The history of the water mill begins with Edward Howell
who came to Southampton, Long Island in 1640 with English
colonists from Lynn, Massachusetts. Howell had owned a water
mill on a pond in Lynn so it was not surprising that he
settled on a 100-acre pond three miles from Southampton for
his new venture.
Howell - the wealthiest citizen of the new colony and
its magistrate - got the town to give him 40 acres on the
pond and to provide labor and money to support his project.
The mill was built and millstones hewn from two boulders
found in the moraine north of the site. Oral history places
this first mill, which was probably grinding by 1644,
several hundred yards north of it current site on Mill
Creek.
In 1726, and again in 1789, permission was granted by
the town to move the mill south and build a combination
dam/roadway at its present location. There's no record
indicating whether the mill was moved intact or if parts
were used to construct a new mill - but the latter is
considered most likely. The original mill may have had an
overshot wheel but at the new site an undershot wheel was
used. Evidence uncovered in the basement of the mill
suggests that at sometime in its operation a horizontal tub
water wheel was in use.
The mill passed through many families. William Ludlam
Sr. was the owner of the mill by 1653 and it remained in his
family for over one hundred years. Elias Petty, William
Foster, Hugh Smith, Jesse Hedges and John White were also
owners who used water-power to weave, full cloth and
manufacture paper.
In 1818, John Benedict, a fuller, dryer and dresser of
cloth, came to Water Mill to work at the mill. He acquired
ownership by 1833. The Benedict family in the 1800s used the
building for fulling wool cloth, dyeing, spinning, weaving
and milling grain
.
By the early 1900s the building had fallen into disuse.
A woman's group, The Ladies Auxiliary of Water Mill, began
in 1921 to annually lease the building and make necessary
repairs. Twenty-one years later they owned the mill and in
1968 they began the process of restoring it as a museum. In
1976, after years of research, fund-raising and
reconstruction, the historic water-powered grist mill was
grinding once again.
The maintenance of the old water mill that named the
hamlet has required major funds and volunteer labor. This
have been generously donated by Water Mill residents and
others who appreciate this historic building which is one of
the oldest commercial buildings on Long Island.
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