Mills of the 18th & 19th Century

The housewife of the early colonist had a burdensome chore if she wished to serve cornbread, and frequently corn was the only grain available. First she had to make cornmeal. Having no gristmills, she followed the example of the Indians, who reduced the corn by crushing the grain in a concave stone mortar with a pestle or by putting the grain in a bag which was pounded with a stout bludgeon. Such a process was not only tedious and time-consuming, but the results were unsatisfactory for the making of palatable bread.

The General Assembly in 1715 delegated to the precinct courts authority to grant franchises in their respective jurisdiction for the construction of both wind and water mills. Two acres or more were to be set aside for the construction of a mill powered by water and one-half acre set aside for the use of a wind-type construction.

Thomas Hunter was the first to construct a watermill on the northeast side of the Pasquotank River. There are references to three others of earlier origin but the one erected by Hunter is the only one which has been recorded in early court minutes. On July 18, 1737, Hunter, who was one of the presiding justices, introduced a motion permitting him "to obtain an order to build a mill upon the northeast branch of Arnoose Creek." Essau Albertson had a watermill at a place called "Albert's Mill Dam," presently known as the "Upper Mill Dam," located on Route 343 about half way between Camden and Shiloh.

Watermills proved inadequate in coastal areas. Due to the flatness of the terrain, not enough water could be impounded by the dams for operation during periods of light rainfall. Windmills were found to be more dependable and in time displaced the water type in the more level country. Our earliest settlements concentrated along the creeks and rivers, so naturally this is where we would find windmills in operation.

The European windmills were of the post type, being a vertical post around which the entire mill rotated, and the turret type with the wind wheel and shaft set in a rotating turret mounted on a stationary tower. Both types used an auxiliary tail wheel or directing vane to keep the wind wheel facing the wind. This was the type our forefathers were accustomed to using.

Windmills were about 40 feet high with four wind sails about 20 feet in length, making a 40-foot diameter wind wheel. The horizontal shaft with wind sails was not set at a true 90 degree angle but approximately 80 degrees, making it possible for the said sweep to clear the turret completely. The sails were eight frames of wooden slats with canvas over-stretched (on the principle of venetian blinds), controlled by gears or operated by hand to regulate the turning forces of the wind. When not in use, the canvas sails were removed from the arms. The canvas was laced on each arm; this task was known as slewing. A spring in the wind shaft helped to regulate the speed of the sails.

In this type of mill, the grain was first crushed on the lower floor by large stone grinders, lifted by buckets to the upper level where fine texture meal or flour was ground, cleaned by fans or wind-rowing of chaff, and then moved by chutes to the lower level and stored. The capacity of such a mill was 20 to 40 barrels of meal a day.

Long before the Revolution, Isaac Guilford built a windmill on the river below Old Trap, therefore dubbing the name One Mill. In 1850, there were five windmills in operation... perhaps the largest number ever constructed on one location in Camden County. Operators included John Bell, Jacob Bell, Noah Torksey, William Jones and Simeon Forbes. The name first given to this site was naturally "Mill Town." Mill Town was later called Texaco Beach and today is called Elizabeth City Beach, sometimes referred to as Shiloh Beach.

For about 150 years, Mill Town was an important place. There were wharves where ships unloaded goods from the outside world and warehouses had been built. This was a gathering place for people who had traveled great distances and had to wait for their corn to be ground. Thus, political discussions between acquaintances, mingled with ghost stories, hunting experiences, and the latest news and gossip among friends, filled idle time. With the passing of the windmills, Mill Town lost most of its importance.

As the population increased in an essentially agricultural county, horsepower and gasoline-powered mills were also in operation. People depended on these mills, not only to grind corn but to convert wheat into flour. The mills also supplemented the income of the operators who, for the most part, operated on the toll system. A big scoop holding about one sixth of a half bushel measure was used to take the toll out of the Indian corn before it was ground, and one eighth part of wheat was taken out for toll. The toll corn and wheat was ground for meal and flour and sold locally. The penalty for any violation was ten times the value of the product.

Time brought many improvements to the early settlers. The sawmill was introduced and neater structures replaced the cabins first used. Throughout the county, there were many mills, usually referred to by the last names of their owners; namely, Grice, Gray, Lamb, Gilbert, Jones, Kelly, Pritchard, Cartwright, Pearce, Sawyer, and many others not known.

Footnotes:
Three Hundred Years along the Pasquotank, by Jesse F. Pugh
Hyde County History (a Bicentennial project)

Further information is available from: Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center