The Grist Mill 1809

The Grist Mill 1809. . In the fall of 1809, the grist mill had been constructed and began operation grinding wheat, corn, oats, rye, and barley for the surrounding community. It was built by two brothers, George and John Ball, and was the first of three mills they built on this site. This mill provided flour for the British Army during The War of 18 12. , The mill operated with the power of the water from the Twenty Mile Creek. A raceway, or culvert, was dug upstream from the Lower waterfall, allowing water to flow into the basement, turning the overshot water wheel, to power all mechanisms in the mill. , Originally, this mill housed two sets of mill stones to grind grains. In 1846, an addition was built onto the mill that included two more stones. This increased production from one thousand to seven thousand barrels of flour per year. A steam engine was also installed to allow operations to continue, despite the decrease of water flow in the Twenty Mile Creek. The flour was sold to local markets and exported to Great Britain. , Production at the mill slowed down after the 1850s due to changes in water flow in the Twenty Mile Creek, technological advancements in the process of grinding grains, and transportation issues. In 1910, Mortimer Ball, the third generation of the Ball family to live on this site, closed the grist mill. , Today, the grist mill operates once a year during the Ball's Falls Thanksgiving Festival, using electricity to grind wheat into whole-wheat flour.