Beating the beaten path in Washington DC: Peirce Mill

Washington is full of world-famous landmarks and museums, and most of them are free. That means its lesser-known attractions are easy to miss. Having just returned from a few weeks in the city, I have undertaken to enlighten fellow transients about such concealed gems.

My first outing, led by a shrewd expatriate colleague, took me to Peirce Mill. Built in the 1820s by a Quaker named Isaac Peirce, the facility harnesses the force of Rock Creek, a tributary of the Potomac that still cuts a picturesque swathe of greenery up and down western DC. Using the latest milling technology at the time, the mill produced flour at the rate of 70 bushels a day for each of its two millstones, we were told.

I had no idea how large a bushel was, but that very lack of understanding made it all the more impressive.

DC was mostly rural in those days. Farmers would come from miles around with grist, as the unground grain was called, to process.

As the trip to the mill and back took a whole day, people brought as many sacks as possible. As a result they would stand around for hours while the grain worked its way through the machinery all way down to the basement, where it would emerge as fine powder.

This meant ample time to shoot the breeze with other farmers and catch up with their news. Hence the expression “grist to the mill”, meaning useful information or knowledge.

Peirce Mill operated until the late 19th century, when industrial steam-powered mills in the Mid-West — closer to where most of the US grain was now produced— put small operators out of business. The site is now maintained by the National Park Service as a museum, with Peirce’s original machinery restored to working order.

Twice a month — every second and fourth Saturday I think — you can see grain being ground and touch the flour as it comes out of the spout. Leaflets explain the process.

When I went there I spotted copies of an “International Journal of Molinogy” lying around. I didn’t know the word, but being French I immediately understood it meant the study of machinery designed to pulverize stuff. I picked up a magazine, and started reading about Evans’ revolutionary milling process, which fully automatized grinding, bolting and packing as early as the 1790s. This is a fascinating place for a nerd!

By now my colleague was pushing towards the door. It was time for a walk. From Peirce Mill, you can take a lovely path through Rock Creek Park.