Have you ever seen and heard an 18th-century mill in operation? Mount Vernon's newest attraction -- a reconstruction of George Washington's Gristmill -- allows you to do just that. Located only three miles from the main Estate, the mill is up and running every day of the week from the beginning of April through the end of October.

The Gristmill is open to the public and features guided tours led by historic interpreters.

  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," where wheat and corn were ground not for sale, but mainly for neighboring farmers and for consumption  on the Estate.

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. It is a reconstruction of this mill that you can see today at Mount Vernon.

The water for the mill came from Dogue Run stream. The flour Washington sold was loaded onto ships from a wharf located on the stream's waterfront.

At this same location, Washington ran a distillery for making whiskey, and a cooperage, where barrels were made for storing and shipping the products produced at the site. Mount Vernon archaeologists began a long-term excavation of the entire area in the spring of 1997, and excavated the Distillery until 2006.  The Distillery is being rebuilt and will open to the public in the April 2007. For more information about the Distillery excavation, see "Related Links," top right.

At the 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 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 Gristmill are sold at Mount Vernon's Main Gate.

George Washington's Gristmill and millrace.

Wooden gears turn the stones at George Washington's Gristmill.