Baxter Gristmill

Restoration work is beautiful and the swans are always happy to see me ...

For vistors, it has been kept up by locals as a boost for the summer traffic. It is located on 28 in west yarmouth. You can miss it if you are not looking for it. Its former nexr door neighbor, the Mill Hill Club, went under reconstruction. No place to park makes visiting difficult on busy 28.

Great place to visit not only for the history of the Gristmill, but also a great place to go to relax and just kinda get away for a little bit right in Down Town Sandwich.

Great place to go and relax

The photograph shows the mill as it faces Route 28. The mill sits on the north side of the road. The sign tells us that the original mill was constructed in 1710. The original mill was designed to be powered by a waterwheel that was located on the outside of the building. It was in 1860 that they resdesigned the mill complex and installed a turbine. The original turbine is displayed on the mill property. The mill has been restored in 1961 and again in 1989. In the recent restorations they have installed a new turbine. The mill functions in season using the new turbine to power the mill.nnThis perspective tells us alot of information about the design of this turbine-powered grist mill. The pond is in the back of the building. The laddered steps of water that is walled in stone is the overflow from the water directed to the turbine. The ladders are also used during the herring run. When the miller wants to stop the water flowing into the penstock or wants to reduce the amount of water, the miller will divert the water into the overflow section. Here the overflow is beautiful due to the stone ladders. You will notice that the level of the pond is much higher than the water in the foreground of this photo. That is because when the water from the pond flows into the penstock (the area that holds the turbine) the water must drop down a significant distance in order to get the inertia to turn the turbine. This drop is referred to as the head of water. If you do not have enough room for the water to drop, then you do not have enough head to make the turbine turn. That explains the difference between the level of the pond and the level of the water in the foreground. The water in the forground of this photo is considered the tail race and here the water is channeled back to the natural stream. In this case the tailrace flows under Route 28.nnThis perspective shows the same overflow, tailrace area but from a different angle. The turbine is located under the mill building. Once the water is spent it flows out from under the building joining the overflow water and all water continues through the tailrace and joins a stream under Route 28, through an inlet and ultimately into the ocean. This is the same access that allows the herring run up the stone ladders into Swan Pond to spawn.nnDirectly behind the mill is Swan Pond. There are many swans on Cape Cod and this pond is no exception. Although I only got one in this particular photo, there were at least 6 swans in this pond at the time. This is the millpond that provides the energy source to power the turbine. It is a beautiful location so be sure to walk on the property behind the mill. It is truly nature at its finest. Of course seeing swans for me was an exciting event being that I am from southern Ohio (Cincinnati).