Cedarburg Mill


The Cedarburg Mill is a gristmill in Cedarburg, Wisconsin that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1855 by Frederick Hilgen and William Schroeder to replace the wooden gristmill they had built in 1844. The architect and builder was Burchard Weber. At five stories high, Cedarburg Mill was the tallest building in Cedarburg when it was built and at the time cost $22,000. The mill is built on Cedar Creek. Hilgen and Schroeder built a dam on the creek near the mill, and put a water wheel near the dam to power the mill. The mill could produce 120 barrels of flour each day, which was sold in a shop owned by Hilgen and Schroeder. Because the Cedarburg Mill prospered, four other mills were built along Cedar Creek.
During Wisconsin's "Great Indian Scare" of September 1862, the mill was used as a makeshift fortress by some residents in response to rumors of an Native American uprising in the state. 30,000 men were out of state, serving in the American Civil War, leaving the state vulnerable. The rumors were ultimately false; there was not an uprising. However the news caused mass hysteria in state's population.
The mill building is now owned by Landmark Supply Co.