WAUPACA COUNTY POST

February 9, 1928

 

EARLY HISTORY OF OLD MILL ON CRYSTAL RIVER

 

List of Millers Operating the First Grist Mill in Waupaca Contains Familiar Names

(D. F. Burnham)

 

            The recent sale of the property of Acme Brass Metal Works to J. E. Fuller and Associates, prompts us to inquire into the history of the old frame structure that has long stood at the lower falls of Crystal River on Churchill Street, now better known as Federal Highway 10 in this city.

            Few indeed are the residents of Waupaca County who can recall the time when that building did not stand as it stands today, a landmark from early pioneer days.

            For information we studied the official records in the office of the register of deeds at the court house and find that in February, 1855, a U.S. Patent was issued to Thomas Marshall and Josiah Redfield to certain lands including the forty-acre tract designated as Northwest ¼ of Northeast ¼ of section 32, town 22 north, in range 12 east, which covers the water power site on Crystal River, first known as Pearl River.

THE QUIT CLAIM DEED

            Another instrument to clear the title to this early mill site was a quit claim deed given by Alfred Woodward, evidently a “squatter” who had preempted the tract by building a shack in which to live while proving ownership by actual possession under the Homestead Act.  Thomas Marshall then gave Redfield a quit claim deed of his interest and Redfield in turn deeded Marshall an undivided half interest to the property on which the two were to erect a grist mill.

            To finance this undertaking or to pay obligations after the grist mill had been built, the property was mortgaged for $3,000 and for $2,400 in two mortgages dated Sept. 3, 1855, and placed on record the following day. Both these instruments were in favor of Merrick Baker and David Wyman.

A QUAINT DESCRIPTION

            The description of the land covered by those mortgages did not include all of the quarter section and is interesting from the quaint, vague, rather indefinite wording which runs as follows:  Beginning at stake or stone standing on south bank of Pearl River in a southwesterly direction from Grist mill, easterly 22 rods to stake or stone set on south bank of said river, thence north to section line, west on section line 22 rods, thence south to beginning.

            The records show that these two mortgages for $3,000 and $2,400 respectively were satisfied August 22, 1857, or the same year that the late G. L. and W. C. Lord erected a grist mill on Mill Street this city, where the pumping station is now located.

            The records fail to show whether these mortgages were paid out of profits of the milling business those two years, before the Pearl River mill had a competitor in Lord Brothers’ mill or whether the money was procured from some other source.

            However, the records show that smaller loans were later secured by mortgages from N. P. Judson, E. I. Putnam, C. E. Redfield, et. al.  The grist mill in September, 1859 was purchased by Andrew Gassman and C. H. Ritz.  In 1860 Gassman & Ritz gave a mortgage for $125.00 in favor of town of Waupaca as security that the owners of the mill would keep in good repair the road across the dam above their mill.  This covenant remained a lien against the property until it was satisfied by O. C. Harrington, chairman of Waupaca town, on Nov. 13, 1906, after being in force nearly 46 years.

            C. Koontz succeeded Andrew Gassman and the company was composed of Ritz & Koontz for several years.

            Subsequent owners and mortgages of the flour mill were Merrick Baker and David Wyman, D. A. Olds, Royal P. Bronson, Adolph Sorenson, W. F. Waterhouse, A. J. Crow, Asa Frisbie and Daniel Perrin, Fin M. Gassman, Henry A. Williams.

TRANSFER BY SHERIFF SALE.

            On Feb. 27, 1866, the property was sold “under the hammer” at sheriff’s sale to Wm. M. Dayton, John M. Dewey and Milton R. Baldwin, who at that time owned a grist mill at Iola and the mill in Waupaca on the east bank of Waupaca Falls where the grist mill of A. G. Nelson Lumber Co. now stands.

            Loans were made to this company by C. H. Ritz and C. Koontz and the first of these was sold to H. H. Miles, the second to Wm. B. Mumbrue, which in due time were satisfied.

            In 1867 an undivided forth interest was sold to John W. Evans who was associated with Dayton, Dewey & Baldwin for several years.  In 1868 Dayton, Dewey & Baldwin sold an undivided quarter interest to Omar D. Vaughan and in 1869 Dayton, Dewey & Baldwin sold an undivided quarter of Sec. 32, T. 22 R12 to Wm. G. Smith, later owner of Brinsmere Inn, Chain o’ Lakes.

SOME HISTORY.

            As the milling company, Dayton, Dewey & Baldwin, were disposing of the property by quarters to J. W. Evans, Omar D. Vaughan and Wm. G. Smith there had taken place a transformation of the interior of the structure and the grinding of wheat had given way to the carding of wool and the weaving of cloth.

AN INCIDENT.

            It is interesting as we follow the records of transfers to find that after John W. Evans and T. E. Evans had come into possession of the Woolen Mills and the village had been incorporated as the city of Waupaca, that a mortgage for $1,000 was recorded in favor of the city as a covenant that the owners of the mill must keep the road across the dam in repair.  This covenant, similar to that exacted at an earlier date by the town of Waupaca, remained in force until 1906 when the instrument was satisfied in behalf of the city by Alfred Johnson, then mayor of Waupaca.

            We find from the records that Omar D. Vaughan early in May, 1869, sold his quarter interest in the property to Dayton, Dewey and Baldwin after being associated with the company one year; that Wm. G. Smith in May, 1870, sold back to Dayton, Dewey & Baldwin his quarter interest after two years association with the company and during which time he worked at the loom which trade he had mastered in his youth in England.

            The late John W. Evans in 1872 acquired the entire interest in the woolen mill and that year sold a fourth interest in the business to a brother, the late Thomas E. Evans, who, in 1879 relinquished his interest in the business to John W. Evans who one week later sold a fourth interest to Charles Evan, who sold his interest to John W. Evans in 1884.

PUT TO OTHER USES

            When in 1906 the property was transferred to P. H. and E. J. Trader and Jusha Bowers, the Woolen Mills took the name Felting Mills.  Under another management it took the name Hat Factory.  Still later the Jorgensen Primer Co. manufactured the best primer ever put upon the market and erected additional buildings on the property.  The Acme Brass and Metal Works was composed of a limited number of Waupaca men associated with men at Appleton and vicinity.

THE FUTURE.

            It is the earnest desire of every citizen of Waupaca that Mr. Fuller and his associates may develop an industry that will furnish steady employment to a number of families so that neighborhood may again be a busy quarter of Waupaca.