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.

Taylor’s program, Tide Mills – How They Worked and Where They Were Located in the Boston Area from Revere to Quincy, will delve into the history of these forgotten pieces of American industrial history. Most Boston-area tide mill sites are hidden by development and other landscape changes, but Taylor will show that we can still see how they worked and explore their locations through old maps and documents.

These mills, powered by the rising and falling of the tides, were different from the more familiar river mills in some ways. For example, they could operate year-round because salt water seldom freezes. But their daily operating hours were limited by the timing of the tide’s rise and fall.

History Camp brings together people from a variety of backgrounds to discuss history. Unlike academic conferences, no one screens topics and anyone can attend and present if space and time permit. Programs are organized periodically in Boston, Colorado, Virginia and other locations. For more information or to register for this year’s History Camp Boston, visit historycamp.org/boston.

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