wheel inside the mill. It provides the power to operate the mill's series of wooden gears. Oliver Evans' primary contribution to this process was the elevator system which both cut down on necessary manpower and increased production.
The mill is capable of producing coarse, medium and fine flour. White, fine flour was the most expensive in colonial times. It was primarily used for making bread, according to Peters.
The only 21st-century variation on the mill's operation is that today's water comes from a pump system into the waterwheel and is constantly recycled. In Washington's time the water came directly from the creek near the mill and was put back into the creek after use, Peters explained.
Visitors arriving at the mill July 4 were treated to period music and song by the Martin Family Band as well as the guided tour for a special July 4th entrance fee of $1. That promotional fee has been extended through July 23, according to Stephanie Brown, marketing director, Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.
Tickets for a Grist Mill visit, open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October, can be purchased at Mount Vernon Estate's main gate.