George Washington's Gristmill facts for kids
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George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill
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Reconstruction of Washington’s Gristmill
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 Location in Northern Virginia
Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 5512 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., Lorton, Virginia, USA |
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| Area | 6.7 acres (2.7 ha) |
| Built | 1770; reconstructed in 1933 |
| Architect | Burson, R.E. (1933 reconstruction) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000739 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 8, 2003 |
George Washington's Gristmill was a key part of the original Mount Vernon estate. It was built when George Washington, the first president of the United States, was alive. The first mill was destroyed around 1850. Today, the state of Virginia and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association have rebuilt both the gristmill and a nearby distillery.
These rebuilt buildings stand on their original spots. They are about three miles (4.8 km) west of the Mount Vernon mansion. You can find them near Woodlawn Plantation in Fairfax County. Even though the buildings are not the originals, they show how things were made in the late 1700s. Because of their importance to Virginia's history, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Discovering the History of Washington's Mill
George Washington took over Mount Vernon in 1754. In 1771, he built a large stone gristmill. This new mill replaced an older one his father had built in the 1730s. The mill was located about three miles (5 kilometres (3.1 mi)) west of Mount Vernon. It sat on Dogue Run Creek.
The mill made flour and cornmeal for the plantation. It also produced high-quality flour to sell overseas. This flour was sent to places like the West Indies, England, and Europe. Washington also built a house for the miller. He added a cooperage to make barrels for the mill and later for the distillery.
The mill used a large water wheel for power. To make sure there was enough water, some was moved from Piney Branch into Dogue Run Creek. This extra water helped the mill make much more flour. In 1791, Washington made his mill even better. He used new technology invented by Oliver Evans from Delaware.
The Distillery: A Business Venture
Once the gristmill was working well, Washington's farm manager, James Anderson, suggested building a whiskey distillery. When it was finished in 1797, it was the biggest distillery in America. By 1799, it was one of Washington's most successful businesses. It made 11,000 gallons of whiskey each year.
The distillery produced different kinds of whiskeys, brandy, and vinegar. A common whiskey recipe used rye, corn, and malted barley. Some whiskey was distilled several times and was more expensive. They even flavored some with cinnamon. If rye was hard to find, they used wheat. They also made Apple, peach, and persimmon brandies.
The whiskey was sold in Alexandria, Virginia. It was also shipped directly from Mount Vernon's dock on the Potomac River. The distilling process created a lot of leftover material. This was fed to 150 cattle and 30 hogs kept at the site.
The Mill's Later Years and Destruction
After Washington died in December 1799, the gristmill and distillery went to his nephew, Lawrence Lewis. In 1808, Lewis rented the site to a merchant from Alexandria. The last known mention of the distillery business was a whiskey ad in 1808.
The distillery building burned down in 1814. An insurance payment to Lewis confirms this. In 1848, Lewis’ grandson sold the gristmill property with Woodlawn Plantation. This is the last record of the original buildings. Local stories say the mill was very run-down by 1848. It was torn down around 1850.
Rebuilding History: The Reconstruction Project
In 1932, the Commonwealth of Virginia bought about 6.65 acres (26,900 m2) of land where the old mill once stood. The state started digging at the site. Their goal was to rebuild the gristmill, distillery, and other buildings from Washington's time.
The gristmill and the miller's house were rebuilt in 1933. Soon after, the site opened as a state park. However, by 1936, the state stopped taking care of the park. Around 1940, a local group called the Future Farmers of America started looking after the grounds. But not many people visited the park. The state took over responsibility again in 1962. Over the next 20 years, more structures were built at the site.
In 1997, Virginia gave the property to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. This group owns and runs the Mount Vernon estate. From 1997 to 2002, the main buildings were greatly improved. This included rebuilding the inside parts of the mill and fixing the miller's house. They also restored the millraces and built new brick paths.
Because the property shows how things were made in the late 1700s, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. In 1999, experts began to study the distillery site. After five years of research, the distillery was rebuilt. It opened to the public in 2007. This project cost $2.1 million. It was paid for by groups representing the spirits industry.
Exploring the Historic Site
George Washington's Gristmill is located on 6.65 acres (2.69 ha) of land. It is about three miles west of the Mount Vernon estate. The site slopes eastward and is next to Dogue Run Creek. A highway, Virginia Route 235, cuts through the property. All the important historical parts are on the east side of the highway. This includes the gristmill, distillery, miller's house, and old archaeological sites.
The Gristmill: How it Worked
The gristmill is a stone building in the Colonial Revival style. It was built in 1933 based on old records and discoveries from digging. The building is 37 feet (11 m) by 50 feet (15 m). Its foundation is built into a hillside. It has two and a half stories on the north side and three and a half stories on the south.
The mill is made of sandstone with stone window frames and sills. Its roof is covered with wooden shingles. There are wooden doors on the first floor on both the north and south sides. The millrace, which carries water, enters the mill on the north side and leaves on the south.
The inside parts of the mill were taken from an 1818 gristmill in Front Royal, Virginia. Some of these original parts are still in the building. However, most of the mill's working parts were replaced between 1997 and 2002. The inside walls are stone, with large wooden beams. The floors are made of wide pine boards.
A stone fireplace is in the southwest corner of the first floor. The grinding platform is on the second floor. The third level is one large room with screens and other equipment for processing grain. A staircase goes from the first floor to the attic. The mill's two grinding stones are powered by a pitch-back water wheel. The mill's machinery is inside a strong frame made of heavy oak and pine beams. This frame is built directly on the mill's foundation. It is not connected to the walls. This protects the building from the machinery's vibrations.
The Miller's House
The miller's house was built at the same time as the gristmill. The rebuilt house is on its original spot. Its design comes from archaeological finds and a drawing from the mid-1800s. It is a wood-frame building on a stone foundation. It is covered with wooden weatherboard. In 1970, a one-and-a-half-story addition doubled the size of the building.
The original part of the house has two main rooms and a small bathroom. This area is now used as a gift shop. The new part of the house includes a kitchen, pantry, and more space for the gift shop.
The Distillery: Making Spirits in the 1700s
No complete 1700s distillery exists today. So, rebuilding Washington's distillery needed a lot of digging and research. The archaeological study started in 1997 and lasted until 2006. During the digging, archaeologists found the distillery's stone foundation. It was about 36 inches (900 mm) thick. Some original foundation stones were over 24 inches (600 mm) wide. They also found the first layer of the sandstone walls.
They discovered where five stills and boilers were located. They also found many items used in the distilling process. These included fragments of teacups, drinking glasses, and buttons.
The distillery was rebuilt in 2007. To make it look truly authentic, the wood was finished by hand. Hand-made nails and hardware were used. However, some changes were needed to meet modern safety rules. For example, the original building was 30 by 75 feet (9 m by 23 m). It was extended by 15 feet (4.6 m) to add an elevator and a modern staircase for visitors.
The distillery has two floors. It features five large copper stills, mash tubs, and a boiler. These show how distilling was done in the 1700s. The building also has a storage cellar for barrels. There is an office and two bedrooms where the site manager and his assistant would have lived.
The building's floors are made of three different materials. A stone floor is used in the mashing area. This helps reduce vibrations that could affect the fermentation process. Around the boilers and under the staircase, there is a brick floor. An elevated wooden floor is around the stills. Wooden planks are used for flooring in the rest of the building.
James Anderson, from Inverkeithing in Scotland, gave the plans for the original distillery. Much of the letters between Washington and Anderson are kept at the Library of Congress. Anderson suggested building the distillery and making whiskey. Washington was unsure at first, but he agreed after friends advised him. The process was based on Scottish methods. However, the spirit was not aged like Scotch is today. Because of this, the whiskey tasted quite different.
Visiting the Site
The gristmill, distillery, and gift shop are open to the public from April through October. They are about three miles west of Mount Vernon's main gate on Virginia Route 235. You can buy tickets to tour the gristmill and distillery at Mount Vernon or at the gristmill's gift shop. Tickets can be bought with admission to Mount Vernon or separately. Public transportation is available between Mount Vernon and the gristmill.
See also
- List of historic whisky distilleries
- George Washington's Fishery
