Water Mill
Why it's listed
Water Mill is a two-story, wood-frame grist mill on Old Mill Road in the Suffolk County village that took its name from it. Edward Howell built the mill in 1644 under an agreement with the town of Southampton, receiving forty acres in exchange for constructing a dam and mill. A settlement grew around it. William Ludlam bought the property in 1653 and moved the mill across the road to its present site in the first half of the eighteenth century. Over time it was refitted for spinning yarn, weaving and fulling cloth, then used for paper making by the Benedict family into the twentieth century. The Ladies Auxiliary of Water Mill bought it in 1942, and it opened as a museum in 1969. It retains a massive mortise-and-tenon frame, plank sheathing and unfinished interior space, along with some older milling elements. It is regarded as one of the oldest surviving mills on Long Island and a link to the community's earliest settlement.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the most important historic resource tied to the early settlement and growth of the village, which took its name from the mill. It is one of the oldest surviving mills on Long Island. Despite moves and alterations, it keeps its heavy wood frame and utilitarian interior.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83004175, listed October 13, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Old Mill Rd., Water Mill |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | October 13, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004175 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Edward Howell |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in good condition; operated as the Water Mill Museum, open to the public in summer, with a working undershot water wheel installed in the early 1970s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.90921, -72.35632 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83004175.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7973321
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.