The Greenkill Grist Mill

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Two years from now we will be able to celebrate the 325th anniversary of the founding of the first mill at Greenkill in 1677. During the early period of Ulster County history a dozen years after the British had gained control of New York (in 1664) Mattys Mattysen Van Keuren was granted land along the Greenkill with the condition that he build a mill on the stream.

It was through the marriage of Mattys Mattysen Van Keuren to Tjaatje DeWitt in 1677 that the DeWitt family eventually gained control of the grist mill.

By the time of the American Revolution the Greenkill grist mill was owned by Charles DeWitt, the great-grandson of Tjaatje DeWitt's father. The mill played a very important part in supplying flour to the American military during the war. It was during this period that John Jay and George Clinton visited Charles Dewitt and the Greenkill mills.

After Independence was gained and peace declared the Greenkill mill area settled down to the steady production of flour which had gained a reputation for being extra fine. The Greenkill area was to also become one of the centers of the natural cement industry. It was on land adjacent to the Greenkill and the grist mill that Hugh White (who during the his ownership of the cement works in Whiteport became a US Congressman) was to build and operate one of the early (1836-1848) cement works.

When the Michael Pavlov, the current owner, purchased the lands of the mill site he was given a hand written history of the mill by a former resident of the area. What follows is a portion of that history which takes us from the early 1800s to the end of the grist mills operation in 1920.

It is said that George Washington also had many sacks of flour ground in this mill for the Revolutionary Army.

My memory goes back to 1865 when my Grandfather had a farm a mile distant from the mill. He raised grain for all the flour we used. I can remember going to the mill on the farm wagon drawn by our black team Prince and Nanny, the wagon piled high with sacks of grain. The mill floor was all in one big room, white dust over everything, the noise of the wheel and of the rushing water filling it with a rush of sound. The whole mill trembled and shook as the wheel turned the big grind stones. I was half afraid as I stood waiting while my Grandfather carried the sacks of grain and chatted with the miller.

The first miller I remember was Dicky Dewitt, the son of Garret Dewitt. I always think of him as I saw him standing in the mill door powdered all over with flour dust in his hair and beard white with age. His ruddy complexion looking redder still from the white surroundings, no dust could dim his keen black eyes. I remember Mrs. Dewitt better. She was a great church worker and many a church social was held in her roomy hospitable house. The kitchen in the house was a huge room. Plenty of room to "swing your partner" in the quadrilles we danced at the socials. They had one son, Charles, who married Nettie VanWagenen. Their daughter is Mrs. Myers.

The miller who ran the mill, after Mr. Dewitt became too old to carry on, was Mr. Samuel Collard from New Jersey. He and his family, Mrs. Collard, Hannah, Carrie, Hattie and Sam Jr., lived in the cottage across from the mill. Many fine times I enjoyed in their cozy home. My brother Will, older than I, was very much in love with Hattie Collard. I had a lot of sleigh rides from Will taking Hattie and with some young man taking me for company. It was not considered good form for one young couple to go sleigh riding alone, though each couple had their own cutter and horse with bells. This romance ended some what abruptly. Mr. Collard went to New Jersey, he could make more money there. The next miller was Mr. Benjamin Apgar. That family lived in the cottage too but the son was much younger than the young people who composed our set at that time. They lived here a long time and Alfred grew up with the next lot of young people.

After Mr. Apgar removed to another town Mr. Christiana with his family came to take their place. Mrs. Christiana I remember was very successful with flowers and sometimes roses she raised. Charles Dewitt by this time married Nettie VanWagenen and took over the mill. His uncle Simon Peter Freer did most of the mill work. They continued the business up to 1920. Perhaps 1919 when the mill was condemned as unsafe. The business had fallen away, only local orders were brought in and it was decided to abandon it. The old building was torn down but the wheel fell to decay bit by bit seemingly so strong and sturdy it was hard breaking it up. it had been made in times when building was a fine art and men made things to last-: but now no trace of the old mill remains. Greenkill brook still rushes along its course to the Rondout Creek for men may come and men may go but the brook goes on forever."