Carroll County commissioners approve repairs to grist millwheel at Union Mills Homestead

The more than 25-year-old grist millwheel used to teach about the production of grain at the Union Mills Homestead in Westminster will be replaced. The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted 4-1 Thursday to hire B.E. Hassett Millwrights, Inc., of Harrods Creek, Kentucky, to replace the millwheel, gear and shaft at a cost of $280,000. The Union Mills Homestead is a historic landmark 7 miles north of Westminster. The museum contains American rural artifacts and includes a main house, blacksmith shop and functioning grist mill.