The Tide Mill That Wasn’t — East Boston

by Earl Taylor

An elaborate tide mill project was proposed for East Boston in the 1830s, although it appears the idea never came to anything. An 1834 plan shows a proposed tide mill site near today’s Central Square, a tide mill dam closing off a large basin on the east side of the town, and a wide canal running between the basin and the tide mill site.





This 1834 plan was never implemented, but it proposed a 3,700-foot mill dam (red highlight) to create a large tidal mill pond (labeled “Basin”), two canals and tide mills (yellow highlight) just south of East Boston’s Central Square (green highlight). From Eddy, R. H., Plan of East Boston Shewing the Location of the Mill Dam and Other Improvements. (Boston: Pendleton’s Lithography, 1834). Click image to enlarge.

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TMI Bringing Tide Mills to History Camp Boston

Earl Taylor, TMI and Dorchester Historical Society

Historic Boston tide mills are on the program for History Camp Boston 2019 being held at Suffolk University Law School on Saturday, March 16. At the day-long event, professional and amateur history enthusiasts from a variety of fields can see a presentation by Earl Taylor, one of the founders of the Tide Mill Institute and president of the Dorchester Historical Society. Taylor will describe the tide mills that once stood by the waterways of Boston Harbor.

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Sustainable Energy from Maine Tides: Feb 26 Discussion in Camden

Dr. Lauren Ross (photo courtesy University of Maine)

A University of Maine researcher will discuss her recent study of tidal energy in Maine at the Merryspring Nature Center in Camden on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 12 pm.

Dr. Lauren Ross will present “Tidal Energy Modeling For Maine,” discussing prospects for using tidal currents to generate sustainable energy. According to the nature center announcement, Ross will describe research for optimizing tidal turbine arrays and minimizing their environmental effects, and then applying this research to estuaries in Maine and other locations around the world.

Ross is an assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Maine. Admission to the talk is $5, with free admission for Merryspring members. For more information and directions to the center, visit the Merryspring Nature Center website.

Tide Mill Institute Supports Public Program in Brooklyn

by Bud Warren

Brad Vogel, president of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, explaining how tide mills work.

It was a cold 11-degree night in January, and some of the good crowd kept their winter jackets on as they gathered in the boat house of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club to hear about early tide mills of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. Tide Mill Institute was there in spirit, for the three speakers had attended our April 2018 conference in Queens and decided to highlight the early history of tide mills in their area with a public program.

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Historic Long Island Tide Mill Getting New Life

A new organization plans to repair, maintain and preserve the 1794 Van Wyck-Lefferts tide-powered grist mill in Huntington, N.Y., and make the mill accessible to the public. Van Wyck-Lefferts Tide Mill Sanctuary, Inc., just acquired a 17-acre parcel that includes the mill, and the mission of the new not-for-profit is “to promote responsible public access and enjoyment of the Van Wyck-Lefferts Tide Mill and the Mill Cove Waterfowl Sanctuary,” according to a January 20 announcement.

The announcement reports that the new organization has already requested permits for “a substantial dam repair project” and is developing a long-range plan for preserving and maintaining the mill and dam. Dam repairs are expected to start this spring. The new owner will also partner with the Huntington Historical Society to conduct tours and other public education activities.

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Tide Mill History Awareness Sprouting in Brooklyn

Gowanus Dredgers Presents “Brooklyn’s Forgotten Sustainable Energy: Tide Mills”
January 30

The public is invited to join a discussion about Brooklyn’s largely forgotten tide mills at the Gowanus Dredgers Boat House, 165 2nd St., Brooklyn, N.Y., on Wednesday, January 30, at 7 p.m. Brooklyn’s Forgotten Sustainable Energy: Tide Mills will be led by archaeologist Alyssa Loorya, historian Eymund Diegel and Gowanus Dredgers Captain Brad Vogel.

The Gowanus Dredgers Boat House is adjacent to historic Gowanus Canal, where mills once harnessed the tides of Gowanus Creek to grind wheat into flour. Discussion participants will look at a largely forgotten piece of Brooklyn history – a tide-powered mill that stood at the center of the 1776 Battle of Brooklyn and continues to influence the local cityscape today.

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