I had a query about the mill on Old Mill Lane and I went to my maps to determine when and where the mill would have been. I remember researching Benjamin Boyd and reading an article about him. He mentioned that when he was growing up there were 10 mills in Portsmouth. At the time of the interview there were only three left – Boyd’s Mill (now at Paradise Park in Middletown), Sherman Mill (now at Prescott Farm) and the Almy or Thurston Mill which was destroyed in a fire. Aquidneck Island had more windmills than most other areas. And so I am going to do a deep dive into the history of Portsmouth mills.

Common Types of Mills:
1. Gristmills grind corn, wheat or other grains into flour using heavy millstones. As a farming community, these mills were essential. Boyd’s Mill and Sherman Mill are examples of gristmills. Sometimes the miller was paid with a portion of what they ground.


2. Sawmills: These were up and running early on to provide lumber for home construction. Some of these early mills were water powered, but later some were turbine powered.


3. Textile Mills: We may not associate mills that make fabric from wool and other fibers with Portsmouth, but there were fabric mills in the Glen.

4. Carding Mills: These mills were common in Portsmouth’s Glen as well. Early on the wood fibers were “combed” by hand tools called cards. Using water power machinery to do that made the process easier.

5. Fulling Mills: Again, this type of mill existed in the Glen. Water was used to shrink wool fabric and tighten the weave.