Grist mills in Kentucky

Here are some nice photos of some Grist Mills in Kentucky. These photos were taken in 1969. I am not sure if these mills are still operational or not, but they are pretty mills.

The grist mills were an important part of communities, this is where farmers sold their crops and families bought the ground corn to bake with.

Corn was ground into cornmeal, wheat into flour. They used several rotating stones to do the grinding. The wheel which water flowed over was what made the stones turn. There was no electric used to grind the crops. After the corn or wheat was ground down they put them in sacks to sell. This was a hot and dirty job and was manual labor.

Most of the Grist mills were privately owned. Only recently has the states and counties bought the mills to preserve them. Several states now have mills that have been persevered back to the way that they used to be. Some of these mills are still open and operational. There are some of the old mills that are now turned into restaurants and hotels.

Grist mills are part of our history. There are stories about Grist mills being destroyed during the Civil War because they knew how vital a grist mill was to the community. Grist mills are sometimes found around covered bridges, because to operate a grist mill they needed water.

Photographers are attracted to mills because they are such beautiful structures. With the wheel and the water it's always a great photo shot.

The photos that are here are of Mill Spring is still standing today. This was the site of the Civil War Battle of Mill Springs.

The next photo is of Stephen's Mill. This mill has collapsed and is nothing more than a pile of rubble.

The collection of Fred Yenerall has many grist mills that are from different states. You can see the collection here. Information on the mills was researched at Ohiobarns.com. You can also see photos from the Fred Yenerall Collection.

All the photos have been restored in Adobe Photoshop. You can restore your own photos just like I did. This program will help you Learn Photoshop and learn how to restore your old family photos.