Built 1710; 1860; 1961 Opened 1860 Added to NRHP 27 August 1981 | NRHP Reference # 81000120 Area 1,214 m² | |
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Similar Josiah Dennis House, Winslow Crocker House, West Barnstable station, John F Kennedy Hyannis, Edward Gorey House | ||
The Baxter Mill is a historic gristmill on Massachusetts Route 28 in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Built about 1860 and restored to working order in 1961, it is the only surviving 19th-century water-powered mill on Cape Cod. It is now a museum property owned by the town and operated by the Yarmouth Historical Society. The mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
Description and history
The Baxter Mill stands west of the village center of West Yarmouth, on a narrow strip of land between Massachusetts Route 28 to the south and Mill Pond to the north, between Baxter Street and Mill Pond Road. The mill is a small wood frame two-story building, about 20 feet (6.1 m) square, with a hip roof and shingled exterior. It is set in a area that has partly defined by a low stone retaining wall on the north and east sides, and the stone-lined exit channel from the pond.
The mill stands on the site of a gristmill built c. 1710 by John and Shubel Baxter. That mill was powered by an externally mounted wheel, typical for the period but subject to damage from winter conditions. A new mill was built in 1860, in which the exterior waterwheel was replaced with an internal turbine. It remained in operation until the turn of the 20th century. The building was restored to working order in 1961 (as discussed by A. Harold Castonguay, one of the restorers, in his book Two men on a mill: The story of the restoration of Baxter's mill), including creation of a replica of the turbine. The original 1860 turbine remains on site as part of the museum display. The mill was given to the town, and is operated by the Yarmouth Historical Commission as a museum on a seasonal basis.