The East Rockaway Grist Mill Museum

05/26/2025

Today, we honor the service and sacrifice of thousands of American servicemen and women, who fought and perished for the liberation and freedom of millions across the globe.

03/05/2025

That time of year is fast approaching! Join us June 7th for the 55 annual Huckleberry Frolic! A day of fun, games and community engagement!! This year our elementary school children will have the opportunity to participate in the first annual, East Rockaway has talent!

For additional information you can message us here on facebook, or via email at [email protected]

10/23/2024

04/21/2024

Help us kick off the 2024 season!

10/29/2023

Something spooky going down at the Grist Mill (which is actually haunted, by the way!!) Get there before 9pm to check it out!!

10/20/2023

This heavily restored black & white photograph, c.1868, shows the mill in its original form. Except for the shed on the viewers right, this is what the mill would have looked like when it was built in 1689. A waterwheel 8 feet across turned the shafts and gears that’s spun the mill stones located on the second floor. The flour and grist would fall through chutes to the processing & bagging area below. At its pinnacle, Mill River as it’s known today, turned the wheels of 8 water mills, about one per mile between Hempstead and the bay, but ours was different. It was tide water mill. It didn’t rely on the kinetic power of the river itself, but by use of a dam and sluice gate would trap the high tide allowing for a controlled flow of water under the wheel. It wasn’t long after this photo was taken that the old wooden waterwheel would be replaced. A “modern” turbine was fitted, and an addition spanning the mill tail (the channel of water leading to and away from the waterwheel) was built. This addition still exists today. Unfortunately both the original wooden waterwheel, and 19th century “modern” turbine have been lost to history.

Photo restoration & artistic rendering: Frank M. Torre (2023)