If you've never seen an 18th century grist mill in operation,  the reconstructed George Washington Grist Mill is a fascinating place.

Washington's first ownership of a grist mill occurred when he inherited Mount Vernon from the widow of his half-brother, Lawrence. Its' primary purpose was to provide wheat and corm meal for area farmers and the Mount Vernon Estate.

In 1771, Washington had a new "merchant mill" built and began commercial milling operations selling flour and corn meal up and down the East Coast and as far away as Portugal.  The mill was razed in 1850 and was bebuilt by the Commonwealth in 1933 - this is the mill you can visit today.  Washington operated a distillery at the site which has been excavated, rebuilt and is open to the public.  The mill is located on Mount Vernon Memorial Highway between Mount Vernon and Woodlawn Plantation.  Since it is a working grist mill, corn meal can be purchased at the gift shop.

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