Samuel E. Perry Grist Mill | Local Treasure

“Do you wanna buy a mill?” Thirty years later, Bob and Diane Smith still chuckle at the memory of the phone call that changed their lives. With no previous experience and both nearing retirement age, there were plenty of reasons to decline, but instead the couple had just one question: “How much?” Built in 1703, the Samuel E. Perry Grist Mill in the village of Perryville in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, is a weathered wooden structure with a cheerful red front. Bob remembers when gristmills were plentiful in the area, and how he spent a childhood of Saturdays visiting them.  “I know sometimes I must have annoyed the miller,” he says, “but watching the grinding was just something I enjoyed, and I always dreamed of owning one myself.” Bob and Diane met at the University of Rhode Island (back when it was Rhode Island State College) and married in 1949. They eventually settled in nearby Wakefield, where they shared a keen interest in local history. When the chance to buy the old Carpenter’s Grist Mill came in 1985, they felt that the rewards of ownership would outweigh any challenges—especially if it also meant more jonnycakes, which (this being Rhode Island) it most certainly did. With more than three centuries of continuous grinding history, the mill (renamed the Perry Grist Mill, for the original owner) is the last in the state to use water power to produce stone-ground jonnycake meal, made from native Rhode Island–grown whitecap flint corn. It’s notoriously difficult to grow, but has a wonderfully nutty flavor that many folks feel tastes best as a platter of jonnycakes, hot off the griddle. Sharing this classic Rhode Island dish has been a favorite part of the job (“Bob always has his griddle with him,” quips Diane), and likely the easiest. Bob learned how to grind, while Diane designed new packaging and marketed the meal to local shops and inns. Now on grinding days (announced in the local newspaper) they demonstrate the mill’s operation and show visitors how to make jonnycakes (offering free samples); they keep a regular table at the local farmers’ market, too. Once Diane even slipped a bag of jonnycake meal to celebrity chef Bobby Flay at a clambake; an endorsement on his website soon followed.

It’s been a labor of love for the Smiths, but mindful of their age, in 2012 the couple deeded the mill to the South Kingstown Land Trust for future preservation. In turn, the trust leases it back to them as the operators for a dollar a year. The Smiths say they feel lucky to live in a community that both values and supports its past, but you can’t help but feel that the good fortune runs both ways. Boosted by the Smiths’ efforts over the past three decades and the continued support of the Land Trust, it’s all but guaranteed that the Perry Grist Mill will keep grinding some of the state’s best jonnycake meal for years to come. It’s a role that Bob Smith is proud of. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life, and having the gristmill has been very rewarding and special,” he says. Then he leans forward and gestures toward his wife of 60 years. “I’ll tell you what, though,” he adds. “Of all the wonderful things that ever happened to me, that’s the best.” And like any good partner, Diane laughs warmly and promptly returns the compliment. “I wouldn’t have known a thing about gristmills without Bob,” she says. “I listened and learned and grew to really enjoy it. We both did. It’s been just wonderful.” Samuel E. Perry Grist Mill. 364 Moonstone Beach Road, Perryville, RI. 401-783-5483