The Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill is a former

textile factory Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods s ...

Cedarburg Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The city incorporated in 1885, and at th ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Built in 1864, the mill was one of many wool- and flax-processing factories that opened during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, 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 Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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.

History

The outbreak of the American Civil War led to supply shortages of cotton in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

. In 1864, Frederick Hilgen, Dietrich Wittenberg, and Joseph Trottman planned to capitalize on the textile shortage by building a hydropowered factory to process wool. Completed in 1865 at a cost of $30,000, the mill complex initially consisted of two limestone buildings outfitted with state of the art equipment coupled to turbines powered by Cedar Creek. The mill was one of many textile factories that opened in Wisconsin to process wool and flax. To put things in perspective, Wisconsin had 15 woolen mills in 1859, producing a few hundred thousand pounds of textiles. By 1871, the state had 54 mills, producing more than 1.5 million pounds of textiles. While completed too late to capitalize on the Civil War the mill found success filling demand for fabric and yarn in the wake of the destruction of industry and infrastructure in many

southern states Southern States may refer to: *The independent states of the Southern hemisphere United States * Southern United States, or the American South * Southern States Cooperative, an American farmer-owned agricultural supply cooperative * Southern Stat ...

. The mill incorporated as the Cedarburg Woolen Company in 1872, with Dietrich Wittenberg serving as president. The owners constructed additional buildings, including offices, a shipping department, a coachhouse, bleaching and dying facilities, warehouses on both sides of the creek, and a factory store. In 1880, the company expanded production to a second factory in

Grafton, Wisconsin Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The village incorporated in 1896, and at ...

, specializing in production of

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, for ...

yarn. By 1893, the Cedarburg complex had grown from two buildings to twelve and spanned several city blocks. The owners even built a tunnel under Bridge Road to link the factory basement to the bleaching and dying facilities. In response to a dam washout in 1881 and industrial demand outpacing the availability of hydropower in 1896, the company constructed a boiler house and an engine house and switched from hydropower to steam power. The new facility included two steam-powered

fire pump A fire pump usually refers to a pressure-increasing component of the water supply for fixed-place fire suppression systems such as fire sprinklers, standpipes, and foam systems. Fire pumps are also a critical component integrated into fire tru ...

s; an 85-horsepower engine to power the factory's machines; and a 45-horsepower engine with an electric generator, which provided the complex and the neighboring Wittenberg mansion with the first electric light in the City of Cedarburg. The last major mill expansion occurred in 1907 when a third floor was added to the factory building. The mill began its decline during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, when demand waned and the mill was idled. In 1933 the mill's dam washed out for a second time. Construction of a new dam, designed by local engineer Charles Whitney, began in 1938 and was completed in 1939 as a

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

project for the City of Cedarburg. Its unclear whether the new dam ever provided the mill with hydropower, but its millpond became a popular swimming area, even featuring an artificial beach on the bank opposite the mill. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the mill temporarily increased production to provide woolen blankets for the war effort but continued to decline after the war. In 1945, the mill stopped its mechanical weaving operations altogether but continued hand weaving of specialty products. The swimming area suffered from poor water quality, leading the city to permanently close the beach in 1949 and construct a public pool in 1959. In 1968, the mill declared bankruptcy and shut down. The Wittenberg family accepted an offer from a developer who planned to demolish the complex and construct a gas station. However, mayor Stephen Fisher was able to delay the demolition and find a different buyer to preserve the buildings. In January 1972, Jim Pape bought the complex for his winery business. In 1978, the mill buildings were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Currently, the mill complex is referred to as Cedar Creek Settlement and houses a restaurant in the former boiler house and

specialty store A specialty store is a shop/store that carries a deep assortment of brands, styles, or models within a relatively narrow category of goods. Furniture stores, florists, sporting goods stores, and bookstores are all specialty stores. Stores such as A ...

s throughout the other buildings. The former swimming beach is now Boy Scout Park.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Greek Revival architecture in Wisconsin Limestone buildings in the United States Industrial buildings completed in 1864 National Register of Historic Places in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Public Works Administration in Wisconsin Dams in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Textile mills in Wisconsin 1864 establishments in Wisconsin Works Progress Administration in Wisconsin

History

See also

References