Painter-Bernatz Mill, also known as the Old Stone Mill, is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The original part of the mill was constructed by William Painter in 1851, and it was expanded to its present size in the next year or two. A

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a mi ...

was constructed from a dam on the

Upper Iowa River The Upper Iowa River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States. Its headwaters rise ...

, and it was routed beneath the building to power the turbine. It was the first of at least 15 mills that used this river as its source of power. with The lower two floors are composed of native

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The original

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

was removed sometime between 1874 and 1890 and the present

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof was built giving the mill a large loft. Diesel power replaced water power in 1947. The building continued to operate as a mill until 1964. It became a part of the

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa is the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, with over 33,000 artifacts, 12 historic buildings, and a library and archives. This treasure showcases one of the most extensive co ...

in 1971, and houses exhibits on agriculture and industry. It is also a site in the

Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA), also known as America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership is one of 49 federally designated National Heritage Areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. Through t ...

. The former mill is the oldest building in Decorah. It was listed on 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 ...

in 1974.

References

Industrial buildings completed in 1851 Decorah, Iowa Museums in Winneshiek County, Iowa Mill museums in Iowa Grinding mills in Iowa Flour mills in the United States Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Winneshiek County, Iowa 1851 establishments in Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub