Have you ever seen and heard an 18th-century mill in operation? Our reconstruction of George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill -- allows you to do just that. Located only three miles from the main Estate, the distillery and mill are operating every day of the week from  April through October.

George Washington first acquired a gristmill when he inherited Mount Vernon from the widow of his half-brother, Lawrence, in 1754. This first enterprise was a "custom mill," or “toll mill.”  Washington ground his own grain, but would charge a toll for grinding other farmers' grain. The toll charge for grinding was usually 1/8 of the grain brought to the mill.

In 1770, Washington decided to build a "merchant mill," which began operation the following year. Here flour and cornmeal were ground, not only for use at Mount Vernon but also for sale up and down the East Coast of America and as far away as Portugal and the West Indies. The new mill had two pairs of stones. One pair was used to grind wheat into flour, and the other pair was used to grind corn into meal. The mill you tour today is a reconstruction of Washington’s mill built on its original foundations.

The water for the mill came from Dogue Run creek. The flour was shipped into Alexandria from Washington’s wharf along the Potomac River. From there it was loaded onto seagoing vessels for export.

In 1791, Washington installed a new automated milling system invented and patented by Oliver Evans.  This unique system connected all the machines in the mill into a continuous milling system, which greatly improved the manufacture of flour. Washington was one of the first few mill owners in America to install this new system. Visitors can see this rare system operate the first weekend of each month. Washington’s Gristmill is the only mill in the United States with an operating Oliver Evans system. 

In 1797, Washington began making whiskey at Mount Vernon, first using a part of his cooperage (where barrels were made for transporting flour). In 1798, he completed construction of a large whiskey distillery located adjacent to his gristmill.   Washington owned the largest whiskey distillery in America at the time, making nearly 11,000 gallons of rye whiskey in 1799. After extensive archaeological excavation and research, the distillery was recently reconstructed on its original foundation and opened to the public in April 2007.

At the Distillery & Gristmill, you'll meet 18th-century millers and watch the water-powered wheel grind grain into flour just as it did 200 years ago. George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill is located just three miles south of Mount Vernon on the site of Washington's original mill and distillery. Combination tickets which include a visit to the Distillery & Gristmill are sold at Mount Vernon's Main Gate.