The Old Mill stands on a low hill at the edge of town, its wooden arms turning in the reliable Nantucket wind much as they have since the mid-18th century. It is the oldest operational windmill in the United States, and its location — just outside the town centre, with a view across the moors — makes it easy to imagine the island when working windmills were a practical necessity.
The Nantucket Historical Association maintains the mill and offers tours in summer. The millstones are Dutch, brought over as ballast in the sailing-ship era, and the mechanism that turns them from wind power is original. It is a satisfying thing to see a working machine of this age doing what it was built to do.