Tucked along the Mill River, just before it meets Long Island Sound, there’s a small patch of land in Southport, Connecticut, once known as Herdsman’s Island. Back in colonial times, locals ferried their sheep here for safekeeping—far enough from wolves, but close enough to home. Today, that same spot is home to the Tide Mill Building, one of the area’s most enduring landmarks.
Built in 1712, it originally operated as a tide mill—a rare form of water mill powered not by rushing streams or waterfalls, but by the rise and fall of the tides. As those tides flowed in and out of a dammed inlet, they turned a wheel and drove the grinding of grain. It was one of only a handful of such mills in the region.
The structure didn’t escape history unscathed. During the Revolutionary War, it was partially burned by the British. But instead of scrapping it, locals rebuilt the mill right on the same timbers. Milling operations continued until 1915, when Alva R. Kelsey became the last miller to operate it.
By 1924, the building had entered a new chapter—as a tavern. Over the next few decades, it became part of the Spinning Wheel Inn in Redding, rebranded as the Spinning Wheel Mill, then later the Mill River Inn and finally the Tide Mill Inn. It was the only restaurant in the harbor area at the time, serving up meals, harbor views, and overnight stays—just not cocktails. Every attempt to secure a liquor license failed.
After the inn closed in 1960, the building began another transformation. Today, it’s a mixed-use property with commercial and residential spaces. Notable tenants include JP Franzen Associates Architects and Carter Morse & Goodrich, a boutique M&A advisory firm that now owns the building.
Though technically no longer an island, thanks to two connecting bridges, the Tide Mill’s little corner of Southport still feels set apart. It’s a place where centuries of history quietly coexist with modern life.
In 2019, a top-floor 1,200-square-foot penthouse apartment was listed for rent at $4,000 a month. The draw? Sweeping water views, a brand-new kitchen and bathrooms, and a 400-square-foot roof deck looking out over Southport Harbor and the Country Club of Fairfield.
Three centuries in, the Tide Mill Building isn’t grinding grain anymore—but it’s still full of energy.
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For more information, visit www.callcress.com.
Doug Cress
(212) 203-5251
doug@cress.co
License #RES.0832278
Fairfield County, CT
Enterprise Realty Inc.
License #REB.0751297
45 Huntington Plaza
Shelton, CT 06484
