What is a Gristmill?
A gristmill is a facility which is designed to grind grain into flour. Historically, gristmills were often a very important part of the community, with farmers bringing in grain to grind in return for a fee from the miller. Millers often took their fees in trade, selling or trading grain and flour with other villages and turning their mills into stores stocked with these goods. A handful of communities around the world continue to have working gristmills which are used on a local scale, although the bulk of grain destined to become flour goes to vast commercial facilities with high-tech grinding equipment. Gristmills have been around for centuries, since people have been using flour for quite a long time. Early gristmills were powered by livestock, slaves, water, or windmills. Whatever method of power used, the gristmill would host a huge millstone upon which grain would be poured for the purpose of grinding it into flour. Typically, a gristmill would be cited near a power source such
