The Bluegrass, rich in flowing water, was once studded with historic mills. Today, many modern thoroughfares bear the names of these once essential hearts of commerce.
Most of the region’s mills were grist mills, used to process corn. The corn was then used for cooking, animal feed, or preserved through distillation as bourbon whiskey. Some mills commonly processed trees into lumber (saw mills) or milled various grains into flour.
Still others produced materials for tobacco snuff (such as at Xalapa Farm in Bourbon County) or gunpowder (including the Neil McCoy Powder Mill in Fayette County, which supplied soldiers in the War of 1812).
The location of mills directly affected the development of roads, with the mill’s patrons “beating a path” to the area. Mills also created dams to raise the water level, taming the waters & making travel easier, while also limiting flooding nearby. These physical effects further encouraged community growth surrounding the mill.
Mills became lively hubs. Sometimes the area around mills was considered rowdy, with little to occupy mill patrons as they waited for their “turn.” Taverns & other businesses sprung up nearby, providing meals & entertainment for a captive audience.
Kentucky’s esteemed statesman Henry Clay was often referred to as “the millboy from the Slashes.” While certainly Clay participated in farm chores, the nickname was largely intended to suggest a down-to-earth, working man persona. In truth, Clay enjoyed a largely comfortable childhood, belying his folksy nickname.
Mills were so essential to everyday life that our modern lexicon contains many mill-related sayings, including:
First come, first served
The daily grind
Run of the mill
Keep your nose to the grindstone
Rule of thumb
Fair to middling
Wait your turn
