The Mill Stones

The Mill Stones. . , In 1638, 500 Puritans moved from the Massachusetts Colony to establish New Haven as a religious colony two miles south of where you are standing. Their leaders, the Reverend John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, deemed the harbor secure and the fresh water supply healthy. The Quinnipiacs, native to the site, exchanged their land for a promise of protection from their rivals, the Pequots., The colony needed to feed itself. In 1640, Sergeant William Fowler received a license to erect a mill to grind corn into flour for the settlers and for the remaining Quinnipiacs., To your right, above, you can see the northern ridge of the East Rock formation. To your left (visible if the leaves have fallen,) Mill Rock forms a western ridge. These formations create the first location north of New Haven suitable for harnessing the stream that flows down the valley that extends north to Cheshire., Fowler built a modest dam and mill close to a small pond just beyond the dam you see today. Fowler's Mill was sold to Christopher Todd in 1665. In 1695, the grist mill's monopoly expired and competition reduced this site's prosperity. In 1787, James Hillhouse and others purchased the land to establish a right of way to create a turnpike road to Hartford. Hillhouse sold the remaining dam and buildings to Eli Whitney in 1798., Why Here? , These 18th century stones are this site's oldest artifacts Why were they preserved? Legend holds that the 1640 mill site was traded in exchange for a promise to forever grind the corn presented by the Quinnipiacs. The stones were kept as a token of that commitment., The far stone is the stationary bedstone. The pear stone is the runner. A shaft turned by a waterwheel came through the bedder to turn the runner on top. The Miller poured grain through the eye of the runner. The furrows carried the flour and chaff to the perimeter. At peak efficiency, these stones could mill 300 pounds of grain an hour., The Regional Water Authority has loaned these stones to the Museum. The Stones are preserved as emblems of the resource and community stewardship that is the core of the RWA's mission.