Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s
This was a story I found while researching the Washington book, and found it so very interesting. Tucked away in a ‘corner of Washington Township’ at 31 Mile and Dequindre Rd is the Clifton Grist Mill, a hidden away treasure for this community. The first mill at that location, according to the 1859 Macomb survey map, was on the north side of the road where Stoney Creek crosses 31 Mile. At some point in the 19th century it was removed and this new structure was built across the road. A dam on Stoney Creek just north of 31 Mile stores water for the mill. In present time, a metal turbine replaced the wooden wheel for power.
When I started the research for the story I wanted to put in the book, I sent an introductory letter to Mr and Mrs Weymouth, the present owners of this mill. I received an invitation by Jody Weymouth giving me permission to visit and hear their story. How gracious I found Jody to be and very happy to show me what really has taken on a life of its own, the caretaking if this great old mill. When I arrived I was shown endless amounts of binders and albums of all the treasured past that had been so loving kept. I would soon learn the Weymouth portion of the Clifton Grist Mill story.
A successful professional man, Lawrence Weymouth would drive around exploring with his wife Marion and son Lawrence, known as Butch. several miles from Romeo, they would see the Clifton Mill, located along Stoney Creek, with a rushing stream of water flowing under it. The old building stood proudly by the side of the road. With a few inquiries and some judicious bargaining, it would find the Weymouth family the new owners of a century old mill in 1945. The mill would operate commercially until 1977, having sold their grains and flours to retailers such as A&P and Hudson’s as a high grade product. The mill in the years since they stopped production, has been lovingly cared for by Butch and Jody Weymouth. Every three years in order to retain legal rights to the water from Stoney Creek, it is opened and the mill put into operation in order to crack three bags of corn by the milling equipment, with a notary public on hand to witness the signing of the documentation, as the deed states you have to make something by water power.
Despite not operating as a commercial business in over 40 years, the mill today is still in excellent shape and could produce flour or cornmeal as though it just closed yesterday.
This would turn out to be something I could attest to, as our visit was coming to an end, Jody asked if I would like a tour of the mill? What a wonderful experience to see the inside and how the mill operated by one of the owners who had made this mill such an important part of their and now the third and fourth generations of family. This mill is truly a treasured piece of Washington Township history and this family has ever reason to be proud of what the original Lawrence and Marion Weymouth decided to do, after those weekends driving around looking at the sites back in 1945.
On that ‘wee’ note, till next week.
Aerial image and article courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives, at the Romeo District Library. Information, recipes, etc courtesy of Lawrence and Jody Weymouth collection.
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Linda Osborne Cynowa 