Dexter Grist Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Dexter Grist Mill
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Dexter, Maine |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1854 |
| Built by | Caleb B. Curtis |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Industrial |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000104 |
| Added to NRHP | October 10, 1975 |
The Dexter Grist Mill, now known as the Dexter Historical Society Museum, is a very old building in Dexter, Maine. It was built way back in 1854. For more than 100 years, one family ran this mill. They used it to grind grain into flour. In 1967, this historic building became a museum. It was recognized as an important place in 1975. This means it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
What is the Dexter Grist Mill?
The Dexter Grist Mill is in the middle of Dexter village. It sits next to a big parking lot. This lot is behind the shops on Main and Spring Streets. The mill property has two main parts. There is the large mill building itself. There is also a house where the miller lived.
The Mill Building: A Look Inside
The main mill building is made of wood. It is about 30 feet wide and 75 feet long. The main part of the building has two floors. There are also some smaller sections added on. The outside walls are covered with wooden shingles and clapboards. It sits on a foundation made of brick and stone.
You can enter the mill from the north side. There is a porch over the double doors. Inside, you can still see machines from the early 1900s. These machines were used for grinding grain. The big water wheel that powered them is no longer there. The mill was built in 1854. But people had been grinding grain at this spot since the early 1800s.
The Miller's House: A Home Next Door
The miller's house is just south of the mill. It is a one-and-a-half-story wooden house. It is built in a style called Cape style. The house has five windows across the front. There is a chimney in the center of the roof. Its walls are covered with clapboard and shingles.
This house was built even earlier, in 1838. It shows a style called Greek Revival. The front door has windows on the sides. It also has decorative columns next to it. Above the door is a fancy flat piece of wood.
History of the Dexter Grist Mill
The very first mill in Dexter started around 1801. It was built by a man named Samuel Elkins. This first mill was north of the current one. It was on the shore of Lake Wassookeag. The lake's water provided the power for the mill.
How the Mill Grew Over Time
In 1817, Jonathan Farrar bought the mill property. He made the lumber mill bigger. He also built a new grist mill at the spot where the current mill stands. To power this new mill, he dug a special pond and a canal.
In 1854, Farrar teamed up with a man named Cutler. They hired Caleb B. Curtis to build the grist mill we see today. Farrar and Cutler then hired James Quimby Maxwell. Maxwell was the person who would run the mill.
A Family Business for Over a Century
Maxwell's family eventually bought the mill. They continued to run it for many years. They also kept updating the machinery. The Maxwell family operated the mill until it finally closed in 1966.
After it closed, the town bought the mill. They then gave it to the local historical society. The society turned it into a museum. The Dexter Grist Mill is special because it is one of the few mills from the mid-1800s that still exists in Maine.
See also
