My property in Carlisle is the site of a historical colonial era water powered mill. The town records indicate that the there was a mill on the site on or around 1660 – which is only 30 years after the founding of Boston. I will need check this but I believe the mill burned down around 1904 – so almost 250 years of milling!
If you check on the web, there are still a few operating water powered mills in the USA. I am going to try and visit a few as I drive across the country from San Francisco to Carlisle.
- First up: Butte Creek Mill (http://buttecreekmill.com/ ) just north of Ashland OR on Highway 5 ( 402 N. Royal Ave., Eagle Point, Oregon ). http://buttecreekmill.com/contact-us/directions/
- Second up: Thomson Mills State Heritage site in OR on Highway 5 (Park: 541-491-3611 ) http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=186
- Third up: Willamette Heritage Center near Salem, OR on Highway 5 (1313 Mill Street SE Salem, OR 97301 Ph 503- 585 -7012)
- http://www.willametteheritage.org/plan_a_visit.html