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The Cedarburg Mill was built by Cedarburg founders Frederick
Hilgen and William Schroeder in 1855 at a cost of $22,000 and
was considered one of the finest mills in the midwest. The lower
walls are 32 inches thick. The design is Greek revival. The
clearstory and monitor roof were popular with eastern mills at
the time since they added light and ventilation. This building
replaced an earlier one built by Hilgen and Schroeder in 1844.
Note that the main part of the building is 5 stories high. The
section to the left is of the same style as the main section,
but is not as high. Cranes had not yet been invented in 1855, so
an incline several blocks long was built to carry material to
the upper levels. A donkey was used to pull the heavy stone
blocks up this incline. A dam was built nearby to provide power
for the mill. The mill continued to operate until just a few
years ago, but now is the home of Landmark Supply Co., a seller
of pet supplies and foods. Hilgen and Schroeder owned a mill
store across the street from their mill. That store served as
the retail outlet for the flour and feed produced by them. The
mill store is now the well known Barth's Restaurant.
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The Cedarburg Mill (previously the Hilgen & Schroeder Mill)
was featured several months ago, but the view was from the
corner of Columbia Road and Mequon Avenue, That angle showed the
east and north sides of the building. A good picture view of the
south side of the building is only possible for about two weeks
each year. During those two weeks, the trees are starting to
sprout leaves, which add to the view. After those two weeks, the
leaves have grown so much that most of the building is blocked
from view. Artists have an opportunity to "kind of" ignore the
tree branches. A photographer cannot do that. The amount of
flowing water also varies considerably. Water power was used
by the mill to operate their equipment for many years. The fast
moving stream reminds one of the value of building on the bank
of a creek or river. This is one of the pretty views of Cedar
Creek.. The red building is Don’s Resale and Antique shop which
adds a bit of color to the scene.
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