Since prehistoric times, the process of cutting rock to make millstones has been one of the most important industries in the world. Different civilizations and cultures have produced their own styles of grinding stones, which have been used in mills to process wheat, corn, and other grains into the flour and meal that was necessary to feed a growing population. The earliest rotary millstones, known as querns, were turned by human power. Later in history, larger millstones were manufactured that required animal, water, or wind power to turn them. These larger millstones required less human effort and ground greater quantities of grain, but also required regular maintenance and replacement. As a result, millstone quarries increased greatly in number and size in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the largest quarry sites extending as far as nearly a half-mile square to about 12 square miles.The first part of this book compiles information on the millstone industry in the United States, which dates between the mid - 1600s and the mid - 1900s. Primarily based on archival research and brief accounts published in geological and historical volumes, it focuses on conglomerate, granite, flint, quartzite, gneiss, and sandstone quarries in different regions and states, along with a general overview of the rise and fall of the American millstone industry. The second part focuses on the millstone quarrying industry in Europe and other areas. Of the European millstone industry, the quarries of France, Germany, and Great Britain are most extensively documented, although the quarries of Albania, Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland are also addressed. The book includes 84 photographs, 16 tables, and a helpful glossary of specialized and technical terms.

In the early nineteenth century, mills were such a ubiquitous part of the American landscape that no one was unaware of or unaffected by them. Dozens of indispensable items were made possible by mills - from the bread served at every meal to the boards used to construct houses and other buildings. Millstones were an integral part of the mill operation, as necessary as the mill dam or the mill building itself. They were the incomparable workhorse component of the mill, and the cost of maintaining or replacing worn-out millstones constituted a significant proportion of a mill's cost of operation. Because millstones went through so much daily wear and tear, only certain types of rock formations were suitable for millstone quarries. Though they were often located in remote places that were difficult to locate and access, these quarries played an immeasurable role in keeping the mill industry alive.This book provides an archaeological and historical study of six millstone quarries in Powell County, Kentucky. While the best-known conglomerate millstone quarries were in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, Powell County was an important millstone producer for Kentucky, and the quarries there are well-preserved and documented. The Powell County quarries provide the first detailed view of millstone manufacturing based on archaeological evidence, and this book combines a study of the archaeological remains found at the quarries with a discussion of the archival records discovered. Featuring dozens of photographs and tables, two maps, and seven appendices, this study presents an exhaustive study of the Powell County quarries within the context of the Kentucky conglomerate millstone industry and within the larger conglomerate millstone industry of the United States.