Pickwick Mill

Pickwick Mill
Pickwick Mill is located in Minnesota
Pickwick Mill
Pickwick Mill is located in the United States
Pickwick Mill
Location24813 County Road 7, Pickwick, Minnesota
Coordinates43°58′49.4″N 91°29′48.2″W / 43.980389°N 91.496722°W / 43.980389; -91.496722
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1854
NRHP reference No.70000314[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 22, 1970

Pickwick Mill is a historic gristmill in the unincorporated community of Pickwick, Minnesota, United States, near the city of Winona. It was constructed in the mid-1850s and is now operated as a milling museum. Pickwick Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 for having state-level significance in the themes of agriculture, architecture, and industry.[2] It was nominated for being one of southeast Minnesota's oldest surviving water-powered mills, serving as a key local industry in its day and a Winona County landmark to the present.[3]

Description

The six-story building was constructed from local limestone with a nail-less timber frame and a pitched roof. In 1907 a tornado ripped up the roof and top story, which the operators replaced with a flat plank roof. A more classically accurate pitched roof was restored in recent years.[4] The mill is powered by a 20-foot (6 m) water wheel.[5] Most of the mill's original machinery is still intact and operable.[3]

History

Pickwick Mill was built on the banks of Big Trout Creek by Thomas Grant and Wilson Davis. The mill's official website says it was constructed 1856–58,[4] though other sources give a construction date of 1854.[2][6] The property's National Register nomination says it was built in 1854 as a grist- and lumber mill and converted to flour production in 1856.[3]

Pickwick Mill is one of the largest mills in Minnesota and was one of the first community businesses in the state.[6] During the American Civil War the mill ran non-stop, churning out 100 barrels of flour a day for the Union Army.[4]

Historic attraction

Pickwick Mill is now managed by Pickwick Mill Inc., a non-profit organization largely funded by grants.[4][6] It is open for tours from May to October.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Pickwick Mill". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  3. ^ a b c Grossman, John (1970-05-11). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Pickwick Mill". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-07-05. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Pickwick Mill". Pickwick Mill Association. 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  5. ^ a b "The Historic Pickwick Mill". Explore Minnesota. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  6. ^ a b c Pederson, Alyssa (2010-07-16). "Pickwick Mill going strong". Winona Daily News. Winona, Minn. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
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