Red Mill, Historic gristmill in Clinton, US

The Red Mill is a four-story grist mill at 56 Main Street in Clinton, New Jersey, standing along the South Branch Raritan River. Built around 1810, it later served as a wool processing plant, a peach basket factory and a textile mill. It is now part of the Red Mill Museum Village, an open-air museum.

Ralph Hunt built the mill around 1810 on land inherited from his father Daniel, who had built the Stone Mill across the river in 1763. The site had belonged to David McKinney in 1761. First used as a wool processing plant, the business failed by 1820 in a downturn for cloth, and Hunt lost hundreds of acres on both sides of the river. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 1974.

The building shows how mills shaped community life in early America and what craft skills the work required. Visitors see the tools and spaces where workers processed grain daily.

The grounds are easy to access and guided tours show how the milling system works from inside. Plan enough time to explore all floors and understand how each part functions.

The mill passed through several industries: a wool processing plant whose business failed by 1820, a peach basket factory, and a textile mill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 1974, and became part of the Clinton Historic District in 1995.