Stony Brook Grist Mill no longer drowning

Stony Brook Grist Mill no longer drowning

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The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO)’s Stony Brook Grist Mill, a nearly 300-year-old building, has undergone a series of procedures to stop water from entering its basement. Groundwater around the foundation of the building has been leaking through the walls due to the hydraulic pressure from upstream for years.

To halt any further damage and repair the structure, Excav Services Vice President Dylan Governale was retained. Excav Services has already begun their work waterproofing the wall below the footing with black mastic against the foundation along the fiberboards and then protection board and installing drainage at the bottom of the trough, as well as installing three inches of clay material and fabric and then backfilling it. 90% of the water has stopped leaking. To find the remaining 10%, the interior wall was pressure washed to see where the water was coming from and then they will inject those spots with a compound to fully stop leakage through the walls.

The Stony Brook Grist Mill (c. 1751) is Long Island’s most fully operational mill. A mill is a place that grinds grains such as wheat, barley, corn and oats. Grist Mill has played a role in the development of Stony Brook since its original construction in 1699. It was once even a health food store and grain was shipped to 46 states. 

New stories have been uncovered about the Stony Brook Grist Mill, including ones about its patriotic owners during the American Revolution, a scandalous will and its suffragette owner in the early 1900s who sought an experimental child birthing experience.

People of all ages are able to experience the history and inner mechanics of the mill in the WMHO’s Dusty Program.

The Stony Brook Grist Mill will be open for the 2022 season on Saturday, April 16 and will be open on weekends through October starting the weekend of April 23, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for tours ($4 for adults, $2 for children), as well as its Country Store. For more information, call 631-751-2244 or visit www.wmho.org.