Goldsmith's Inlet is a tidal

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

located in the Town of Southold on the North Fork of

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

in the United States. The Peconic or Goldsmith Inlet Grist Mill had its beginnings in 1836, when plans were first made for its construction.

History

The inlet has a long history dating back to the early 1600s when it was used as a trading port by the local Native American tribes. The area surrounding the inlet has been used for farming, fishing, and milling since the first settlers arrived in the 1640s. The land cleared by the Corchaugs, whose name for the area Yennecott or ''principal place'' pronounced “kehchauke” was renamed Cutchogue. It was built as a

tidal mill A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one-way gat ...

on the inlet on the North Fork of Long Island, New York and construction started in 1839, with completion in 1840. The materials used for the construction of the mill included stones, boards, bricks, as well as the labor of the workers who built it. The first miller of the Goldsmith Inlet Grist Mill was a man named Cox. However, by the 1870s, a man named Terry had taken over as the miller. He was responsible for adding an addition to the building due to the high demand for grinding grain. A tower windmill was installed. It was rumored that after the addition was made, the mill was able to grind a

bushel A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an imperial and US customary unit of volume based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. The old bushel is equal to 2 kennings (obsolete), 4 pecks, or 8 dry gallons, and was used mostly for agricult ...

of grain in just one minute. Grain was delivered to the mill by horse-drawn wagons from local farms, as well as by shallow schooners sailing across

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The mill was considered a good investment for shareholders, as it provided an important service for the local community. However, on

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...

in 1898, the mill suffered a major setback when the windwheel was destroyed during a gale. It was not considered worthwhile to replace it,

Peconic Gristmill

The Peconic Gristmill, also known as the Goldsmith's Inlet Mill, was a prominent mill in the area. It was built in 1839 as a tidal mill, using the power of the tides to turn the millstones that ground grain into flour. In 1870, a tower with vanes was added to the mill to harness the power of the wind as well. This made the mill more efficient and allowed it to operate even when the tides were low. The Thanksgiving Blizzard of 1898 severely damaged the mill, tearing off the windmill and tower from the building. The tower was never restored, and the mill continued to operate with only its water wheel for several more years. However, with the advent of modern mechanization, mills like the Peconic Gristmill became obsolete, and the building was eventually left to deteriorate.

Derelict razed

By 1906, the Peconic Gristmill had become derelict and was taken down. Today, the site where the mill stood is still of interest to many, and the water channel that once powered the mill can still be seen. The history of the mill and the surrounding area is a testament to the early industries and way of life in the Town of Southold.

References

External links

* The Little Bridge at Goldsmith's inlet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMnYwZpiRks
Images

Nautical chart of Great Peconic Bay
{{Coord, 41, 3, 14, N, 72, 28, 24, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title Bays of New York (state) Southold, New York Bays of Suffolk County, New York Windmills Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)

History

Peconic Gristmill

Derelict razed

See Also

References

External links