Nye Family Association Restoring 1858 Grange Mill in East Sandwich

EAST SANDWICH – A historical renovation project is planned for Sandwich.

The Nye Family Association has begun repairing the 1858 Grange Mill which sits on the foundation of Benjamin Nye’s 1669 water powered gristmill, the second mill built in Sandwich.

It is located at 91 Old County Road in East Sandwich.

The ancient mill was taken down in 1867, but the current building was moved to the site in 1889 by the newly-formed East Sandwich Grange, which was a branch of the national farm family fraternity.

The Grange Mill was built in 1858 in Centerville and was set up to grind locally grown flint corn and rye and also worked as a saw mill.

John Nye Cullity said that there are only four water mill buildings on Cape Cod that are left out of a few that once existed.

“This one we almost lost through decay, but we’ve managed to stabilize the building and restoration will probably go on for 2-3 years I’m sure,” said Nye Cullity.

The Nye Family Association purchased the mill in 2009.

The Association wants the site to be an extension of their museum, with plans to use the mill for small meetings and craft demonstrations.

“We would like to interpret water milling on Cape Cod,” said Nye Cullity. “So it would be a part of the museum, another interesting building for people to visit.”

In an attempt to preserve the look and feel of the building, the Association is seeking to raise money and have so far spent over $25,000 to stabilize the structure.

For more information, go to nyefamily.org.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter

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