Baxter Mill - West Yarmouth MA
Posted by: nomadwillie
N 41° 39.448 W 070° 15.687
19T E 394970 N 4612514
A grist mill for grinding corn built in 1710
Waymark Code: WMC5RX
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2011
Views: 4
Baxter Mill is a historic mill on route MA 28 in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
The mill was built during 1710 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
The Yarmouth Historical Commission operates the mill as a museum on a seasonal basis.
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The first mill in Yarmouth was built around 1700 by Thomas Baxter and Shubal Gorham. That mill, a fulling mill, was also located in West Yarmouth near today's Swan's Pond. A few years later, the team built this grist mill for grinding corn, and for many years it was operated by Baxter's sons, Thomas and Shubal. Baxter family members operated the mill for several generations then sold to members of the Baker family, who operated the mill until 1900.
As originally constructed, the mill featured an outside waterwheel. Because the level of Mill Pond was low and winter freezing caused much damage, the wheel was replaced with an interior power turbine around 1860. The mill operated for almost 200 years until about 1900, when electricity and commercial flour became readily available. The mill was restored in the 1960s by Harold Castonguay and George Kelley and given to the town of Yarmouth. It was the first site in Yarmouth to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Source: (
visit link)