Millstones Through The Ages

Millstones Through The Ages. . The story of millstones is the story of man's struggle against hunger. , Using millstones was the best way to grind grain for over 2000 years. An alternative method was not popularized until around 1870, when roller mills were developed that cut the grain between corrugated steel rollers. , Across the bridge you will see one of the largest displays of grain milling stones in existence. , The concept of grinding grain between a rotating upper stone and stationary lower stone was developed over 2000 years ago. first mill of this type was turned by hand and was known as a quern. This was the direct ancestor of the larger millstones found in water-powered mills., Drawing captions , Left bottom: Uncommon cone shaped under runner stones. In this type, it is the bottom stone that turns. , Middle: In a pair of traditional millstones often called buhrs only the upper runner stone revolves. The lower bedstone is stationary. , Right top: Prehistoric man discovered that pounding grain with a rock made it easier to eat. , Right middle: Some Indians and early pioneer families used a mortar and pestle to pound corn into cornmeal. , Right bottom: Rubbing grain with a small stone pushed back and forth formed a saddle-shaped concavity. This became known as a saddlestone.