The Traveling Wheelchair

6 Spring Lane Ste 2
Plymouth, MA 02360
Phone: (508) 747-4544
http://www.jennygristmill.org/
 

Sunday my Aunt Nancy came to visit as she always does. We usually go fishing but with the weather being rainy and it being Flag Day we decided to be ‘Patriotic’ as we head out to Plymouth .

After having lunch at Woods Seafood surprisingly the weather cleared up and sun finally appeared. We went for a stroll along the Plymouth waterfront with a destination in mind being the Jenny Grist Mill located at the end of Brewster Gardens . Last time I went to Jenny Grist Mill it was closed for they are only open seasonally.

This accessibility review is of Jenny Grist Mill plus The Mill Stone Creamery and The Twenty Tea and Spirit which are located inside Jenny Grist Mill.

Not too far from the Mill are two off street handicap parking spaces. Jenny Grist Mill has two levels to it. The upper level is actually the street level and is the exit for the Jenny Grist Mill tour.

The lower level is where you purchase a tour ticket at ‘The Mill Stone Creamery’. To get to the lower level we traveled along the ‘sloped cement walkway’ through a beautiful garden. The lower level has an outdoor seating area with picnic tables that are not wheelchair friendly.

I was not able to roll my legs under the picnic table to sit comfortably; the benches on the side of the table are mounted to the table; I had to sit sideways to eat my Ice cream. Other than that the place is spacious; getting around the tables is easy for they are spread out; and the place has a nice tranquil atmosphere.

The most wheelchair accessible picnic tables I’ve seen are the tables at Scusset Beach State Reservation, where the permanently mounted bench seats swing out and the picnic table at Old Silver Beach, where the picnic table has an extension on the end to fit a wheelchair.

Entering  the door to ‘The Mill Stone Creamery’ is a little lip that my friend Tony had to boost my wheelchair in order for me to get in and they do not have automatic doors. The inside of the store is a small room with just enough space  for me to turn around in. I ordered my ice cream and found the cashier counter too high for me to reach; it wasn’t a problem this time because my Aunt paid for my ice-cream. There are no public restrooms.

Tickets for a tour are $6 for adults and there was no charge for me due to the inaccessibility of the upper level of the Mill that has a step. Check out their web site for more details on admissions and times. You can also take a self audio tour. If you pick up a headset at the Plymouth Visitors Center on the waterfront, you can hit the button on this Audio Stop (#17) and hear information all about Jenny Grist Mill. Audio Stops are located throughout Plymouth.

Across from the store is another shop called “The Twenty Tea and Spirit”. Basically, it is a tea shop that also sells tee shirts and other accessories. The entrance does not have automatic doors. They also have a high cashier counter that is hard to reach and pay for your purchase; but it is still under renovations so I hope they build an accessible counter. There are no public restrooms here.

Now it was time for the tour to begin which starts at the upper level. Getting in was tough for it has one small step to get through and the door was not automatic. Well what do you expect when back in the historic days they never thought about people in wheelchairs?

The tour guide was very friendly and whenever I needed help he was there to assist me. When he spoke he would respectfully look directly at me which kept me involved in the tour. He showed me how they would operate the machinery in order to grind corn and gave me a bit of a history lesson. Jenny Grist Mill is the oldest Mill in the entire country that is still in operation.

The tour guide turned a lever that allowed a two inch gap of rushing water that turns the big wheel outside. This wheel turn wooden gears that turn grinding stones. The apprentice (person operating the machinery) keeps a sharp sense of smell for any burning for if the stones came in contact with each other it could cause a flash fire due to all the dust that is created when grinding corn. Thus comes the saying “keep the nose to the grind”.

For the second part of the tour we had to head back down to the first level and go through ‘The Mill Stone Creamery’ where I purchased the tickets. They have a door that opens showing the full operation of the gears and how they are maintained. This room is spacious enough for me to maneuver around.

The gears are made of wood and it is the original from back in the day of the Pilgrims!! The gears need to be greased with animal fat not mechanical grease for it had to do with food. The tour guide made me laugh as he stated he found a faster way to grease the gears and pulled out a can of Pam vegetable spray oil.

Through Jenny Grist Mill run the herring from Plymouth. Every year the herring that are born in Plymouth come back to their original spots to spawn. A conservation organization monitors these Herring with cameras and it is said that almost 200,000 herring pass through Jenny Grist Mill each season. There is a TV monitor that I was able to see set at a table that is of a good wheelchair accessible height; I enjoyed watching films of the Herring running this past season.

The tour ended outside by the big wheel as the tour guide turned on the power one last time just to show us the wheel in motion. The rush of water streaming through just gave you the feel of the power of water.  Jenny Grist Mill was one of the first to manufacture, produce and sell flour. The one and a half mile of fresh water that comes streaming through Jenny Grist Mill is the reason why the Pilgrims stayed in Plymouth as a way of life and the necessity for survival.

I give the Jenny Grist Mill THREE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Two Stars they would need to install automatic doors and replace the step with a slope to the upper entrance of the Mill. The Tour Guide gets FIVE STARS for being sensitive, courteous and respectful.  

I give The Mill Stone Creamery THREE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Two Stars they would need to install automatic doors, remove the lip going in the front entrance and lower a section of the cashier counter.

I give The Twenty Tea and Spirit THREE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Two Stars they would need to install automatic doors and lower a portion of the cashier counter so a person in a wheelchair could complete their transaction independently.

Kenny & Co. hope that everyone had a great Flag Day.