The Franklin Cider Mill, known previously as the Franklin Grist Mill, is a

cider mill A cider mill, also known as a cidery, is the location and equipment used to crush apples into apple juice for use in making apple cider, hard cider, applejack, apple wine, pectin and other products derived from apples. More specifically, it refe ...

located in

Franklin, Michigan Franklin is a village in Southfield Township, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,150 at the 2010 census. The community is known for large, estate-style homes. The downtown was designated as an historic district, t ...

. The family of former owner Jacob Peltz continues to operate the mill. The mill offers fresh

apple cider Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in the Un ...

, spice donuts,

caramel apple Caramel apples or toffee apples are whole apples covered in a layer of caramel. They are created by dipping or rolling apples-on-a-stick in hot caramel, sometimes then rolling them in nuts or other small savories or confections, and allowing ...

s, and

apple pie An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apples. The earliest printed recipe is from England. Apple pie is often served with whipped cream, ice cream ("apple pie à la mode"), or cheddar cheese. It is generally ...

s and other products.

History

The Franklin Grist Mill was completed in 1837 after three years of construction. The construction was started by W. Matthews. Matthews purchased the large tract of land near the Mill’s current location and began the mill in 1832. Due to financial difficulties, Matthews could not finish his project. The property was purchased by Peter VanEvery who completed the building and opened it as a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

on the banks of the Franklin River. Ownership of the Mill changed hands several times during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1914, the mill was sold to James T. Flynn, who installed the first water-powered apple press. Around the turn of the century, the Franklin Grist Mill was flooded and shut down until the property was purchased in 1918 by Robert McKee. McKee stipulated that the cider season would run from August 15th until January 1st.Cannon, Bettie Waddell. ''All About Franklin: from Pioneers to Preservation.''The Franklin Historical Society, Franklin Michigan. (1979). In the 1960s the mill was again sold to Jacob Peltz who operated the mill for almost 35 years until his death in 2004.

References

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External links

Franklin Cider Mill
Buildings and structures in Oakland County, Michigan Buildings and structures in Michigan Landmarks in Michigan Companies based in Oakland County, Michigan Tourist attractions in Oakland County, Michigan