Mills, Forges and Foundries...

Mills, Forges and Foundries.... . , The water running through the mill race was used to power the equipment..., Looking down from where you are standing is the mill race that powered the machinery that served the foundry, forge, and merchant mill here at Jordan's Point. The "race" was hand dug using slave labor during the 1804-1806 period. To your left were a forge and a foundry, both small operations that used the flow of water to turn water wheels which powered the equipment. The foundry cast products by melting iron ore. The forge was where some of the iron was hammered into a product, like a blacksmith but on a larger scale. To your right stood a mill where grain was ground into flour and meal., There are two types of water wheels: undershot and overshot. The diagrams above show the difference. Undershot water wheels were used here. The water flowed under the wheel pushing the paddles away, thus turning the wheel to run the bellows for the forge and foundry and also to turn the mill stones which ground grain. Later, in the early 1900's, the waterwheel was replaced by a turbine to supply power to the grist mill. Turbines, mounted underwater, were significantly more efficient., Remains of the forge and foundry are long gone. The gristmill lasted until its closing in 1928. The wall on the right is all that remains of the grist mill. One of the original mill stones is on display outside the Miller's House Museum., Jordan's Point Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. , Visit the Miller's House website for more information: millershousemuseum.org. , (Diagrams):, Overshot waterwheel and Undershot waterwheel , By Malcolm.boura - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid-58333839