The Old Red Mill
by James Aiken
Title
The Old Red Mill
Artist
James Aiken
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Chittenden Mills, AKA 'The Old Red Mill', in Jericho, Vermont towers over the river waters used to power its machinery.
Chittenden Mills - the "Old Red Mill" - in Jericho, Vermont was declared a National Historic Site in 1972. It is one of two remaining mills out of eight that were once sited on the Brown's River's seven water privileges in Jericho. The Chittenden Mills at site number 2 has the longest and most interesting history.
Prior to 1855, Anson Field Sr. had a cabinet shop and starch mill at this site. His sons ran mills at site numbers 4, 5 and 6. The mill at site number 4 was a chair factory; at site number 5 was a wooden pump and tubing factory; at site number 6 was a sawmill. The Chittenden Mills has changed hands many times. Mr. Field sold out to Mr. Maeck about 1855, who, in turn, sold to James Hutchinson in 1856. Mr. Hutchinson, with money he reputedly made by speculating in cattle and mules during the California Gold Rush days, converted to a stone grist mill on the site. He, in turn, sold to Hira A. Percival and Clark Wilbur. About 1867, the mill and site were sold to Ferdinand Beach and Lucien Howe. Mr. Howe became sole owner about five years later.
At this time, the mill building was about two-thirds its present size and made entirely of stone. It was a burr mill, using five runs of mill stones, powered by water from the river and employing five or six men. In addition to doing custom milling for local farmers, Mr. Howe milled about 20,000 bushels of western (Michigan, Illinois) wheat and 10,000 bushels of corn. He produced buckwheat, graham, brown and white flour, as well as corn, oat and rye meal for sale throughout northern Vermont.
In 1885, Mr. Howe's son, Frank, became a partner. Major changes were made including enlarging the building to its present size, adding the upper floors and the tower-cupola to house the bucket elevator. The walls above the first floor masonry were made of 2x6" planks laid flat, one on top of the other, a type of construction known as "rampart" style. The supporting columns down the center of the first floor were made from tree trunks, turned on a homemade lathe by local craftsmen. Other work included the distinctive metal siding and the attaching of an older building to the rear of the mill for grain storage. At this time a significant change was made in the milling process. The old mill stones were replaced by the new roller process. This was reported to be the first mill in New England to use this process.
To develop the power needed for this new process and the increased size of the mill, the river channel was deepened by blasting with dynamite - a new and novel method at that time. Contemporary accounts praise the man who did the blasting for his skill in doing the work without damaging the mill walls. When the work was finished, the mill had a 27' head of water to provide power for the water turbines. At this time it was named "Chittenden Mills" in honor of Governor Thomas Chittenden, first governor of Vermont and great-great grandfather of Frank Howe. (Information obtained from the Jericho Historical Society)
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All photography in this gallery is the original work of James Aiken. All rights reserved. It is for sale, copyrighted to James Aiken, and as such, is protected by all US, and international copyright laws.
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Please note:
The watermark visible in the lower right hand corner of the image will NOT print on any purchased artwork
Uploaded
January 7th, 2018
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Viewed 2,154 Times - Last Visitor from Mount Laurel, NJ on 03/25/2024 at 12:27 PM
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Comments (6)
HH Photography of Florida
Gorgeous light on this beautiful Vermont landmark and landscape. Excellent composition, James. L/tw