George Washington's Gristmill and Distillery
The Guided Tour of Part of Mount Vernon Tourists Overlook
Nov 15, 2009
George Washington’s Historical Mount Vernon averages 2500 visitors every day, yet there are days when less than 100 people visit the Gristmill and Distillery. Located directly above their original foundations the Gristmill and Distillery can be found just three miles down the road from the main estate.
Mount Vernon strives to introduce visitors not only to George Washington the General and first President, but also the Farmer, the Entrepreneur, the Miller, and the Distiller. It is a shame the such a vast majority of visitors never see these important two sides of Washington. The General’s mill and distillery, help showcase his entrepreneurial spirit and offer first-hand looks into life in the 18th century.
Tour the Gristmill and Distillery
Tickets for the tour of the Gristmill and Distillery can be purchased as a package with tickets into the main estate or separately at the Gristmill giftshop. Each tour group meets on a set of benches overlooking the Distillery. The tours run from 10:00 to 5:00 and have no set times. Visitors, especially early in the morning, are often treated to a private tour of the site.
The tour itself runs around twenty minutes and is packed with information and things to see. Visitors begin at the Gristmill and walk along a wooded path to the Distillery. Before and after the tour visitors are free to browse the gift shop, which is stocked with everything from food and wine to souvenirs, Christmas ornaments, and toys and books for children.
George Washington's Gristmill
The tour starts outside the Gristmill where visitors are treated to a history of the mill, reconstructed in 1932, and an overview of why George Washington changed from tobacco to wheat farming. Once inside the mill the tour continues on the Stone Floor where visitors can see the two pairs of grinding stones. After an explanation of the stones and more information about Washington’s flour business comes the best part: the sixteen-foot water wheel begins to turn and the mill grinds fresh cornmeal right in front of the visitors!
While the mill is still grinding tourists make their way to the bottom level of the four-and-a-half story mill. On the lowest level they can see all of the gears churning away and watch the finished cornmeal shoot out through a sifter. Any guests who want to take some of the 18th century stone ground cornmeal with them can find it on sale in the gift shop. Mount Vernon employees grind and package over fifty pounds of cornmeal every week.
Some weekends during the summer a special water powered flour grinding system runs. Guests get to visit four floors of the mill to see the automated system that cleans wheat, grinds it into three grades of flour, dries and sifts it, and loads each grade into barrels. This system, known as the Oliver Evans system, was installed by Washington in 1791. Mount Vernon boasts the only operational Evans system in the United States.
General Washington's Whiskey Distillery
After the Gristmill visitors walk along the Douge Run Creek to the Distillery. Just rebuilt in 2007, it is one of the few 18th century whiskey distilleries that continues to distill without using any modern shortcuts. Here, visitors will learn all about Washington’s farm manager James Anderson and how he convinced Washington to distill rye whiskey.
The distillery still operates, usually in February. Visitors will not be able to see the actual process, but everything in the distillery is period accurate and is all the same equipment actually used to distill. Mount Vernon will eventually sell this whiskey.
A guide will walk the tour group through every step of whiskey making, from adding the initial water to barrels to fermenting the rye, corn, and malted barley, to packing the finished product in barrels and selling it. Visitors will also be treated to a museum with artifacts from the archaeological excavation and a history of alcohol consumption in Colonial America.
Washington’s original distillery was built in 1798 and produced 11,000 gallons the following year. After a tour, visitors will understand just how much labor goes in to even 100 gallons.
Visit Washington’s Gristmill and Distillery
It takes less than five minutes to drive from the Mount Vernon Estate up to the Gristmill and then less than half an hour for a full tour. The Gristmill Distillery tour is a fantastic example of Washington’s entrepreneurial spirit and a great look at where flour and whiskey come from. The Gristmill is especially great to visit after seeing the Pioneer Farm site where employees grow, harvest, and process wheat the same way Washington did. Few people get to see wheat come out of a field and turn into flour in a single day. More people should consider taking advantage of this one-of-a-kind step back into history.
 |
 |
