Rock Creek Park sure knows how to throw a party.
The park celebrated its 124th birthday at the nearly 200-year-old Peirce Mill on a perfect early fall Saturday. Visitors enjoyed historical hikes, demonstrations of old construction techniques, displays on park history, traditional music and even a vendor serving period food. But one of the main attractions of Rock Creek Park Day was the mill itself.
The millstone before the miller set it in motion.
In this video, you can see miller Jeanne Minor literally set the wheel in motion from the ground floor of the mill. On the lower level, you see the corn flour emerging from above. Just outside, the water wheel powers the mill. It’s even more impressive in person.
As we were leaving, my son told me he wanted to go again next year. I think we can do better than that. Peirce Mill will operate twice more before it closes for the season, on October 11th and 25th. -Tracy Johnke
The Peirce Barn contains a visitors center that is open Wednesday-Sunday from April through October, and most weekends the rest of the year.
The demonstration area showing construction techniques of the early 1800s.
Demonstrating how to build a stone wall using nothing but gravity, friction and an eye for detail.
A National Park Service ranger demonstrates simple machines and explains how they relate to the larger equipment in the mill.
Steve Dryden talks about his book, “Peirce Mill: Two Hundred Years in the Nation’s Capital..”
Park service horses and their people keep an eye on the proceedings.
The Peirce Mill dam, as seen from the top floor of the mill.
The Peirce Mill dam has nothing to do with the mill’s operation, past or present. The dam was built in the early 1900s, when the mill was converted into a teahouse.
deborah dougherty says
Saturday October 25th is the final milling day for the season. The information center will be closed after the 25th as well. Mill tours and the information center (games and video) run from 10:00 – 4:00; the mill grinds corn from 11:00-2:00. The mill re-opens in April 2015.