The Grist Mill at Pleasant Plains

THE GRIST MILL AT PLEASANT PLAINS By Emma Link (From the Clinton Historical Society News Letter of April 1976)

I have often wondered what possessed the young son of a miller from Ulster County to locate the site of his new mill in Pleasant Plains. Did he hear of the natural flow of water from two lakes to a falls that was ideal for driving mill wheels from surveyers, or did he travel around the countryside until he found the spot he was looking for? Young Dewitt, with the financial help of his father, utilized the soft pine native to this area and the natural steep rock formation, to build his mill in three tiers. A wagon could drive to the third level, unload the grain and reload the ground grain from a door on the ground level. As most structures built in the 1700's, the mill was built to last several generations. The roof was covered with shake shingles, which were still in good shape when the mill Was destroyed. The beams were massive and the floorboards, two feet in width, were polished to a high shine from years of grain bags being dragged across them. The siding mellowed with age and unpainted, was a warm brown. The tremendous wooden flume that led from a dammed up stream, could carry ample water to run the mill. Using the same flow of water, a sawmill was built above the grist mill. Between the mills and the store, the community thrived. During the Revolution, grain was sent from this mill for the use of the army stationed near Fishkill. John Dewitt was a captain in the army which probably had something to do with his being a supplier. As time passed by, other millers took over the run,fling and ownership of the mill. In the early years, large incomes were made from this business since it was the only mill serving a large area. Eventually modern times disposed of the old method of grinding and a motor was installed to replace the watergrinding method. Franklin D. Roosevelt took an interest in the build ing and when in Hyde Park, he would frequently drive up to inspect the mill. He believed that it should be kept as a landmark and talked the president of IBM Corporation into buying it. After Roosevelt's death, the mill was no longer of value to Watson and he ordered it to be torn down. Eventually, the large beams were moved to the IBM Country Club in Poughkeepsie. It took several days of battering by a large steel ball and a derrick to disintegrate the structure which refused to break apart. It was finally leveled and set afire. It was a sad day to see the last of an era, but the old mill had the last word. The fire department had to be called out twice to put out the massive fires that rekindled from the ruins.