Pine Creek Gristmill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pine Creek Gristmill
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | Northeast of Muscatine in Wildcat Den State Park |
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| Built | 1848 |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000919 |
| Added to NRHP | December 10, 1979 |
The Pine Creek Gristmill is an old, important building located in Wildcat Den State Park in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 because of its historical value. Today, it helps us understand how mills used to work long ago.
History of the Old Mill
The area around Pine Creek was first settled by white people in 1833. Benjamin Nye was one of the first to live there. He and his cousin built their homes near the Mississippi River. They named their new settlement Montpelier, just like their hometown in Vermont.
Benjamin Nye built his first mill in 1835. But it was too close to the Mississippi River and was washed away by high water. So, he built a new saw mill further north on Pine Creek. This mill used water power to cut timber.
Two years later, he added a gristmill across the creek. A gristmill grinds grain into flour. Benjamin Nye also opened the county's first store and post office. As his businesses grew, he built the current mill in 1848. He spent $10,000 on it, using timber cut in his own saw mill.
In 1852, the mill passed to Benjamin Nye's son-in-law, Robert Patterson. Later, Herman Huchendorf, an immigrant from Germany, bought the mill. This was around the time the Pine Mill Bridge was built in 1876. Farmers needed the bridge to bring their grain to the mill easily, especially when the creek water was high. This combination of a bridge and a mill was common in Iowa, but this is the only one still standing today.
The mill looks much like it did in the 1920s. It now serves as a museum. It shows how grain was milled between 1848 and 1929. The mill first used two sets of millstones to make flour from local wheat. This was called the "New Process." In 1880, the mill was updated with newer technology.
How the Mill Was Built
The main part of the Pine Creek Gristmill is three and a half stories tall. It measures about 40 feet (12 meters) by 45 feet (14 meters). A two-story addition is attached to it, measuring 35 feet (11 meters) by 45 feet (14 meters).
The building was constructed using strong oak beams found in the area. These beams were put together using a special method called mortise and tenon joints. This means one piece of wood has a "tongue" (tenon) that fits into a "hole" (mortise) in another piece. Wooden pegs were then used to hold them tightly in place.
The mill was powered by a 20-horsepower water turbine from about 1848 to 1878. After 1878, a 40 to 60-horsepower steam engine was added. This steam engine was used as a backup when the water level in the creek was low.
The mill had three different setups for grinding. The main setup was a "three stand" double roller mill. This system made wheat flour and was spread across all three floors. A separate "single stand" triple roller milling plant was added to grind corn. It also had a set of 36-inch (91 cm) grindstones to make Buckwheat flour.
