Gristmill

Gristmill. Shields-Ethridge Heritage Farm. This building was constructed in 1900 and stands near the center of the farm complex close to corncribs and the wheat house with its granary. It is also located close to the blacksmith's shop and it is probable that hands working in the shop would also operate the mill machinery. , Inside the building, shelled corn , 'grist' , and threshed grain were lifted by conveyer belt from a bin into the hopper above the vertical grindstones. From there the grist or grain was fed by a funnel down through an 'eye' into the center of the grindstones, and the rotation of these stones ground the grist into meal and the grain into flour. , An International Harvester 'Model P 30' engine stationed in the shed on the west side of the building provided the power to operate the millstones. This engine also provided power to a hammer mill and a planing mill. The hammer mill was used to crush corn for animal feed. It was located in the shed on the south side of the building. The planing mill still stands near the International Harvester engine; it was used to prepare lumber from the sawmill for use in the carpenter's shop and elsewhere on the farm.