Evolution of the Grist Mill

The original structure was built c. 1718 by Captain Joseph Clark, using the wooden-pegged post-and-beam method typical of early colonial structures. The original rough-hewn beams in the main room are still visible today. Over hundreds of years it has been added to and has evolved, with a water-driven sawmill being the “newest” addition in 1918.

In the town’s agrarian past, farmers would bring their corn and wheat to the mill and place it in the hopper, where it would be crushed and ground by the weight of the millstones. It would then be dropped to the 1st floor via the meal chute where farmers could pick up the product of their harvest, minus a small percentage known as the “miller’s toll.”

About 100 years ago it was “modernized” to use a turbine (a water wheel on its side) as a more efficient way of extracting the power from the indoor waterfall and traveling out of the basement via the tail race.

Preservation and Revitalization

In the 1980s, an initial Kingsbury Pond Committee, headed by the late Michael Cronin and helped by the late Barbara Leighton, was formed to help repair and rebuild much of the infrastructure of the mill.

At the time, the town had recently purchased the mill following the death of its last owner, Blanche Kingsbury. These efforts slowed when the original committee disbanded but have now been invigorated by a new committee, The Kingsbury Pond Gristmill Committee. 

This revitalized committee worked with the first original committee members, including Barbara Leighton, who had kept copious notes regarding their work and the history of the property.

One of the first accomplishments of the new committee was to obtain a new 10-foot waterwheel, custom built by wheelwright Spencer Boyd outside Atlanta, Georgia. The new waterwheel is a “breastshot” wheel where the water hits in the middle and spins the wheel backwards. It was designed to gain maximum torque based on the amount of water flowing per minute. In addition to the new water wheel, the committee is working on installing the original hundred-year-old turbine in hopes of turning the millstones once again.

In the years that the town has owned the property, volunteer efforts have turned the Kingsbury Grist Mill back into a town attraction. The Department of Public Works has helped ensure the dam that holds Kingsbury Pond stays intact, while volunteer organizations such as the Scouts of America, the God Loves Medfield organization, various local contractors and engineers and tons of local people who have time, money or materials to contribute have helped improve the property and turn it into the tranquil setting it is today.

Watch “Preserving Colonial History as a Gristmill Keeper” Medfield Moment. The 7-minute video tells the story of the historic Grist Mill at Red Gate Farm through current owner Alec Stevens. With beautiful footage and a compelling interview, this Medfield TV production is a must-see.