Jeremiah Brown's Grist Mill
Cecil Co. | Maryland | USA
Watersource: North East Creek.
Jeremiah Brown's Grist Mill
Located at 1416 Telegraph Road/Md 273 about 3.5 miles east of Rising Sun near an area called Calvert. The mill sits on the south side of the road and cannot be seen from the road. It is on the property of the Plumpton Park Zoo. It is on private property.
This mill is a reproduction of an 1734 and 1892 mill, which was destroyed by lightning in 1971. All phots by Robert T. Kinsey except the two vintage photos.
The mill was built on the foundation of the c. 1734 grist mill built by Jeremiah Brown, Sr.
A catshead/sack hoist has been to the business end of the mill since the mid-1960's photo, where only a 4 x 6 timber projected from the mill.
The upper door seems to have been moved up and the lower door may have been traded out for a window.
The mill, saw mill foundation, workers house foundation, and historic 1757 Jeremiah Brown house are part of the 110 acre Plumpton Park Zoo which began about 1986 and, perhaps to a lesser extent, several years before.
Jeremiah Brown, Sr., miller, and William Coale, millwright, contructed the mill after being deeded the property from Mercer Brown, Jr. This process resulted in a "Joynt and Equall Partnership" for the "Water Corn Mill and Gristmill"
Joseph Reynolds bought the still thriving mill from the Brown family in 1776. The historic Jeremiah Brown house is pictured in the next photo. These millstones are outside of the 1972 reproduction mill.
Howard Brown bought the mill back into the Brown family in 1890, but, two years later, the mill burned to the stone foundation. It was rebuilt by Brown the same year. The Edward C. Plumstead family purchased the mill property in 1946.
The stone portion of the Brown house is from 1757. The log part was used first by James and Jeremiah Brown, then the stone house was built for Jeremiah & his 2nd wife, Mary Winter Brown. The log part was then used as a shop & storage for the mill, until it was replaced by new frame construction in 1904.
The mill suffered again after being struck by lightning in 1971, perishing in the ensueing fire. Sketches from 1785 done by George Churchman, were instrumental in the rebuilding of the reproduction of the 1734 Brown Mill in 1972.GPS: 39° 42.22'N, 76° 00.18'W 367'/112 meters Rising Sun Quadrangle