The Ward Melville Heritage Organization

The "Dusty" Program at the Stony Brook Grist Mill, c. 1751

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Long Islands most completely equipped working grist mill, the Stony Brook Grist Mill, c. 1751, is run by a miller as it was in the 18th and 19th centuries. The water powered, overshot mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a rare example of Dutch framing.

Students experience milling first hand in this program taught by a qualified instructor. They shell corn, bag ground grain, feed cracked corn to the ducks at the adjacent mill pond, and earn "Dusty" certificates as assistant millers. The miller explains how water drives all the mechanisms in the building, describes the mill's other grinding process' and offers students a glimpse of 18th & 19th century life and culture.

Level:	Program can be tailored to appropriate grade levels.
Duration:	1 1/2 hours
Fee:	$7 per student ($5 accompanying adult/teacher free)
Location:	Harbor Road off Main Street, Stony Brook

Correlation to New York State & National Learning Standards

This program meets Standard 1 of the New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies. See key idea 4 for elementary students as it references viewing historic sites and investigating building and tools in their community.

The program also meets Standard 5 of the Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology. See key idea 4 for elementary and intermediate students as it references how systems are designed to produce outputs, that larger systems are comprised of smaller subsystems, and explaining the operation of simple mechanical systems.

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