Historic millstones heisted (and hoisted) from museum site

REVERE -- They weigh hundreds of pounds each and measure more than 3 feet in diameter. But one night recently, thieves somehow managed to spirit away historic millstones from a Colonial-era spice mill that is being converted to a museum and inn.

The theft is a mystery to the contractor on the project, who said the enormous rocks could not have been moved without heavy equipment.

"Without a doubt, it would've taken a machine," said Joe Laurenza, the contractor. "This is bizarre to me. I've had power tools stolen but nothing this big."

Revere police say they have no suspects or clues to follow, and the mill's owner, Robert Brooker, said he does not understand how the stones could have been lifted without anyone noticing.

"I never thought it possible because they are so heavy and the street is so busy," said Brooker, a Marblehead entrepreneur who bought the former Slade's Spice Mill three years ago.

For months, Laurenza's crew has been working on the mill, which was built in 1734 on a tributary of the Chelsea River. The site flanks Route 16, a six-lane expanse also known as Revere Beach Parkway.

Last November, crew members unearthed a piece of local history when they happened upon a large polished granite stone. They threw down their equipment and used their hands to dig it up, taking care not to break it, he said. They couldn't lift the stone by hand, so they used heavy construction machinery known as the "mini excavator" to pick up the granite and move it 30 yards away.

"Everybody was actually very excited about it. That's why it's kind of a downer now," Laurenza said.

The granite turned out to be half of a millstone unearthed earlier. Later the same day, he said, they found its sister stone. All three pieces were stolen on Feb. 20.

Adriana Hernandez, who lives in a two-family house across the street from the mill, said she hasn't heard any unusual noises at the site, other than the usual traffic in the area.

Hernandez's neighbor John Hallisey said the thieves may have timed their actions so the sounds of heavy lifting would be muffled. "It would be very easy to time their movements to a big truck's passing," he said.

The culprits might have operated in daylight for all the attention some workers at nearby Ideal Electric pay to neighborhood activities. "I can't imagine hearing anything with all the traffic noise. It's constant all the time," said Kathy Winn, a receptionist at Ideal Electric. "I usually keep the blinds closed, it's so annoying."

The stones were once encased in a wooden box inside the mill, where they turned with power generated by the shifting tides. The mill converted to electric power in the early 20th century, Brooker said.

Slade's is one of two tide mills left in Massachusetts, said Thomas Glick, a Boston University history professor and president of the Northeast Chapter of the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills. The other is the Souther Mill in Quincy.

Slade's was first used to grind local farmers' corn, flour, and other grains. A century later, D & L Slade & Co. ground spices brought by clipper ships from Asia, which turned the mill into New England's principal spice provider, according to historians. The mill operated until 1976, four years after being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Glick said he had never heard of a similar theft. Like plunderers of artifacts from ancient archeological sites, Glick said, the thieves took not only the stones but a wealth of knowledge about how the mill operated.

"It's crazy on the face of it. It's a major operation," Glick said. "Someone is not going to steal a millstone and then try and sell it from their stall at an antiquities market. You can't just unload this type of thing."

There is a market for the stones, however, said Tom Mann, who owns a lumberyard in Athol. Mann started selling millstones last year, mostly to people looking to spruce up backyard gardens. The stones can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $5,000 apiece, Mann said. But to garner the higher prices, sellers usually include historical data on the mill they came from, he said.

Brooker has enlisted Mann and other millstone dealers to help him track down the stolen property, supplying descriptions and photos.

"We just want the stones back, no questions asked," Brooker said. "If the thieves have any remorse they can just turn them in."