THE OLD YAPHANK MILL

Loring Fullerton

The Old Yaphank Mill

By Thomas R. Bayles

When fire destroyed the old mill in 1918 that stood at the east end of Lower Mill Pond on Carman’s River in Yaphank, one of the oldest landmarks in this part of Long Island went up with flames.

It was back in 1762 that the town trustees granted to John Homan the privilege of building a saw mill in lower Yaphank which reads as follows: “At the town meeting on the 1^st day of Nov. 1762, the trustees then present, voted and agreed that John Homan shall have liberty to build a saw mill on Connecticut river, below his house, adjoining to his land; but not to hinder or prejudice the going of the Upper Mill in any manner, for the sum of 40 shillings.”

At a meeting of the town trustees February 4, 1771, permission was given Daniel Homan to build a grist mill at the same place where his saw mill stood, with the following restrictions:

“That the said Daniel Homan shall complete the said mill for grinding within the space of two years from date, and shall keep an approved miller. The said Homan shall take for toll three quarts and no more out of each bushel of all sorts of grain which he or they may grind from time to time. Also he shall keep a bolting mill with a good country cloth, always to be used by those who have their grain ground at his mill.”

The grist and saw mills were important in the early life of the setters, and it was here that the farmers from miles around brought their grain to be ground into meal, and also the logs from their forests to be sawed into timber and boards.