The History Channel takes a look into the operation of the George Washington's automated gristmill. The gristmill is available to tour between April and October each year at Mount Vernon.
It's easy today to dismiss this engineering marvel as something outdated and even simple but in reality most people today would not be able to fully understand and explain , let alone create from scratch a gristmill. We've come a long way but we should not forget how revolutionary these things were.
'should not forget how revolutionary these things were'... exactly. I tell my students this all the time with things like the Telegraph that they otherwise would dismiss as something obsolete when it was massively life changing in its time. It's fun to think about how radically people's everyday lives were transformed by such innovation!
I've always been fascinated by grist mills, and it's amazing how much power there is in water. But the main thing that I think of is it's not very sanitary compared to how modern day processing plants are required to be. Somehow the people for centuries survived potential contamination.
I grew up within WALKING DISTANCE of this place! It is astonishing! A HELL of a lot of money has been spent on restoring and keeping it that awesome! They actually grind up grain to make RYE alcohol with. They SELL it in more really nice big buildings behind it. Tastes like paint thinner is what I have been told lol...
Our distillers have come a long way since the first year's run. We're now up to 4-years aged and have been named the official spirit of Virginia. It's worth another taste. We now also offer individual gift sets with a mini-bottle. www.mountvernon.org/the-estate-gardens/distillery/distilled-spirits-at-mount-vernon/george-washington-whiskey-gift-set/
my family built grist mills all over our state during that time period. the one closest to us was finally demolished in 1974 (very. sad). we got to keep some of the wood from it.
What a neat heritage you have from your family. That was quite a specialty and from this video I see how complex it is to build...I doubt it could be easily replicated today..thanks for sharing.
@@loam6740 complacency, sin, and specialization. Im not saying I dont partake, rather, I agree with the gentleman here wishing that times were a bit slower, and simpler.
@@donarthiazi2443 I do as much as I can. Yeah. I still watch RU-vid and eat at restaurants and enjoy some modern conveniences but with taxes, a wife that enjoys modern life lol and everything else it is more of a novelty than anything else unfortunately.
technology has allowed us to conveniently forget so much. one day, we will find ourselves abandoned by it, and the dark ages will start all over again.
Nice intellectual video. I was about buy a smaller version stone grain mill for home available in market. Needed few info. So bigger the diameter of stones finer will be grain flours. Thx.
So cool!! Some questions! It seems so loud, is it hard to hear one another while working there? This mill seems more grand and elaborate than other videos I have seen. How does this mill compare to some that would be for smaller villages? Did or does the mill serve any other function? This other video I watched briefly mentioned grinding glass (for glazing, what does that mean?) and running water through a pipe to keep a liquor still cool. THANKS!! AWESOME VIDEO!!
I don't know about glass but usually a mill would have many functions. 1 is to grind corn into flour as we saw. And 2 is the water-wheel powers a sawmill for cutting lumber. And 3 the water-wheel also assists a blacksmith by keeping a very large hammer simply going up and down so the smith can use its weight/power to shape hot metal.
The original mill was destroyed in the 1850's. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association reconstructed the mill in the exact working standards with a full creating of the Oliver Evans system, the third U.S. patent.
After the meal comes off the millstones, it is very very hot. This machine, called the hopper boy, dries and cools the meal received from the millstones through a raking motion. Before the Evans system was installed at Washington's gristmill, this process was done manually with rakes.
It did not require electricity. Good for the environment. We may wish we had these once the electric grid is overburdened with charging electric vehicles.
You mean economic diversity? I mean sure Washington has a more diverse enterprise given his estate is 8000 acres large and is beside a river, compared to Jefferson's 5000 acres located at a mountaintop...
