The Old Mill has limitations of authentic 18th-century architecture and the building is not wheelchair-accessible.
There is a considerable grass slope leading up to the mill.
Tall steps and narrow doorways may present difficulties for those with physical disabilities.
Service animals are welcome to visit the Old Mill. We follow the Federal government’s guidelines on service animals. The NHA welcomes dogs that are individually trained to perform a task or work for a person with a disability, but please leave pets at home.
No public restrooms available.
About the Old Mill
Traditionally said to have been built in 1746, the Old Mill is believed to be the oldest operating windmill in the United States. It is the only surviving mill of the five that once stood overlooking Nantucket town.
The mill is a smock mill and has a fixed-body containing the machinery and a cap that turns to face the vanes and sails into the wind. The Old Mill saw many years of use and was sold for twenty dollars in 1828 to Jared Gardner in deplorable condition for use as “firewood.” Instead of dismantling it, Gardner, a carpenter, restored the mill to working condition capable of grinding corn. The mill was sold again in 1866 to John Francis Sylvia, a Portuguese miller of Azorean descent, who operated it for many years with his assistant Peter Hoy, until it fell into disuse in 1892. When the mill appeared on the auction block in 1897, the Nantucket Historical Association was able to secure the mill with a successful bid of $885.
After some minor repairs over the years — and major overhauls in 1930, 1936, and 1983 — the mill is capable of grinding corn just as it has for more than two centuries. The Old Mill was desigÂnated an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1992.
The Old Mill, thought to be the oldest operating windmill in the U.S. in its original location, continues to grind corn into cornmeal today as it did in 1746 when it was built. Hover shows the Old Mill, ca. 1890 (P20249).
When wind and weather conditions permit, NHA millers run the mill and grind corn. This video documents a perfect milling day.
Today’s millers explain how the mill cap needs to be rotated to best take advantage of the wind direction before the sails are raised.
Inside the mill, millers explain the mill mechanisms that allow the mill to turn corn into cornmeal. Hover shows how the gear above rotated by the sails turns the vertical shaft which then turns grinding stone.
We ask all of our visitors to conduct themselves in a respectful way at all NHA properties in accordance with the Code of Conduct and all laws and local ordinances.
The NHA preserves, interprets, and shares the diverse stories of Nantucket with all audiences through its collections, properties, programs, and research.
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