Old Alabama Town Grist Mill - Montgomery, AL
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 32° 22.992 W 086° 18.199
16S E 565530 N 3583125
This grist mill dates back to the early 1900s. It was moved to Old Alabama Town in 1995 and restored for public viewing.
Waymark Code: WMFHBW
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 10/21/2012
Views: 3
Old Alabama Town covers some six blocks in Montgomery. It is the home to restored buildings that have been moved to this location to serve as a museum of life in the 1800s in Alabama. The Grist Mill is located in the Working Block.
The following history of the mill comes from "Old Alabama Town: An Illustrated Guide" by Mary Ann Neeley (ISBN 0-8173-1179-3) (p. 74):
"Just as cotton was the staple and the money producer for many farmers, corn was the basic food crop. It was what fed the family and, of course, the farm animals upon which they all depended. Corn, ground into meal and grits, was the indispensable food upon which all families survived.
Rotating millstones, powered by some external force, were necessary to change corn from kernel to grist. In earlier times water or animals supplied the power. Steam, then electrical, kerosene, diesel, and gasoline engines provided the energy to produce peck after peck of meal, grits, and ground wheat for flour. The Old Alabama Town grist mill represents the many mills which helped feed Alabamians.
James Canary Green opened his grist mill in rural Randolph County early in the twentieth century and operated it until the time of his death in the early 1940s. Then his son, Herman Green, took over and ran it until the 1950s. A modem mill for its day, the equipment included a kerosene engine to power the heavy stones that ground the corn into the desired consistency.
Using as a model the long-used equipment given to it by the Green family in 1995, Landmarks replicated housing for corn-grinding elements."
Year built?: 1900
Is the mill or gin still in operation?: No
What is or was processed here?: corn
Are tours available?: Yes, on a regular basis.
How is or was it powered?: kerosene engine
Related link to this waymark.: Not listed
What is it used as today?: Not listed
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