The Peirce Mill is a historic mill building located in Rock Creek Park, at Tilden Street and Beach Drive, Northwest, Washington, D.C., United States.

History

thumb|upright|Millstones inside the mill

Issac Peirce, a millwright, built the mill either in 1820 or 1829.

Peirce rebuilt this mill according to Oliver Evans's ideas for milling, with much of the automated machinery on the upper floors. During the 1860s, as many as 12 wagonloads of wheat arrived for grinding. It was possible to grind 70 bushels per day per set of millstones. The last commercial load was ground in 1897, when the main shaft broke while Alcibiades P. White was grinding a load of rye. The building served as a public teahouse until the 1930s.

Peirce Mill was restored as a Public Works Administration project, completed in March 1936, at a cost of $26,614.

Operation began on October 27, 1936, under the supervision of miller Robert A. Little. The mill was used from December 1, 1936 until 1958 to provide flour for government cafeterias, The NPS typically runs mill operation demonstrations on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, April through October.

<gallery mode=packed-hover caption="Historic Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park, Washington DC USA." align=left widths="240px" heights="160px">

File:16-09-24 005 Rock Creek Park.jpg|Peirce Mill front exterior.

File:Peirce Mill Water Wheel.jpg|The breast-shot wheel

File:16-09-24 007 Rock Creek Park.jpg|Peirce Mill back exterior.

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Facts

The mill has three pairs of millstones. The millstones are 4 1/2 feet across and weigh about 2,400&nbsp;lbs, and rotate at about 125&nbsp;rpm. About 60% of the power is used to turn the millstones, the rest for the remaining machinery. The Peirce family themselves were not millers and did not operate the mill, but instead had other millers do so. and was near Fletcher's Boathouse.

See also

  • Rock Creek Park

References

  • Friends of Peirce Mill