Wye Grist Mill and Museum

:::Timeline   :::In Depth History   :::Oliver Evans

Out of hundreds of mills on the East Coast in colonial times, only a few survive, and fewer still operate.  As the oldest working mill in Maryland (c. 1682), the flour-producing "grist" mill has participated in three centuries of war, nation-building, industrial invention and agricultural heritage.  During the American Revolution, the Wye Grist Mill and hundreds of others like it on the Eastern Shore, shipped barrels of flour via The Chesapeake Bay to the Continental Army, commanded by General George Washington.  Historians dubbed the Eastern Shore "The Breadbasket of the American Revolution."

Prominent past owners of the Mill include Richard Bennett III, Edward Lloyd III and IV (owners of Wye House) and Col. William Hemsley, Commander of the Queen Anne's County Militia and provisioner to the Continental Army, 1779 - 1783.  Oliver Evans, "Father of the modern factory" and the first great American inventor, used the Wye Grist Mill in the 1790's to formulated automation ideas that revolutionized American factories.

The Friends of Wye Mill, a local visitor supported charity, not part of any government, lovingly preserved and operated the Mill, grinding flour to this day using two massive grindstones powered by a 26 horsepower overshot waterwheel.  "Millers" sell flour and offer tours.