Monday, May 09, 2011

The Ruins of Stevens Mill at Stone Flume

Stone Flume (1 of 1).jpg
Stone Flume as viewed from our house.

Across the road, at the top of the beaver bog, is Stone Flume. I found the name on an old town map. May Brook flows from May Pond and down the flume, through the beaver bog and over Dam #5 on its way to Crystal Lake. The kids like to go and slide down the flume in the summer. But there is another attraction there: ruins of an old mill. There are still iron spikes in the granite ledge of the flume where the mill was attached to the rock. There are stone walls and a foundation that you can explore. This is the best time of year to see the ruins because the foliage hasn't grown up and buried it. Here are some photos of the ruins that I took on May 1 when we walked over to visit.

Mill Ruins at Stone Flume (1 of 16).jpg
A deep crack in the granite ledge created by the expansion of winter ice.

On old maps this mill is called Stevens (or Steven’s) Mill. I haven't been able to find out why, but when I do I'll post the information. I assume that a family named Stevens lived in the house closest to the mill. I don't know if they milled grain or sawed lumber.

Mill Ruins at Stone Flume (3 of 16).jpg
The west side of the mill's stone wall.

Mill Ruins at Stone Flume (12 of 16).jpg
The other, east side, of the wall.

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4 comments:

  1. I would love to hike here. What a neat place.

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  2. Great pictures, it looks like a very nice place. I think i will go to visit very soon. Do you have more photos?

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  3. It's an even better hike when we go upstream, Sandy. I hope you meander up someday!

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  4. Thank you, Parchet. There are more at:
    http://meeyauw.blogspot.com/search/label/Stone%20Flume

    and

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/meeyauw/sets/72157606454135533/

    It's a small spot in the big woods, so there isn't much variation of the photos except by season. Thank you again!

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