The Baxter Mill is a historic gristmill on
Massachusetts Route 28
Route 28 is a nominally south–north state highway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, running from the town of Eastham via Boston to the New Hampshire state line in Methuen. Following the route from its nominally southern end, Route 28 ...
in
West Yarmouth, Massachusetts
West Yarmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,012 at the 2010 census.
Geography
West Yarmouth is located in the southwest quarter of the town of ...
. Built about 1710 and restored to working order in 1961, it is the only surviving 18th-century water-powered mill on
Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
. It is now a museum property owned by the town and operated by the Yarmouth Historical Commission. The mill was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1981.
Description and history
The Baxter Mill stands west of the village center of West Yarmouth, on a narrow strip of land between Massachusetts Route 28 to the south and Mill Pond to the north, between Baxter Street and Mill Pond Road. The mill is a small wood frame two-story building, about square, with a hip roof and shingled exterior. It is set in an area that has partly defined by a low stone retaining wall on the north and east sides, and the stone-lined exit channel from the pond.
[
The mill was built c. 1710 by John and Shubel Baxter. The mill was originally powered by an externally mounted wheel, typical for the period but subject to damage from winter conditions. The mill was renovated in 1860, in which the exterior waterwheel was replaced with an internal turbine. It remained in operation until the turn of the 20th century. The building was restored to working order in 1961 (as discussed by A. Harold Castonguay, one of the restorers, in his book ''Two men on a mill: The story of the restoration of Baxter's mill''), including creation of a replica of the turbine. The 1860 turbine remains on site as part of the museum display. The mill was given to the town, and is operated by the Yarmouth Historical Commission as a museum on a seasonal basis.]
See also
*
References
External links
Baxter's Mill
- Historical Society of Old Yarmouth
{{Authority control
Flour mills in the United States
Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Industrial buildings completed in 1710
Museums in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Mill museums in Massachusetts
History museums in Massachusetts
Yarmouth, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
1710 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
History of agriculture in the United States