Restoring The Last Flutter Mill in New England
A Combination of Passion and Chance Encounters Revived a Long Abandoned Flutter Mill
Charmed by the sheer history of the flutter mill built in 1756, Benedict Silverman and Jayne Bentzen are determined to restore the farmhouse from its dilapidated state and turn it into their own home. That ambition soon evolved into almost 4 years of hard work and dedication to clean the millpond, repair the milldam, and reinstate the mill into working order.
When listed on the Connecticut Register, the building and dam were near collapse. Structure and surviving millworks were fully documented and dismantled. Existing fragments, research and streambed archaeology yielded patterns for reconstruction. The pond, dam, relief-canal, flume, timber frame and millworks were restored to original configuration.
The historical restoration project was presented with the AIA Connecticut Design Award for its remarkable attention to detail and execution. The project is also periodically opened to public for viewing of the mill in operation. The flutter mill powers an up-and-down blade in the workshop for sawing logs.
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