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The Tide Mill at Southold, erected in the 1640's by Thomas Benedict, holds a place of distinction in American history as the first recorded English mill in the New World. It paved the way for future tide mills and contributed to the economic growth of the Southold community.^[1]

This was the first mill on Long Island's east end at Southold (1644). A tidal mill, it utilized English waterwheel mill technology and harnessed the power of the tides in what was once known as Benedict's Creek, then Tom's Creek, and now, Mill Creek.^[2] it's uncertain how long it lasted until the Reeve (1694) and Vail (1700) windmills.^[3] Southold (Founded 1640) consisted of 6 hamlets in colonial times, Mattituck, Cutchogue (Hogs Neck), Peconic, Southold (Hashamomuck), Oysterponds upper and lower neck (now East Marion and Orient (Orient Point).

The second windmill in Southold was built in 1694. The windmill at Hallocks Neck was built by four men, including Joseph Reeve, a blacksmith. James Reeve 2, along with Anna and John Reeve, were among the 35 subscribers to the building of the windmill. James Reeve 2 was a prominent landowner in Southold, Long Island, during the late 17th century, and he inherited substantial property from his grandfather, William Purrier, upon the latter's death in 1675. His ownership of his grandfather's home lot and its eventual transfer to his son, Thomas, through his will, suggests that he had a family and was involved in passing down his property to the next generation.

The windmill was likely a local project, as James Reeve 2 and the other subscribers were involved in the community. Joseph Reeve 2, the blacksmith was given land by the town in 1671. He acquired additional acres in 1680 and was included in a list of holders of common acreage. Joseph Reeve 2 died in April 1736 at the age of 80.^[4]

The Vail windmill was built by John and Jeremiah Vail in Orient's South Beach, on the North Fork of Long Island, NY in 1700.^[5] The Gristmill was likely used to grind grain into flour or to pump water. Windmills were common in coastal towns like Orient, where the flat landscape and prevailing winds made them a practical source of power.^[6][7]

The Vail mill,(1700) was located halfway between two places called Jonathan Truman's and Orient Creek near Kings Highway. For much of its length, SR 25 follows an historic route dating back to the 1700s that was known as The King’s Highway. The road ran from Brooklyn to Orient Point. This mill on the causeway was dismantled and replaced in 1760 and again in 1810. The 1810 mill was then moved south to the Orient harbor in Orient Village.^[8][9]

The forth Orient windmill,(1760) built by Amon Taber for Noah Tuthill, was located just west of the Orient Old Wharf on the waterfront. This mill was also used for grinding grain, it was the replacement for the Vail windmill.^[10]

Nathaniel Dominy V (1810) built an English style windmill on the Southold village green which was operated by the Terry Family.^[11][12] It was the 3rd rebuilt of the Vail mill. It was a larger, 40-ton structure that stood until 1898, when shipping magnate and U.S. Congressman John H. Starin bought the windmill for $600, it was moved by barge to Glen Island at the head of Long Island Sound to be entertainment at the Glen Island Amusement Park. In 1881, the Park had opened to the general public with a Dutch mill as an attraction at America's new Theme Park. The Orient windmill was likely used primarily for grinding grain into flour. Its relocation to Glen Island was opposed by the Orient residents and a year later it caught fire and burnt to the ground.

Dominy V also built a red windmill which sat at the mouth of Jockey Creek in Southold. Rev. Jonathan Huntting, who originated from Easthampton in the 1800s,^[13] became the pastor of the First Church of Southold in 1807 and reportedly said years later, recalling the mill, “When the great arms spun round, they made a swishing, whirring sound that was heard not only in the immediate vicinity of the ‘run’ but well up the Bowery Lane and on to the Hog Neck Road.”^[8] Built in 1810 by Carpenter Nathaniel Dominy V, it later became the Shelter Island Windmill. In 1839 it was moved by barge and oxen team to the island's town center to replace a prior mill that had burnt the previous year. It stands today at Sylvester's educational farm.^[14]

The use of windmills and water powered gristmills to pump water has a long history on Long Island's North Fork, dating back to the early days of agriculture in the region.^[15] In simpler times, windmills were a common sight on farms, and they were used to power a variety of tasks, from grinding grain to pumping water.^[7] A Tuthill descendant recalls working on an American Style Windpump Windmill in 1904. Donald Tuthill estimated that the windpump was last used in the 50's. It was restored in 1985 to working order and the farm has been placed on the NRHP^[16][17] In 1954, James Mott purchased both his house and windmill situated on the North Road. Mott, had decided to become self sufficient and repaired the Tuthill windpump in Southold. In East Marion, Mary Anna Muir has made the decision to undertake the renovation of the old windmill located on her property, which sits near Gardiners Bay.^[18]

Orient and East Marion originally were called Oysterponds Lower Neck and Oysterponds Upper Neck, respectively. In 1826, the two communities went their separate ways with new names. In 1836, unable to get a post office due to another community with that name, They choose East Marion.^[19]

The North Fork's flat terrain and consistent sea breezes made it an ideal location for windmills, and many were built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were typically made of wood, with canvas or wooden blades that could be adjusted to capture the wind. The windmill would turn a shaft that was connected to a pump, which would draw water from a well and distribute it to the fields through a system of pipes. The rise east of Greenport where the hamlet of East Marion lay in 1879 hosted a windmill visible from the bay.^[20][21]

Southold was a center of windmill building activity by the golden Age of smock mills, 1795-1820. A smock windmill still stands, the Sylvesters (1810) of Shelter Island. The Peconic windmill (1840) was neglected after the 1898 storm and razed in 1906. A replica windmill was restored in Aquebogue that is a copy of the 1804 "Pantigo" smock mill.^[22]

"Southold High School 1908 class member Rosalind Case Newell wrote a very moving history of the Peconic Mill:

The production of bread was considered years ago. Mixing flour with water or milk and then baking makes bread. People have made crude flour for centuries by grinding grain. The Europeans used windmills to power flour mills. The North Fork settlers used the concept. Abundant forests gave timber for water mills and windmills that ground grain and sawed lumber, thus fulfilling the basic needs of food and shelter. The windmill owner had to face the threat of gale-force winds or the occasional calm causing the mill to shut down."^[23]

The Tidal mill in Mattituck, NY was built in 1821. It was originally a grist mill, which was later converted into a tavern in 1902, and subsequently transformed into a seafood restaurant. The restaurant closed its doors in April 2017.

The Great Western Mill, situated on Pine Neck in Southold on the George W. Phillips lot east of Mill Hill (now known as Willow Hill), was a distinctive windmill with its iron sails and unique features. Although initially equipped with iron sails, an incident involving strong winds led to their replacement with more traditional canvas sails. Hampton Young and George W. Phillips played significant roles in running the mill, but ownership changed hands over time. In 1839, Hampton Young, Ira Corwin, George W. Phillips, and Giles Wells of Southold jointly purchased the mill. They made the remarkable decision to relocate the mill from New Jersey to Eastern Long Island. To accomplish this, the mill was disassembled into sections and transported through Long Island Sound to Southold Harbor.^[24]

an early settler in Southold, Joshua Horton, built a Sawmill that was water-powered in 1661 and later, in 1679, built a windmill at East Marion. He was a Carpenter by trade.^[25]

As many as 40 windmills and 27 tidal mills once dotted the length of Long Island.^[26]

A Historic Marker in Southold lists the following mills as: East and West Borders of Tom's (Mill) Creek Hashamomuck—which is the Indigenous Cutchogue naming for Southold, The Hashamomuck Cemetery has early settlers to Southold.

• Thomas Benedict Mill - Prob. Earliest
• John Payne Water Mill - 1659
• Nathaniel Sylvester - 1667
• WM Albertson Mill & Bridge - 1795
• Town Bridge - 1855
• Benedict and Hallet Mill - 1855
• David F. Conklin & Co. - 1870's
• Town Bridge - 1899-1926

Marker is at the intersection of Main Road (County Route 25) and Old Main Road, at 41° 4.704′ N, 72° 23.952′ W.^[27] The Beers map of 1873 in the collection of the New York Public Library show at Mattituck and Peconic Village entries for G.M. (Grist Mill) at Mattituck inlet and Goldsmiths inlet, and a Sorghum Mill near Mattituck lake.^[28] On the Orient side the map shows in Orient Harbor, D.B. Horton, G.Mill.

Overall, the history of windmills on the North Fork reflects the changing needs of the community over time, as well as the technological advancements that allowed for more efficient sources of power. Today, wind turbines have largely replaced windmills for electricity generation, but these historical structures remain an important part of the region's heritage.

• List of windmills in New York

• Images
• Nautical chart of Great Peconic Bay