Where did Millstones Come From?

Where did Millstones Come From?. . One of the greatest problems faced by the early millers was where and how to obtain suitable millstones. Rocks of exceptional hardness were required. Since suitable rock was not locally available, a long journey in the back of an ox-driven wagon would be a likely part of the history of many of the stones around you. , Millstone quarries were located at sources of rock with the special qualities needed for grinding. A tremendous amount of work went into shaping millstones from the raw rock. If a flaw appeared as a stone was being shaped, it was usually discarded. , The earliest American grain mills were equipped with millstones imported from Europe. Across the path to your right you may have noticed two large millstones that have been pieced together from smaller rock segments. These are French buhrs, composed of rock from famous, centuries-old millstone quarries near Paris, France., Some of the millstones you see here were made from hard sandstone rock. A great many were made from conglomerate, a term for rock containing lots of small pebbles. These were sometimes called hailgrit or pebble grit millstones. Although not as good as some of the imported stones for producing high quality wheat flour, these native rocks were well suited for grinding animal feed and meal from corn- a staple pioneer food.