Who built the first automated mill? In the 1780s the American Oliver Evans (a pioneer of steam engines) built a mill in which grain was ground into flour entirely by machinery. The grain was delivered by wagon or barge, and raised to the top floor by a screw conveyor linked to an endless belt and bucket arrangement. Gravity provided the power from then on, as the grain fell though hoppers to the millstones. It was years ahead of its time, but few people showed much interest in Evans’ mill.
