Snuff and Grist Mills, Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum - North Kingstown, RI
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NorStar
N 41° 31.211 W 071° 26.685
19T E 296010 N 4599390
The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum features the snuff mill that noted painter Gilbert Stuart was born in, and a grist mill, both working.
Waymark Code: WMEDAD
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2012
Views: 4
In North Kingstown, at a place where Gilbert Stuart Road crosses a brook, is the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum, which features two working mills - a snuff mill and a grist mill.
To get there, from Route 138, go south on Boston Neck Road to Snuff Mill Road. Take a right onto this road and continue, taking a sharp right turn, then taking a left turn at a junction onto Gilbert Stuart Road. Follow Gilbert Stuart Road to the museum on the right and the parking lot to the left.
The mills are visible from the road, so paying admission is not required. However, the admission fee is modest and the tour we had took just about an hour and was very detailed, including a live demonstration of how the snuff mill works.
From the road, the snuff mill is the one on the left side of the brook. The building is two stories tall, and is colored a deep red. The roof is a barn type shingle roof (two slopes). The living quarters are located in the upper part of the mill, while the mill workings are in the basement. The snuff mill creates a powder form of tobacco called snuff that is inhaled. It was very popular in colonial times. The mill had a beat shaped roller that rolled in a circle (powered by the wheel), crushing the tobacco in its path. The web site states that the mill/house was built in 1750. It has been restored since then. The wheel is an undershoot wheel that is in working order.
The grist mill is the smaller and simpler structure on the right side of the brook. The grist mill has plain planking and has a steep shingle roof. It stands on a stone foundation - which dates back to the original building of the mill in 1757. Both levels in this building are used to grind corn. The grinding wheel is in the upper level. The grinding is demonstrated twice a year (we missed it by a week).
The tour is $7 per person and takes from 45 minutes to an hour. The tour includes a tour of the living quarters, which includes a room that is considered where Gilbert Stuart was born and reproductions of paintings done by Stuart to relate his life. Stuart's most famous painting is actually the basis for the portrait on the One Dollar Bill.
Source:
Web Site for Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum:
(
visit link)