The Sugar Mill Origins and Evolution Part 10: A Time-Tested Design, Revisited

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            The Sugar Mill Origins and Evolution  Part 10 :

                       A Time-Tested Design, Revisited

In Part 4 of this series (April 2022), we explored the Vertical Three-Roller Mill, invented in the 1600s and which was constructed from wood.  Depending on the source of power (human, animal, water or wind), additional overhead wooden structures were also required to engage the vertical rollers.  Those operations required a lot of space and labor, but the materials available at the time left very little choice.

It was only a matter of time before the original vertical three-roller mill was “upgraded” and this month’s issue explores one such approach made by W. B. Belknap & Company.

The Belknap Hardware Company was originally founded in 1840 in Louisville, Kentucky.  From 1860 to 1880 it changed its name to W. B. Belknap and Company.  From 1880 to 1907 it became W. B. Belknap and Company, Incorporated and after 1907 it called itself Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Company, Incorporated.  The company was in operations until 1986.

During all those years, Belknap earned a reputation as a fair-dealing, quality merchandiser with a progressive vision.  Belknap was responsible for making the “Blue Grass” and “John Primble” brands household names across America.  The company sold several models of cane mills, their most popular being the “New Blue Grass 1896 Model.” Shown here is the cane mill Model No. 2, designed to be animal-powered.

                                     Sugar Mill Spotlight

Sugar Mill ruins at the Reef Bay Sugar Factory.  Reef Bay Sugar Factory Historic District is a historic section of Saint John, USVI, located on the south central coast adjacent to Reef Bay. The land is the site of a sugar factory. The property was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1981.

Join us again next month, as we continue to explore this fascinating topic!