Monroe City Mill

Last updated
The Monroe City Mill in 1894.The two story section at right would have been built in 1827 by Thomas James. The lean-to and smokestack would have been built in 1851 when the mill was converted to steam power. 1894 Mill Best.jpg
The Monroe City Mill in 1894.The two story section at right would have been built in 1827 by Thomas James. The lean-to and smokestack would have been built in 1851 when the mill was converted to steam power.
The plaque on the historical monument. Monroe City Pioneer Mill.jpg
The plaque on the historical monument.

The Monroe City Mill was a grist mill located in Monroe City, Illinois, an unincorporated community in the historic Bluff Precinct of Monroe County, Illinois, United States. [1] Monroe County was founded in 1816. Prior to that, the area was part of St. Clair County in the Illinois Territory.

Contents

The Mill was built in 1800 and ceased operation in 1899. [2] [3] The stone foundation, including the water wheel arch, remain today on the original site.

The Mill was located on the north bank of the Monroe City Creek, about one quarter mile below its source at a karst spring. [4] The creek provided water to power the mill. The valley created by erosion from the creek is generally referred to as "the Monroe City Hollow."

Over the years, the Mill has been referred to by a number of names, primarily reflecting ownership: Kinney's Mill from 1800 until about 1823; James' Mill from about 1823 until 1849; Garretson and Harlow's Mill from about 1850 to 1866; Ziebold's Mill from 1867 until about 1899. It was also generally known as the Monroe City Mill beginning in 1856 when the Town of Monroe City was platted. In 1798, Josiah Ryan built the original mill in the Monroe City Hollow about 2 miles west of the Monroe City Mill site, also on the banks of the Monroe City Creek.

Water Source

The Monroe City Creek was the water source for the Mill. Until 1856, it was known as Ryan's Creek. In 1800, Kinney built a dam on the creek about 200 yards upstream. The dam was 15' tall and collected water which was channeled to the mill through a wooden trough. Remains of the dam can still be seen. Due to frequent flooding, the dam was unsustainable.

This is the Mill Spring and the remains of the pipe that carried water about 1/4 mile to the Mill. Mill Spring.jpg
This is the Mill Spring and the remains of the pipe that carried water about 1/4 mile to the Mill.

During a heavy rain, the creek level can rise more than 4 feet. Water would overtop the dam, causing it to erode and fail. At an unknown time, a steel pipe was installed to carry water directly from the spring, about 1/4 mile away. The pipe ran from the spring to the brick house above the Mill. Water was channeled to a public water trough outside the house. It was also channeled inside the house to provide running water, The main channel fed water to the waterwheel, probably an undershot wheel, which turned the grindstones, sifters, saws, and other equipment in the Mill.

Technology

The Mill's primary function was to grind corn and wheat into flour. Initially, a stationary, horizontal rock grindstone was installed. Facing it, a second grindstone was positioned against the first. The water flowing to the mill turned the water wheel, which powered a wooden shaft that turned the upper grindstone. Wheat and corn were funneled between the grindstones. The resulting ground meal then dropped through sifters and into bagging bins, all powered by the water wheel.

In 1851, a steam boiler replaced the waterwheel as the power source. The boiler was mechanically superior to a waterwheel and made more efficient use of water.

In 1880, Gottleib Ziebold upgraded the grindstones to steel rollers which dramatically increased efficiency.

The steam boiler required constant attention to maintain the proper operating pressure. Left unattended, the boiler exploded one day in 1899. The resulting fire destroyed the Mill.

Products

Wheat flour was the primary product produced. Wheat was grown in abundance by nearby farmers. The Mill ground flour for local consumption as well as for export to the world. Flour was packed into barrels and hauled to the dock at Harrisonville on the Mississippi River. Barges transported the flour downstream to New Orleans. From there, it was loaded onto packet ships for export to Europe.

Corn meal was also produced. It was used primarily for local consumption.

Andey Kinney installed a cotton gin in 1814. The machine separated seeds from the cotton. This was a notable piece of entrepreneurship since relatively little cotton was grown in the area. It was one of the few gins in the Illinois Territory.

A lumber saw was also installed in the mill to saw logs from the nearby hardwood forests into usable lumber.

Kinney's Mill

In 1800, Andrew Kinney built the original Mill at the current site. [3] According to the Combined History (1883), "Where Monroe City now stands Andrew Kinney built a water mill, and this vicinity, at an early time, became one of the important business points of the county. From this mill flour was shipped to St. Louis and to New Orleans before the war of 1812." During this time, the town around the Mill was referred to as "Kinney's Mill" as well.

Kinney also built a dam on the creek about 200 yards upstream. The dam was about 15' tall and collected water which was channeled to the mill through a wooden trough. Remains of the dam can still be seen.

John Great, an emigrant from Maryland was the stonemason.

One grindstone is on display at the Rosalie Baum home across the creek from the mill.

In 1814, Kinney installed a cotton gin at the Mill. Below is an advertisement that appeared in the Illinois Herald newspaper, announcing the cotton milling service. [5]

This ad appeared in the Illinois Herald newspaper on December 4, 1814, to announce the opening of Andrew Kinney's cottonseed hulling machine service at the Monroe City Mill. Andrew Kinney Cotton Ad.png
This ad appeared in the Illinois Herald newspaper on December 4, 1814, to announce the opening of Andrew Kinney's cottonseed hulling machine service at the Monroe City Mill.

James' Mill

These are the remains of the Monroe City Mill today, showing the rock arch over the water wheel. Monroe City Mill in 2016.jpg
These are the remains of the Monroe City Mill today, showing the rock arch over the water wheel.

General Thomas James purchased the Mill sometime between 1823 and 1827, after he returned from his New Mexico expedition. [3] The Mill burned and James re-built it in 1827. During this time, the town around the Mill was referred to as "James Mill" as well. In 1827 he was also appointed postmaster at the town of James' Mill and kept the position for many years. Thomas James sold the mill to his nephew James James, who operated the mill until 1849. [6]

Ziebold Mill

Ziebold Mill Interior Ziebold Mill Interior.jpg
Ziebold Mill Interior
Monument to Ziebold with creek and remains of the mill in background. Monroe City Mill Monument.jpg
Monument to Ziebold with creek and remains of the mill in background.
Duryea's name scrawled on a rock shelf in the Madonnaville Cave Charles Duryea in Monroe City.jpg
Duryea’s name scrawled on a rock shelf in the Madonnaville Cave

On April 24, 1867, Gottlieb Ziebold purchased the Mill. He moved his family to Monroe City, from the town of California, Moniteau County, Missouri, where he owned a steam grist mill. They lived in either the brick house on the Mill property, or across the creek in the Baum house. In May 1870, he rented the Mill to Peter Bickelhaupt and William Bruchhauser. Gottlieb purchased a mill in Tipton, Moniteau County, Missouri. He moved the family back to Moniteau County and operated the mill there until his wife Magdalena's death in 1872. Gottleib then moved the family back to Monroe City and resumed operating the Mill.

In 1880, Ziebold began a modernization project. He contracted with the Richmond Indiana Steel Company to install metal rollers to replace the water-powered grindstones. In 1882, Richmond Steel sent Charles Duryea to install the new equipment. [3] Duryea spent at least 2 years in Monroe City, living with the Ziebold family. He visited the Madonnaville Cave where he etched his name and bicycle drawings into a rock shelf.

The steam boiler required continual monitoring. One day in 1899, the operator tarried too long at one of the local taverns. While he was away, the steam pressure built too high and exploded. The resulting fire destroyed the mill and was never rebuilt. [3]

Ryan's Mill

The first Mill in Monroe City was built by Josiah Ryan in 1798. It was apparently located further west on the creek, near Golden's Blockhouse. [3]

Political Subdivisions

Readers will note that in his 1814 advertisement, Andey Kinney identifies his mill as being in “St. Clair County” rather than in Monroe County.  Several historic political subdivisions were made which explains this apparent discrepancy.  

Until 1809, the mill site was in St. Clair County which was part of The Northwest Territory.  In 1809, the Illinois Territory, including St. Clair County, was created from the Northwest Territory. In 1816, Monroe County was created by splitting off a southwest corner of St. Clair County.  In 1818, the Illinois Territory was dissolved when Illinois was granted statehood.

Therefore, the mill site is in Monroe County, Illinois and has been in the same spot through two Territory changes, two County divisions and one new statehood, during its 222 years.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Anthony Falls</span> Waterfall in Mississippi River into the Mississippi River Gorge in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony, located at the northeastern edge of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Throughout the mid-to-late 1800s, various dams were built atop the east and west faces of the falls to support the milling industry that spurred the growth of the city of Minneapolis. In 1880, the central face of the falls was reinforced with a sloping timber apron to stop the upstream erosion of the falls. In the 1950s, the apron was rebuilt with concrete, which makes up the most visible portion of the falls today. A series of locks were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s to extend navigation to points upstream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park</span> United States historic place

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park is a California state park located in Napa County between St. Helena and Calistoga. The park is the site of a water-powered grist mill that was built in 1846 is one of only two water-driven mills remaining west of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huron River</span> River in Michigan, United States

The Huron River is a 130-mile-long (210 km) river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Springfield Township in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie, as it forms the boundary between present-day Wayne and Monroe counties. Thirteen parks, game areas, and recreation areas are associated with the river, which passes through the cities of Dexter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Belleville, Flat Rock and Rockwood that were developed along its banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Cray</span> River

The River Cray is the largest tributary of the River Darent. It is the prime river of outer, south-east Greater London, rising in Priory Gardens, Orpington, where rainwater percolates through the chalk bedrock of the Downs to form a pond where the eroded ground elevation gives way to impermeable clay. Initially it flows true to form northwards, past industrial and residential St Mary Cray, through St Paul's Cray and through Foots Cray, where it enters the parkland Foots Cray Meadows, flowing under by Five Arches bridge. It then flows by restored Loring Hall (c.1760), home of the Lord Castlereagh who killed himself there in 1822. It continues through North Cray and Bexley. It neighbours a restored Gothic (architecture) cold plunge bath house, built around 1766 as part of Vale Mascal Estate. It is then joined by the River Shuttle and then continues through the parkland of Hall Place, which was built for John Champneys in 1540. The Cray turns eastward through Crayford and Barnes Cray to join the Darent in Dartford Creek. The Creek is a well-watered partly tidal inlet between Crayford Marshes and Dartford Marshes by a slight projection of land, Crayford Ness. The villages through which the Cray flows are collectively known as "The Crays".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeton, Indiana</span> Unincorporated community in Indiana, United States

Bridgeton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Raccoon Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is notable for its covered bridge, which was destroyed on April 28, 2005, by a fire set by an arsonist. A historically accurate reconstruction of the bridge was completed in October, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbes Mill</span> United States historic place

Forbes Mill is a now-defunct flour mill originally built in 1854 located in Los Gatos, California, which served as the History Museum of Los Gatos after having been saved from destruction in 1982. The museum closed in 2014, and its collections are now part of New Museum Los Gatos. The building is currently owned by the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McConnells Mill State Park</span> State park in Pennsylvania, United States

McConnells Mill State Park is a 2,546 acres (1,030 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Perry and Slippery Rock Townships, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park features a deep scenic gorge with the restored watermill and a covered bridge at the bottom, accessible by a roadway that winds between large, room-sized boulders on the hillside. McConnells Mill State Park is along the Slippery Rock Creek. just southwest of the intersection of US 422 and US 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potter's Mill</span> United States historic place

Potter's Mill is a restaurant and bed and breakfast establishment located in Bellevue, Iowa. The structure was formerly a gristmill, being the oldest in the state of Iowa, and as such it has earned national recognition. Potter's Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as being named a point of interest in the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graue Mill</span> United States historic place

The Graue Mill is a water-powered grist mill that was originally erected in 1852. Now a museum, it is one of two operating water-powered gristmills in Illinois. It is located on Salt Creek in Oak Brook, Illinois, owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malvern Roller Mill</span> United States historic place

The Malvern Roller Mill, also known as Appel Mill and Malvern Milling Company, is a 19th-century grist mill located near the unincorporated village of Malvern, Illinois, in rural Whiteside County, north of Morrison, Illinois, United States. The original mill on the site, built by 1853, was destroyed by a flood and the present mill was erected in 1858. The mill's first owner was William P. Hiddleson who operated the mill until he sold to Benjamin Hough in 1871. The mill changed hands over the years until it landed under the control of George Appel in 1892. The Appel family closed the mill in 1942 but it remained in their family until 1985. The Malvern Roller Mill was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

Monroe City is a small unincorporated community in the historic Bluff Precinct of Monroe County, Illinois, United States. As of 2016, the population is approximately 45 people, living in 23 homes. The community is generally considered to comprise the platted towns of Monroe City (1856), Woodville (1857), and the area immediately adjacent to those towns. The core community is located in a valley, or colloquial "hollow," commonly known as the Monroe City Hollow. The central natural feature of the Hollow is the all-season Monroe City Creek. Governmental functions are provided by Monroe County. Electric utilities are provided by the Monroe County Electric Cooperative and public water is offered by the Fountain Water District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letheringsett Watermill</span> Watermill in Letheringsett, England

Letheringsett watermill is situated on the River Glaven in the village of Letheringsett within the English county of Norfolk. Letheringsett is in the district of North Norfolk and is 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of the town of Holt. The watermill is a Grade II* listed building and is the last fully operational watermill in Norfolk that produces flour. See inside and explore the watermill here

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letheringsett Brewery watermill</span>

The remains of Letheringsett Brewery Watermill are located in the centre of the village of Letheringsett in the county of Norfolk. The watermill of 1784 was housed within the maltings and brewery complex founded and run by John Brereton of Letheringsett Hall from before 1721. Much of this complex still stands on the south side of the A148 Cromer to King's Lynn road, which bisects the village on an east–west axis, and on the west bank of the River Glaven, which bisects the village south–north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combe Mill</span> Sawmill in Long Hanborough

Combe Mill is a historic sawmill adjacent to the River Evenlode and close to Combe railway station, between the villages of Combe and Long Hanborough in Oxfordshire, England. A Grade II* listed building, it was restored in the early 1970s and is open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaston's Mill-Lock No. 36, Sandy and Beaver Canal District</span> Historic district in Ohio, United States

Gaston's Mill-Lock No. 36, Sandy and Beaver Canal District, is a historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The district is located within Beaver Creek State Park, approximately 1 mile south of Clarkson, Ohio. Gaston's Mill was constructed in 1837 and was powered by Little Beaver Creek. Lock 36 was one of 90 locks on the Sandy and Beaver Canal. Construction of this canal began in 1834 but was not completed until 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Creek Gristmill</span> United States historic place

Pine Creek Gristmill is a historic building located in Wildcat Den State Park in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill</span> Former textile mill in Cedarburg, Wisconsin

The Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill is a former textile factory in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Built in 1864, the mill was one of many wool- and flax-processing factories that opened during the American Civil War, due to a shortage of cotton textiles formerly supplied by southern states. The mill produced yarns, blankets, and flannels, and was the largest woolen mill west of Philadelphia in the 19th century. The mill closed in 1968 and has since become a commercial complex called the "Cedar Creek Settlement," containing restaurants and stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bancroft Shed</span> Mill museum in England

Bancroft Shed was a weaving shed in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, England, situated on the road to Skipton. Construction was started in 1914 and the shed was commissioned in 1920 for James Nutter & Sons Limited. The mill closed on 22 December 1978 and was demolished. The engine house, chimneys and boilers have been preserved and maintained as a working steam museum. The mill was the last steam-driven weaving shed to be constructed and the last to close.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meikle Millbank Mill</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Millbank Mill or Meikle Millbank Mill was an old corn mill in Burnbank Glen overlooking the Barr Loch near Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, south-west Scotland. The present ruins date from at least the end of the 18th century with structural evidence for six phases of development that finally ceased when the mill closed circa 1950. The mill was a two-storey building, developed to become T-shaped complex when at a later stage a grain kiln was added.

References

  1. "Monroe City, Illinois". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 'Arrowheads To Aerojets,' Helen Klein, Myron Roever Associates Publisher, 1967, Pages 521-525
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois. J. L. McDonough & Co., Philadelphia. 1883.
  4. W.T. Frankie; D.A. Grimley; R.J. Jacobson; R.D. Norby; S.V. Panno & M.A. Phillips (1997). Guide to the Geology of the Columbia and Waterloo Area, Monroe County, Illinois. Illinois State Geological Survey.
  5. The Illinois Herald, December 4, 1814
  6. James, General Thomas. Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans. pp. p.iv. ISBN   978-1985208711.

38°15′13″N90°15′43″W / 38.253719°N 90.261856°W / 38.253719; -90.261856