Pictures of Rochester and Monroe County, NY

Millstone

Millstone
Located in lobby of Brighton Memorial Library, 2300 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
Photo by: Dick Halsey
Photo dated: Feb. 16, 2024

Description on plaque:

These millstones are from the Brighton residence of George J. French, son of R. T. French, the renowned mustard manufacturer. They were removed from the town when the Elmwood Avenue estate, known as "Sideways", was demolished in 2006. They were reported to have once belonged to Margaret Woodbury Strong who collect millstones.

The stones likely came from the Barnes Mill on Allen's Creek near Corbett's Glen. The mill was established in 1815 and demolished in 1957 for the Eastern Expressway, now Interstate 490.

This granite stone near the library's interior doors weighs approximately 2,100 lbs.

The milling process required a lower stationary stone, the headstone, against which the upper "runner" stone revolved to grind the grain.