A team of three archeologists clambered over the ruins of an Edmunds, Maine, tide mill this past weekend to map, measure and photograph the visible remains of the mill and associated docks and piers. Their work will result in a snapshot of the mill site as it is today, and before time, storms and tides cause further destruction of the remaining materials. What’s left of the mill consists mostly of the wooden timbers, planks and rock piles that once were part of a dam and mill buildings.
The team will produce a detailed map of the site, accurately showing locations and dimensions of building timbers and other ruins. Drone video and photos will also allow them to create a 3D digital model of the remains. They will also issue a report with analysis of their findings, and they expect their results available later in 2022. When the analysis is complete, the Tide Mill Institute plans to hold a public event to explain the results to the public and discuss the next steps in uncovering the history of this mill.
The map, 3D model and report will be valuable resources for future researchers trying to understand and picture the mill as it appeared in its operational days and determining details about how it operated and fit into the local economy. The history of this mill is still sketchy and requires much more research, but some speculate it was established in the late 1700s, probably as a grist mill.
This archeology survey was initiated and managed by Bud Warren, a Tide Mill Institute founder and its former president. Bud learned about the mill in 2011 while exploring the area to identify likely tide mill sites. Since then, he has been working on and off to get the site remains formally documented, and this weekend that objective was achieved. The project was made possible by funding from the Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative and the Tide Mill Institute.
Cooperation from the Bell family, owners of the property, was also a key to making the survey project possible. The mill is on the property of the Tide Mill Organic Farm in Edmunds, which has been owned and operated by the Bell family for nine generations.
Bud explained that this week’s activities are only a first step in creating a complete description of the mill that once stood on this site. The next step, after the maps and report about what remains are completed, will be to continue research using old records, such as deeds and other legal records, and interviews of Bell family members. Tide Mill Institute continues to seek volunteers and funding for this research.
The archeologists mapping the site are with Independent Archaeological Consulting (IAC) of Dover, N.H. Archeologists Jesse Cofelice, Peter Morrison and Shannon Mascrenhas used precision surveying tools to document the location of various features and will compile their data into a detailed map of the site, accurately showing locations and dimensions of building timbers and other ruins. They also took drone video and photos for creating a 3D digital model of the site and remains.
During the first morning of the survey, about a dozen local residents came by to watch the activity, thanks to a recent article about the project in the regional newspaper, Machias Valley News Observer. Tide Mill Institute leaders Bud Warren, Deane Rykerson, John Morse and Ron Klodenski were also present to observe.
The team briefly investigated the ruins of a later fresh-water mill and stone dam about a half mile upstream from the tide mill on Crane Mill Brook.
Video from 2021 Survey
Great article – text, map, photos. Thank you.