Dartmouth third graders got a taste of the town’s history last week in a field trip to Allen’s Mill in Russells Mills Village in South Dartmouth on Friday.

The students visited the mill as part of a series of field trips to historic Dartmouth sites at Quinn and DeMello schools. They also visited the Russells Mills Schoolhouse and the Apponagansett Meeting House.

Allen’s Mill is a historic property restored and owned by Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust. 

It was a grist mill that was likely built in the early 18th century, although according to DNRT, a mill may have been on the site as early as 1676.

A later saw mill associated with the site burned down in a 1939 fire.

DNRT President Lorraine Granda and volunteers Carol and Tom Matthews showed the students around.

The kids learned about chutes and spillways, how water is turned into energy, and how people grind corn kernels into meal. They got to take a look at the giant gears that made the 1.5-ton millstone turn.

Erica Davignon’s class from DeMello School was exploring the waterfall and spillways around the mill after a visit to the historic Russells Mills schoolhouse earlier in the day.

“It’s been a long day for them, and they’re doing a really good job,” Davignon said of her class on the tour. “It’s going really well.”

Granda echoed the sentiment. 

“It’s going very well,” she said. “The students have been outstanding. Good questions, very attentive. And there are some things that could be dangerous, and they’ve been really very good.”

“We would take any of these groups back in a flash,” she added with a smile.

Eight-year-old Elijah Domingos said he was enjoying the tour. “I like the gears,” he said, looking at the large interlocking pieces of metal in front of him. “And the water.”