Pickwick Mill is a historic

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 ...

in the unincorporated community of

Pickwick, Minnesota Pickwick is an unincorporated community in Homer Township, Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Geography The community is located along Winona County Road 7 near its junction with Little Trout Valley Road. Highways 61 and 14 ( co-signed) ...

, United States, near the city of Winona. It was constructed in the mid-1850s and is now operated as a milling museum. Pickwick Mill 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 1970 for having state-level significance in the themes of agriculture, architecture, and industry. It was nominated for being one of

southeast Minnesota Southeast Minnesota comprises the corner of the U.S. state of Minnesota south of the Twin Cities metropolitan area extending east, and part of the multi-state area known as the Driftless Area. Rochester is the largest city in the area; other majo ...

's oldest surviving water-powered mills, serving as a key local industry in its day and a

Winona County Winona County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,671. Its county seat is Winona. Winona County comprises the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The Wisconsin Territory was ...

landmark to the present.

Description

The six-story building was constructed from local

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 ...

with a nail-less timber frame and a

pitched roof Roof pitch is the steepness of a roof expressed as a ratio of inch(es) rise per horizontal foot (or their metric equivalent), or as the angle in degrees its surface deviates from the horizontal. A flat roof has a pitch of zero in either insta ...

. In 1907 a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

ripped up the roof and top story, which the operators replaced with a flat plank roof. A more classically accurate pitched roof was restored in recent years. The mill is powered by a water wheel. Most of the mill's original machinery is still intact and operable.

History

Pickwick Mill was built on the banks of Big Trout Creek by Thomas Grant and Wilson Davis. The mill's official website says it was constructed 1856–58, though other sources give a construction date of 1854. The property's National Register nomination says it was built in 1854 as a grist- and lumber mill and converted to

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

production in 1856. Pickwick Mill is one of the largest mills in Minnesota and was one of the first community businesses in the state. 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 ...

the mill ran non-stop, churning out 100 barrels of flour a day for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

Historic attraction

Pickwick Mill is now managed by Pickwick Mill Inc., a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

largely funded by grants. It is open for tours from May to October.

References

External links

Pickwick Mill
- official site {{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Winona County, Minnesota Grinding mills in Minnesota Industrial buildings completed in 1858 Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Limestone buildings in the United States Mill museums in Minnesota Museums in Winona County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Winona County, Minnesota Watermills in the United States

Description

History

Historic attraction

See also

References

External links