Peirce Mill | |
 Peirce Mill in 2008 | |
  | |
| Location | Tilden Street and Beach Drive, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°56′24″N77°3′8″W / 38.94000°N 77.05222°W Coordinates: 38°56′24″N77°3′8″W / 38.94000°N 77.05222°W |
| Built | 1820 |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000014 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 24, 1969 |
The Peirce Mill is a historic mill building located in Rock Creek Park, at Tilden Street and Beach Drive, Northwest, Washington, D.C., United States.
Issac Peirce, a millwright, [2] built the mill either in 1820 or 1829. [3] Peirce rebuilt this mill according to Oliver Evans's ideas for milling, with much of the automated machinery on the upper floors. During the 1860s, as many as 12 wagonloads of wheat arrived for grinding. It was possible to grind 70 bushels per day per set of millstones. The last commercial load was ground in 1897, when the main shaft broke while Alcibiades P. White was grinding a load of rye. The building served as a public teahouse until the 1930s. [2]
The United States Government bought the mill as part of Rock Creek Park in 1892. [4] Peirce Mill was restored as a Public Works Administration project, [5] completed in March 1936, at a cost of $26,614. Operation began on October 27, 1936, under the supervision of miller Robert A. Little. [6] The mill was used from December 1, 1936 until 1958 to provide flour for government cafeterias, [5] whereupon because of lack of trained millwrights and lack of water in the millrace, it was used only as a historical site.
The mill was shut down in April, 1993. In 1997, a restoration effort was begun by the Friends of Peirce Mill (FOPM). The mill was restored with the support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The mill officially reopened in October, 2011. [7] The NPS typically runs mill operation demonstrations on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, April through October.
The mill has three pairs of millstones. The millstones are 4 1/2 feet across and weigh about 2,400 lbs, and rotate at about 125 rpm. About 60% of the power is used to turn the millstones, the rest for the remaining machinery. The Peirce family themselves were not millers and did not operate the mill, but instead had other millers do so. [2]
There was a "Pierce" (note spelling) mill on the Potomac River, not to be confused with Peirce mill. The other mill (Pierce Mill) is listed in the NPS records [8] and was near Fletcher's Boathouse.
Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The park was created by an Act of Congress in 1890 and today is administered by the National Park Service. In addition to the park proper, the Rock Creek administrative unit of the National Park Service administers various other federally owned properties in the District of Columbia located to the north and west of the National Mall, including Meridian Hill Park on 16th Street, N.W., the Old Stone House in Georgetown, and certain of the Fort Circle Parks, a series of batteries and forts encircling the District of Columbia for its defense during the U.S. Civil War.
Saxtead Green Post Windmill is a Grade II* listed post mill at Saxtead Green, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England which is also an Ancient Monument and has been restored.
Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones.
Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River that empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The 32.6-mile (52.5 km) creek drains about 76.5 square miles (198 km2). Its final quarter-mile is affected by tides.
Durrington or High Salvington Windmill is a Grade II listed post mill in High Salvington, Sussex that has been restored and is in full working order. The mill stands 320 feet (98 m) above sea level and is able to take advantage of incoming sea winds.
King's Mill or Vincent's Mill, Shipley, West Sussex, England, is a smock mill built in 1879 which has been restored and was open to the public until its closure on 19 July 2009.
Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, formerly known as Historic Mill Creek State Park is a state park, nature preserve, and historic site in the United States state of Michigan. It is run by Mackinac State Historic Parks, the operating arm of the Mackinac Island State Park. 625 acres (2.5 km²) in size, the park is located 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Mackinaw City, Michigan on U.S. Highway 23.
Shirley Windmill is a Grade II listed tower mill in Shirley, in the London Borough of Croydon, England which has been restored to working order.
Schech's Mill is a historic mill in Houston County, Minnesota, United States. It is one of three watermills in Minnesota still operating solely with water power and the only one to have its original millstones. Built by John Blinn in 1876, it was purchased by a Minneapolis miller, Michael Schech who had emigrated from Bavaria, Germany. The mill produced cornmeal, rye buckwheat, wheat flour, graham flour, and whole wheat cereal, which was sold in Caledonia and Houston, Minnesota. Schech's Mill is unique in the state for retaining intact and operable machinery from the 1870s, after the middlings purifier had been introduced but before millstones were supplanted by roller mills. In 1922, a concrete dam was built to replace the original wooden one.
Union Mill is a Grade I listed smock mill in Cranbrook, Kent, England, which has been restored to working order. It is the tallest smock mill in the United Kingdom.
Windmill Hill Mill is a grade II* listed post mill at Herstmonceux, Sussex, England which has been restored and now operates as a working mill. The mill is open to the public on most Sundays from Easter until October.
Stock Windmill is a grade II* listed tower mill at Stock, Essex, which has been restored.
White Roding Windmill is a Grade II listed preserved tower mill at White Roding, Essex, England.
George Washington's Gristmill was part of the original Mount Vernon plantation, constructed during the lifetime of the United States' first president. The original structure was destroyed about 1850. The Commonwealth of Virginia and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association have reconstructed the gristmill and the adjacent distillery. The reconstructed buildings are located at their original site three miles (5 km) west of Mount Vernon proper near Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, Virginia. Because the reconstructed buildings embody the distinctive characteristics of late eighteenth century methods of production and are of importance to the history of Virginia, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places despite the fact that the buildings are not original.
The Joaquin Miller Cabin is an historic structure situated in Washington, DC's Rock Creek Park. Built by the American poet, essayist and fabulist Joaquin Miller, it represents the only known example of late 19th century Rustic-style log cabin in Washington, D.C. It is a Classified Structure within Rock Creek Park.
The Newlin Mill Complex, also referred to as The Newlin Grist Mill, is a water-powered gristmill on the west branch of Chester Creek near Concordville, Pennsylvania was built in 1704 by Nathaniel and Mary Newlin and operated commercially until 1941. During its three centuries of operation, the mill has been known as the Lower Mill, the Markham Mill, the Seventeen-O-Four Mill and the Concord Flour Mill. In 1958 the mill property was bought by E. Mortimer Newlin, restored and given to the Nicholas Newlin Foundation to use as a historical park. Water power is still used to grind corn meal which is sold on site. The park includes five historical buildings, which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and 150 acres (61 ha) of natural woodland.
De Hoop is a smock mill in Holwerd, Friesland, Netherlands which was built in the 1730s and is working for trade. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 38709.
Marsh Mill is an 18th-century tower windmill in Thornton, Lancashire, England. It was built in 1794 by Ralph Slater for local landowner Bold Hesketh. It functioned as a corn mill until the 1920s and has been fully restored. It is a good example of a complete English windmill and has been designated a Grade II* listed building.
The Peirce Still House is an historic building located next to Rock Creek Park, at 2400 Tilden Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C.
The Pierce Springhouse and Barn, also known as the Art Barn, is an historic barn and springhouse located in Rock Creek Park, at Tilden Street and Beach Drive, Northwest, Washington, D.C.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peirce Mill . |
| Topics | |
|---|---|
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Related | |
| General | |
|---|---|
| National libraries | |
