About the Friends of Souther Tide Mill and about Tide Mills
The Souther Tide Mill
The Souther Tide Mill, located at the edge of an inlet of Town River Bay in Quincy, Massachusetts, is one of the last of five tide mill buildings left in the United States. The mill is maintained by the City of Quincy. The Friends of the Souther Tide Mill, a nonprofit organization, works to develop plans and raise funds to restore the mill operations, and to provide educational programs related to the site, tidal power, and Quincy’s history.
What is a Tide Mill?
A tide mill was operated by the power of the incoming and outgoing tidal flow of water. The force of water impounded at high tide provided a power source from the rise and fall of the tides. When released, the tide water was directed through the millworks to grind corn, wheat and other agricultural products. Tide mills were also used for milling lumber.
How did a tide mill operate? At high tide, the ocean water rose and flowed into a pond. Gates at the pond were closed at high tide, impounding the sea water in the nearby mill pond. Once the water was held in by the dam gates (or “sea gates”), the mill keeper waited until the tide water had ebbed. A sluice gate would then be opened to direct the impounded water past the milling machinery.
Tide mills provided a highly dependable source of power. The moon’s gravitational pull causes the ocean to rise and fall twice each day. The time of the tides changed though, based on tidal calendars determined by the moon. Mill workers needed to change shifts frequently to take advantage of the tidal power source.
A tide mill included the building holding the milling machinery, the mill-pond that held the water at high tide, and the gates or dam that the held the water. Once the gates were opened, water was directed to the water wheel and milling machinery to grind corn.
Tide mills were common in the Middle Ages, and continued into the early 20th century. They were most common from the early 18th to the early 19th centuries. In addition to the grist mill, John Souther also operated a shipyard, a wharf, and a sawmill. Both the grist mill and sawmill were operated under tidal power.
The Souther Tide Mill site also included a lock on the Quincy Canal, that allowed granite from the North Commons to be transported to ships in Hingham Bay. This type of tide mill was commonly used in the Middle Ages up to the late.
More information on tide mills:
Tide Mill Institute
National Hydropower Association (NHA)
Britannica
North and South Rivers Water Shed Association (NSRW)
Friends of Souther Tide Mill
The mission of the Friends of the Souther Tide Mill (FSTM) will address:
Restoring the site as a learning center for information on the tidal power and its use in Quincy.
Quincy Quarries, the Quincy Canal, Shipbuilding (Quincy’s “Stone Sloops”) and commerce in the 19th century.
Promoting public interest in and educational programs on tidal power, grist mill operations, granite, lumber, ship building and the maritime history of the city;
Supporting the maintenance and development of the mill site, building, mill operation, and coastal site.
Providing educational programs on tide mills and tidal power, and the history and growth of Quincy related to the city’s waterfront development and use.