My camera is still in the repair and cleaning process but I did go and pull the chip from the camera. Back in the year 1797, a resident of Littleton, New Hampshire, Solomon Mann purchased the mill privilege on the Ammonoosuc River, built a dam and erected a saw mill and grist mill. The grist mill was state of the art for its day. The prime source of power was an overshot wheel, which turned mill stones, grain elevators and powered sifters. The mill building was 3 1/2 stories high and its foundation wall in essence formed the bank of the river. By the turn of the century, the riverfront mill area had become the nucleus of a prosperous settlement. In 1997 two local families formed Renaissance Mills of Littleton LLC and undertook the restoration of the grist mill. The goal was to restore the basic workings of the grist mill as a historically accurate replica of the original, open the mill to the public as a working museum and authentically restore the other mill buildings as commercially viable retail and rental space, thus creating an 18th century riverfront complex. Today the building sits on its original site, and the look and feel of the original construction has been maintained wherever possible. The exterior is clad in radically sawn spruce, the roof is hand-split cedar shakes; wide pine flooring on the three floors is fastened with wrought iron nails. All hardware used is hand forged as are the interior and exterior lanterns; the 55 foot chimney is replicated in used brick, and the interior walls are covered with a plaster skim coat. The same careful research was applied to the replication of the working mill. The exterior undershot water wheel measures 20 feet 6 inches in diameter. The wheel drives interior wooden gearing in the basement which in turn drives a four foot diameter grist mill stone on the first floor of the building. The wooden gearing is made of indigenous woods typically used 200 years ago. The design of the gears and drives were guided by the metal hubs, bearings and shafting recovered from the mud in the mill basement. Other components were designed and made according to state of the art practices used 200 years ago. The wooden gearing, along with the attached shafts, are housed in a Hearst Frame made with timbers similar to some of the frame components found in the mill. With the exception of metal shafting and other metal components and hardware, all the design and construction was done in-house. Littleton Grist Mill, restored by private funds, is open to the public free of charge as a working museum. The mill also houses an authentic 19th century grist mill which uses 24 inch stones to grind grain into Littleton Grist Mill grown products, waffle and pancake mixes and flours, which are sold in specialty shops locally and throughout the Northeast. Visitors to the mill can thus view the progression of grist mill technology from the 18th to the 19th century. Info from the Littleton Grist Mill web site. Photo taken July 4th. Zoom does work. Thanks for stopping by, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated. Dana