Monmouth Road, Oakhurst, NJ -Brinley Grist Mill Site
Building Constructed in Early 1700'
Building Torn Down in Early 1900's
Stone wall existed until 1985, when torn down by Township
The original Brinley Grist Mill Site on Monmouth Road, at Whale Pond Brook, is the reason Oakhurst was created. The town of Oakhurst grew around the commerce generated by the mill. The grist mill stood on the south side of the Whale Pond Brook near the present Monmouth Road in Oakhurst. The land was purchased under the Monmouth Patent by William Reape in 1665. It was willed to William Brinley in 1715 by his grandmother, Sarah Reape. The mill was probably built in the 1700s by John Brinley's son of William. In his will dated 1745, John is called a "miller" and he is listed a the owner of a grist mill and a sawmill. The sawmill in Brinley's will was probably one built on another mill pond of the Whale Pond Brook. The pond was located on the west side of the present Route 35. This mill is later referred to as Maps' Mill and the pond is called Maps' Pond.
The grist mill was the center of the growing community's activities. It was here that farmers brought their grain, exchanged their news, collected their mail and welcomed new settlers.
The mill remained in the Brinley family until the early 1800s. Changing hands many times, the mill continued in operation until the 1900s. In the mid-1800's it was known as Hopper's Mill. Later it was called the Ocean Flour Mill.
The original Brinley Grist Mill Site on Monmouth Road, at Whale Pond Brook, is the reason Oakhurst was created. The town of Oakhurst grew around the commerce generated by the mill. The grist mill stood on the south side of the Whale Pond Brook near the present Monmouth Road in Oakhurst. The land was purchased under the Monmouth Patent by William Reape in 1665. It was willed to William Brinley in 1715 by his grandmother, Sarah Reape. The mill was probably built in the 1700s by John Brinley's son of William. In his will dated 1745, John is called a "miller" and he is listed a the owner of a grist mill and a sawmill. The sawmill in Brinley's will was probably one built on another mill pond of the Whale Pond Brook. The pond was located on the west side of the present Route 35. This mill is later referred to as Maps' Mill and the pond is called Maps' Pond.
The grist mill was the center of the growing community's activities. It was here that farmers brought their grain, exchanged their news, collected their mail and welcomed new settlers.
The mill remained in the Brinley family until the early 1800s. Changing hands many times, the mill continued in operation until the 1900s. In the mid-1800's it was known as Hopper's Mill. Later it was called the Ocean Flour Mill.
Today, the site is marked with a Historic Site Marker, just as you enter the Township on Monmouth Road to remind everyone of the historic nature of the site.
The Brinley Grist Mill Site Today
