Wye Grist Mill
The Wye Grist Mill is located on a 3/4 acre plot of land in the Town of Wye Mills, on the border of Queen Anne's and Talbot Counties, Eastern Shore Maryland. The mill and museum is a rectangular, one-story 30' by 40' timber structure with a full basement and attic filled with milling artifacts and museum exhibits. A timber frame structure was originally constructed on this site circa 1682, with multiple additions and renovations over the last 325 years.
Discover the long and colorful past of this National Register Historic Landmark. Watch the waterwheel turn the heavy stones to grind the grain as millers explain the milling process. Explore exhibits that feature over 325 years of grinding technology.
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Hours
The Wye Grist Mill is open from mid-April to mid-November.
- Monday thru Saturday - Doors open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
- Sunday - Doors open from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
Grinding Days are the first and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Volunteers demonstrate the traditional stone grinding process.
(Note: Many places fill to capacity on busy, nice weather days, especially holiday weekends. Please call ahead or visit the official website to get the most up-to-date information before visiting.)
Fees
A $2 donation per person is suggested.
Activities
Tours for schools, senior groups, and heritage travelers.
Grinding Days are the first and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Millers demonstrate the traditional stone grinding process.
History
Out of hundreds of mills in America in colonial times, only a few survive, and fewer still operate. As the oldest working mill in the U.S. (c.1682) this flour-producing grist mill has participated in three centuries of war, nation-building, industrial invention and agricultural heritage.
During the American Revolution, the Wye Grist Mill and other mills on the Eastern Shore shipped thousands of barrels of flour to the Continental Army, commanded by General George Washington. Historians dubbed the Eastern Shore "The Breadbasket of the American Revolution." Prominent past owners of the Mill include Richard Bennett III, Edward Lloyd III and IV (owners of Wye House) and Col. William Hemsley, Commander of the Queen Anne's County Militia and provisioner to the Continental Army, 1779 - 1783. Oliver Evans, "Father of the modern factory" and the first great American inventor, used the Wye Grist Mill in the 1790's to formulated automation ideas that revolutionized American factories.
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