Northeast Chapter

By Dave Haines and Jerry Leeds

Over the weekend of August 11 – 13, 2006, members of the NE Chapter gathered on Long Island for a weekend of assorted mills and early New York history. Friday evening featured an enlightening slide show by Jerry Leeds focusing on the wind and water mills of Long Island, and a good deal of itsearly agricultural base, whaling and shipping industries, and mill history. On Saturday, a bus tour to the east end of the island, narrated en route by Jerry Leeds, gave members the opportunity to see the Pantigo (1804), Gardiner (1804) and Old Hook (1806) windmills in Easthampton, the Old Water Mill Museum (1644) and the Corinth Windmill on the village green (1800) in Watermill. The Saturday mill tours were led by docent and local historian Hugh King. “A Creepy Slide Show about Haunted Mills” by Dave Haines that evening concluded the day’s activities.

On Sunday morning, members drove to Cedarmere, the country home of American newspaper publisher and noted poet, William Cullen Bryant in Roslyn Harbor. Terry Hunt of the Nassau County Historical Commission conducted a tour of the main house and the 1862 gristmill, and later a tour of the early 18th century Roslyn Gristmill (aka Robeson- Williams Mill) in downtown Roslyn, which is currently being renovated. The final stop on the Sunday tour was the Saddle Rock Mill (c. 1700) in Sands Point, thought to be the oldest continuing tidal grist mill in the country. Great weather, great mill tour, great company!