A visionary inventor and engineer, Oliver Evans (1755-1819) helped shape American manufacturing. In the late 1700s, Evans developed a continuous conveyor system for milling flour that revolutionized the industry and influenced the design of future automated factories. In 1804, he patented America's first high-pressure steam engine. Evans' new engine was reliable and versatile -- it was adapted for use in both manufacturing and steamboat propulsion.

This instructional handbook was originally written and published by Oliver Evans (1755-1819). In the late 1700s, Evans developed a continuous conveyor system for milling flour. The Young Mill-Wright and Miller's Guide explained his labor-saving innovations through text and technical illustrations. Published in fifteen editions between 1795 and 1860, the influential book helped revolutionize the flour-milling industry.

In 1832, Edward Loranger built a water-powered gristmill on Stoney Creek in Monroe, Michigan. He set it up to grind corn and wheat harvested by local farmers. Loranger's mill incorporated a sophisticated conveyor system, developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s, that moved grain through the building to undergo a variety of processes.

Loranger Gristmill was built in 1832 on Stoney Creek in Monroe, Michigan. It incorporated a sophisticated conveyor system, developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s, that moved grain through the building to be ground into flour or animal feed. Henry Ford acquired the mill and sent a crew to disassemble and relocate it to Greenfield Village in 1928.

Gristmills -- usually among the earliest businesses established in a community -- ground grain harvested by local farmers. This mill, originally located in Monroe, Michigan, was set up to grind both corn and wheat. It incorporates a sophisticated conveyor system, developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s, that moves grain through the building to undergo a variety of processes.

Loranger Gristmill, originally located in Monroe, Michigan, was set up to grind corn and wheat harvested by local farmers into flour or animal feed. It incorporates a sophisticated conveyor system developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s. The vertical columns in this photograph conceal cup elevators that lift grain through the building to undergo a variety of processes.

Loranger Gristmill is set up to grind corn and wheat. It incorporates a sophisticated conveyor system developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s. Here, cleaned grain falls through a vertical chute, filling a hopper positioned above two millstones, where it will be ground.

Loranger Gristmill is set up to grind corn and wheat. It incorporates a sophisticated conveyor system developed by Oliver Evans in the late 1700s. Cup elevators lift ground grain to a bolting reel on the upper floor of the mill, where varying grades - from cracked grain to fine flour - are sifted through a rotating mesh screen into chutes for packing.

Gristmills use a pair of millstones to grind grain. An evenly balanced top stone, or runner stone, spins above a stationary bedstone. A precise pattern of grooves cut into both stones creates a scissoring action, shearing grain, channeling it across uncut grinding surfaces, and carrying it out from the stones. Millstones must be periodically dressed, or recut, to keep them clean and sharp.