From the early 1600s until the 1830s, near the current Van Brunt, Van Dyke and Coffey Streets, stood the Van Dyke "ginger mill." Spices were important in early American cooking.  Their generous use was a demonstration of wealth and sophistication, not just a way, as some people argue, to mask the flavor of foods that had gone bad. PortSide will be researching whether the back building behind the store Wooden Sleepers is part of that original mill complex. Old-timers have said it is part of the original Van Dyke farm.
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Red Hook's Water Powered Ginger Mill

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