The Old Mill and the Covered Bridge

Synopsis

The old grist mill and the covered bridge are links with America’s past which, even today, have not passed entirely from the scene. Each was a part of the fabric of our young and growing nation and each made its own contribution to our progress.

By today’s standards, the old grist mill, driven by water-power and with everything except its grinding stones made of wood, is somewhat primitive. Yet even today, one must admire the fine craftsmanship with which the water wheels and the various wheels and shafts which transmitted the power were fashioned.

The old mills, and particularly the grist mill, marched with the pioneer who wrested the wilderness from savage beast and Indian. It is debatable whether the grist mill or the saw mill had priority in our productive history. But it is altogether likely that the grist mill came first in construction, with the meeting house a close second. The Bible and the plow, and sometimes the rifle, always advanced together. “To mill and to meeting” was an old-time admonition.

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