We took a short day trip to see the location of a former historic Mill and bridge that was connected to the old mill. It's the "Grist Mill and Grist Mill Bridge" in Lebanon, Maine. That's today's blog.
(Photo: The Little River Bridge in 2026. Credit: R.G.)
(Photo: A millstone from the Grist Mill now with historic plaques. Credit: Maine.gov)
WHAT IS THE GRIST MILL BRIDGE? - The Grist Mill Bridge is a stone and timber structure just east of the 1774 Old Grist Mill. It is composed of laid rubblestone, rising approximately thirteen feet above normal stream water levels. The bridge deck is fifty-four feet long and twenty-four feet wide. 
(View of the Little River on the west side of the bridge. Credit: R.G.)
The Grist Mill Bridge spans the Little River and is located about 3 miles south of East Lebanon, Maine on the Little River Road.
(Photo: What the bridge looks like today from the side of the Little River.)
REBUILT CONFIGURATIONS - The current structure dates from the early 1950s. In 1993, a major renovation project replaced a timber superstructure and restored the stone pier and abutments. This bridge was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1990.
(Photo: Side of the original mill site, looking from the Bridge.)ABOUT THE HISTORIC GRIST MILL* - Lebanon, Maine's Old Grist Mill is the oldest surviving industrial building in town.
Built by Joseph Hardison in 1774, the large rectangular mill sits on a massive foundation of dry laid stone five feet thick tapering to a width of two feet under the sills of the building.
The two-story mill is typical of 18th-century construction with a gabled roof, framed with heavy hand hewn timbers, and a double thickness of hardwood for flooring.
Looking at historical records, a 1792 road layout description references "Joseph Hardison's Bridge" at the site.
WHO WAS JOSEPH HARDISON? - Beyond his work on the mill, Hardison was also involved in local governance, serving as a Justice of the Peace and Postmaster. Joseph Hardison passed away in 1858.
(Photo: Front of the historic mill building in 2026)
OTHER MILL USES - Like many places in rural Maine, the mill harnessed the power of a stream for manufacturing. It was originally a grist mill, but a multitude of additions throughout the years turned the structure into a multi-purpose establishment which also milled timber. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the mill also informally served as the village center and public meeting place. It was the only known grist mill to survive the 1785 freshet and provided an important service while other mills were rebuilt.
WHAT IS THE MILL TODAY? Currently, it is a mixed-use establishment housing an antique store and several apartments.
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