by Patrick Malone, Professor Emeritus, Brown University
Walter Edward Minchinton (1921-1996) was a British industrial archaeologist and economic historian. In 1964, after teaching for 16 years at University College Swansea, he became head of the new Economic History Department and Professor of Economic History at the University of Exeter. His academic publication record includes numerous studies that he authored, co-authored, or edited. Following his retirement as an Emeritus Professor in 1986, he continued to do research and write about industrial topics, with a primary focus on tide mills.
The John Carter Brown Library at Brown University provided Professor Minchinton with a fellowship in 1993 that allowed him to study early American tide mills. While in Rhode Island, he investigated the tide mills of that state and collaborated with local scholars such as Dr. Richard Greenwood, one of the early members of the Tide Mill Institute. The Rhode Island Historical Society assisted Minchinton’s investigation and provided images for the article that he submitted to its journal, Rhode Island History.
“Tidemills of Rhode Island,” which was published in 1998, after Minchinton’s death, remains the best account of Rhode Island’s experience with tidal power. However, readers should be aware that the introductory material covering tide mill history in the northeast is not as reliable as the details on eight sites in Rhode Island.
Access to “Tide Mills of Rhode Island” is provided courtesy of Rhode Island Historical Society.
Bike Path Placard Locates Kelley’s Tide Mill
A historical placard installed by the Barrington Preservation Society on the East Bay Bike Path shows bikers and strollers the site of Kelley’s grist mill on New Meadow Neck on the Palmer River near Warren Bridge, formerly Kelley’s Bridge. The placard also offers the following about Kelley’s Mill:
“In the mid-nineteenth century, John Kelley, a descendant of the bridge-builder, constructed a tidal-powered grist mill on the Palmer River next to the bridge, which was quite a success. In 1850, it yielded 7,000 bushels of milled corn and rye, and operated until about 1870.“
Site of Kelley’s grist mill on Google Maps.