February 2023 News
Special Sale on Cornmeal in February
For the entire month of February, cornmeal will be on sale at a special price.
Organic Cornmeal: Two 2 lb bags for $13.00 (must buy 2 bags)
Regular Cornmeal: Two 2lb bags for $8.00 (must buy 2 bags)
One bag of each: $10.00
The mill office will be open from 10 am to 2 pm on Wednesdays, February 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd.
The Old Wye Mill office is located at 28637 Queen Anne Highway (corner of Old Wye Mills Road and Route 404) in the center of the village of Wye Mills.
Call us at 410-827-3850 for more information or email info@oldwyemill.org.
Who Was Oliver Evans?
Oliver Evans was born in Newport, Delaware in 1755, one of twelve children. In the 1780's he began formulating his first invention, the automated flour mill. The new system streamlined the milling process and produced a finer and cleaner flour. In 1790, upon the introduction of federal patent law, Evans applied for a patent for his invention and was granted the third US patent. One of his early customers was George Washington, who had his gristmill at Mount Vernon converted to the Evans system in 1791. A creative and prolific inventor, Oliver Evans also invented the first high-pressure steam engine, the first, albeit it crude, amphibious vehicle and American automobile. Read more about Oliver Evans below in the brief history of the Old Wye Mill.
Photo of the Month
At one time there were over 900 mills in Colonial America. Today there are fewer than two dozen still operating by water power. The Old Wye Mill is celebrating over 340 years of continuous operation as the oldest water-powered mill in the United States, and one of the oldest commercial businesses in continuous operation in Maryland. Founded in 1682, the Mill followed the 1665 establishment of a significant land grant of 1,350 acres from Lord Baltimore to Thomas Williams called Wilton and Wilton Annex. Over the years the Mill has been owned by some of the most famous families in Maryland, including Edward Lloyd III and Edward Lloyd IV, Richard Bennett and Colonel William Hemsley. The Old Wye Mill was one of the mills that provided significant quantities of flour and grain to Washington’s troops during the American Revolution. In 1790, the Old Wye Mill was also one of the first mills to be fully mechanized by the installation of the system created by the great inventor Oliver Evans. His design of belts and gears enabled a miller to handle the milling process by himself, where previously it had required numerous laborers to do the same work.
(Information courtesy of the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills - SPOOM)
Volunteer Opportunities
Interested in becoming a docent or an apprentice miller at Old Wye Mill? Do you have other skills that might benefit a small business. We will be offering training sessions in the spring of 2023. Email us at info@oldwyemill.org
Support Old Wye Mill
We depend on contributions to help us preserve Old Wye Mill and keep it open to the public as a living piece of history. We invite you to join us as a supporting member.
Members help support the preservation and operation of the mill, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Old Wye Mill has been grinding grain since 1682 and is the oldest continuously operated water powered mill in the U.S. And one of the oldest commercial businesses in continuous operation in Maryland.