Brodhead Flouring Mill

Brodhead Flouring Mill

In the 1850s a flour mill was very important to a growing town. The village of Decatur had one at the dam on Decatur Lake and the Sugar River on the north edge of the village. It was owned by John and Thomas Hendrie. When Decatur missed out on the railroad the brothers knew their future was in Brodhead. The village fathers wanted a mill and talked the brothers into moving their business to Brodhead, The problem being no water power at Brodhead to power the mill. The village gave the Hendries $8000 to build a raceway to Brodhead to run the mill. They started construction in 1860, but ran out of money in 1862 with it two- thirds completed. H.B. Stewart and S.C. Pierce came to the rescue by buying half interest in the venture for $7000. The raceway was completed by May of 1863 and a mill was built where the raceway turns back toward the Sugar River on 11th Street a block west of West Third Avenue. It was a three story building with 5 large stones, that ground 100 bushels of flour a day. The mill was an important part of Brodhead until it was destroyed by fire in 1929. An electrical power plant was built on it's site.

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8 X 10 Black and White Print.

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# 3199

Brodhead Flouring Mill, Decatur, John Hendrie, Thomas Hendrie, H.B. Stewart, S.C. Pierce, Raceway.