…the 17th Century way

The process of cleaning and preparing the stones for grinding is called “dressing”.

Lifting and moving of the runner stone

To begin, the frame and hopper are removed from around the stones. The stones then need to be separated by lifting and moving the top runner-stone. Since the stone weighs 2500 pounds, the miller is unable to lift it alone. He uses a giant wooden crane that holds large tongs, called bails, to lift the stone. The tongs are attached to the stone using two large pins that go into holes on each side of the stone. The stone is then lifted and raised off the bed-stone and turned upside down. It is moved to the side and placed on wooden blocks.

The miller then has access to the top of the bed-stone and the bottom of the runner-stone and can begin dressing the stones. The miller uses a metal pick, called a mill bill. This too is used to remove any foreign material from the grooves or the teeth that are cut in the face of the stones. The process of lifting and dressing the stones takes about three days and is done after fifteen to twenty tons of corn has been ground.

Whole corn, ground corn using a mortar and pestle

The Native American’s taught the Pilgrim’s how to grind corn using a mortar and pestle. Before the mill was built this was a necessary means of survival.