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Over the centuries, the Stony Brook Grist Mill has always managed to weather the storm.
And Monday’s thousand-year rain event was no different.
The registered historic property — built in 1699 — survived its fourth-ever dam collapse during the torrential rains early this morning. When Harbor Road collapsed and T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond drained into Stony Brook Harbor, the mill’s future seemed perilous.
But Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, which owns the Grist Mill, told Greater Long Island that the mill’s foundation remains solid.
“We had a structural engineer examine the mill, and it’s structurally sound,” said Rocchio, noting that this was the fourth “blowout” of the dam during the mill’s existence. The last time was 1910.
“The wheel that was just restored is under quite a bit of sand and will need to be dug out. And there’s about a foot of water in the basement,” she added.
The Stony Brook Grist Mill was acquired by Ward Melville in 1947, who later deeded it to the Ward Melville Heritage Organization which now owns and operates the mill, according to washingtonspytrail.com. Photo credit: Brian Kutner
On the opposite side of the pond — at 48 Main St. — the rear of the house there fell off, and a greenhouse was lost, Rocchio said. The cliff behind that property was also leveled by the storm and is now sand.
The home — at the corner of Harbor Road and Main Street — has been condemned.
The mill is typically opened on weekends to visitors. But due to the Harbor Road dam collapse, it is not accessible by car. And Rocchio estimated it will be “some time” before it will be open to the public.
Today, locals and frequenters to this picturesque corner of Long Island gathered to survey the damage themselves. Some were crying. Fish could also be seen from the banks, visibly having trouble extracting themselves from the muck that yesterday was a pond.
Photos by Nick Esposito.
