Old Grist Mill Pond Dam - Seekonk, MA - Water Dams on Waymarking.com

In Seekonk, at the junction of Fall River Avenue, Mill Road, and Arcade Avenue, is the Old Grist Mill Pond Dam, which is behind the Old Grist Mill Tavern.

The dam is located next to the restaurant. There is ample parking lot space with access from Arcade Avenue. You can see the spillway from the edge of the parking lot, but, unfortunately, right now, the bridge over the spillway is closed due to the fact that the restaurant had a major fire (due to a truck skidding into the natural gas/electrical hookups on the Fall River Avenue side - preliminary determination). The pond, however, is easily accessed from the parking lot.

The dam is an earthen embankment with a stone spillway. The spillway is about 15 ft wide and about 10 ft in total height. The water cascades in three levels: a small initial two drops, then a longer drop. The bridge over the dam is wooden and stained dark.

According to a newspaper article, though the sign on the restaurant states that the gristmill started in 1745, timber from the building is probably older, maybe 1738. The earlier date was used here. The dam probably has been improved over the years. The gristmill located here lasted until about 1938, when it was transformed into a restaurant. The fire, of course, didn't affect the dam, but it did severely damaged the restaurant building. The owner vows to rebuild - hopefully the owner will succeed and once again patrons will be able to cross the bridge over the river.

Source:

Patch.com (A Taste for History at the Old Grist Mill):
(visit link)

Old Grist Mill Tavern:
(visit link)

Waterway where the dam is located: Runnins River Main use of the Water Dam: Other Material used in the structure: embankment Height of Dam: 10 ft Date built: 01/01/1738 Fishing Allowed: yes Motor Sports Allowed: no

Visit Instructions:
Photo of the Dam and a description of your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   08/13/2012 RIclimber visited it