A Fairhaven couple has purchased the former Gray's Grist Mill on Adamsville Road, long known as one of the oldest continually operating grist mills in the country.

Sarah and Bruce Delano of Delano's Daily Grind LLC signed the paperwork earlier this week, purchasing the property from Gray's Daily Grind LLC for $550,000. Apart from the mill, the sale also includes the Daily Grind coffee shop and a small office building next door.

Messages left for the Delanos were not returned, and while the coffee shop is expected to continue, little is known so far about the fate of the milling operation, the only one in Rhode Island or Massachusetts that ground authentic jonnycake meal. Miller George Whitley is no longer employed by the mill and declined to comment on the sale, or the mill's future, when contacted this week.

The sale spells the end of an era as the mill passes out of the hands of the Guild family, which had owned and lovingly cared for it since 1980.
The late Ralph Guild, who purchased the property with wife Calla and spent years — and millions — rehabilitating, restoring and protecting it, is a legend in local historical circles for the efforts he made to keep the piece of Westport and Little Compton's late 17th and early 18th century history alive. He passed away last November, and wife Calla followed him in July.

"You know, I never planned on being a mill owner," he once wrote. "Yet, here I find myself, owner of Gray’s Grist Mill since 1980. It’s funny how things work out. My first encounter with Gray’s Grist Mill came during the 1960s. At the time, the miller, John Hart, had been running Gray’s Grist Mill. I have to say that, on first sight, I was captivated by the whole experience – the classic New England mill, the picture book pond, and the archetypal miller."

A major milestone that will play into the site's future came in late 2017, when Guild signed a 30-year preservation restriction on the property. The restriction stipulates what can and can't be done with the property, and codifies Guild's hopes that Gray's will continue on in its present physical state through 2048.

Get your jonnycake meal

With the mill facing an uncertain future, now may be the time to stock up on its sole product, authentic jonnycake meal. It can be purchased at Lee's Market and Beautiful Things in Westport, Wilbur's General Store in Little Compton, and at the coffee shop.