Tide Mill Institute has received a grant of $3,000 from the Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative (EMCI) to support archaeological work this summer at the Bell mill sites in Edmunds, Washington County, Maine. The work will be done by Independent Archaeological Consulting LLC of Dover, N.H.
This summer, Tide Mill Institute and EMCI will sponsor an archaeological study of the two mill sites on the property to explore these examples of the county’s early milling culture and to develop an inventory record of all previous tide mills in the area.
About 1780, Robert Bell, from St. Andrews Scotland, built a tide mill at a likely spot in western Cobscook Bay. It operated for some years under his direction and that of his family. That mill ceased operation, and the Bells created a fresh water mill further up the stream. A generation or so later, a freshet tore that mill apart, but by then, some family members had switched their activity to farming and forest products. Today, those activities have morphed into an active organic farm operated by the seventh, eighth and ninth generations of the Bell family.
There will be several public meetings so the public can view the remains of the mills. Email info@tidemillinstitute.com for more information.