Press "Enter" to skip to content

MARCH 12 ISSUE ANSWERS: What we now call Wolcott Mill in Ray Township was most likely built by 1847 by Arad Freeman nephew of Cynthia Bailey of Romeo. Arad’s father was Benjamin Freeman who is known to be the first resident of Ray Township. Benajamin had a mill soon after he settled in Ray in 1824. His son Arad became a miller and through a maze of purchases from many, including Dr. Neil Gray Jr., determined to place a mill in Section 16 of Ray, the current location of Wolcott Mill. The high narrow banks of the North Branch of the Clinton River at that point would provide an easy location for a dam and give plenty of head of 10-15 feet for his mill. Arad and his brother, Edgar, each worked 12 hour shifts at the mill. Elisha Herington maintained the inner workings of the mill. Arad’s brother Eno purchased wheat from local farmers and a nearby cooper supplied the necessary barrels. The next story describes the Wolcott family’s ownership. The drawing illustrates how the mill stones worked together. As previous articles mentioned, grooves were chiseled into the stones to direct the grain from the center to the outside of the turning stone. The top stone was turned by the shaft coming from the water wheel. The

MARCH 12 ISSUE ANSWERS: What we now call Wolcott Mill in Ray Township was most likely built by 1847 by Arad Freeman nephew of Cynthia Bailey of Romeo. Arad’s father was Benjamin Freeman who is known to be the first resident of Ray Township. Benajamin had a mill soon after he settled in Ray in 1824. His son Arad became a miller and through a maze of purchases from many, including Dr. Neil Gray Jr., determined to place a mill in Section 16 of Ray, the current location of Wolcott Mill. The high narrow banks of the North Branch of the Clinton River at that point would provide an easy location for a dam and give plenty of head of 10-15 feet for his mill. Arad and his brother, Edgar, each worked 12 hour shifts at the mill. Elisha Herington maintained the inner workings of the mill. Arad’s brother Eno purchased wheat from local farmers and a nearby cooper supplied the necessary barrels. The next story describes the Wolcott family’s ownership. The drawing illustrates how the mill stones worked together. As previous articles mentioned, grooves were chiseled into the stones to direct the grain from the center to the outside of the turning stone. The top stone was turned by the shaft coming from the water wheel. The

Covering the villages of Armada and Romeo as well as the townships of Addison, Armada, Bruce, Oakland, Ray, Richmond and Washington

Mission News Theme by Compete Themes.