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BECKMAN MILL HISTORY
The Beckman Mill was originally called "Howe's Mill" and later "Newark Mills". It was built in 1868 on the east bank of Coon Creek in Rock County's Newark Township. It is approximately six miles west of Beloit, WI and about one-half mile north of the Wisconsin-Illinois state line.
Early records and oral histories indicate that a distillery preceded the mill. It was built in 1845 by Charles F. H. Goodhue Jr. ofBeloit and was very successful until it was destroyed by fire in 1853. Fifteen years later a grist mill was constructed on the site of the distillery by millwright William Howe. Howe operated the mill himself for several years before selling it to Louis Hyde and Elias Teall. In 1882 it was acquired by William T. Kelley, a neighboring farmer. Later that year, Kelley deeded it to Catherine Beckmann, wife of Carl Ferdinand August Beckmann. Beckmann was previously a miller at Juda and at Hanover, both in southern Wisconsin. August, or “Gus” as he was called, had immigrated to the United States in the late 1850s. For the name of his “new” mill, August chose "Newark Mills” which became not only a place to have grain ground but also an ideal gathering place for its customers. Those waiting their turn enjoyed the opportunity to “shoot the breeze” with their neighbors or even catch some fish in the pond. Frequently, they would bring their children who could opt for wading, frog catching, fishing or swimming. And, from 1890-1892, there was a very practical reason for stopping by the mill since it was the Newark Post Office with August’s son Henry as postmaster. Visitors today will notice the replicated 1890s letter box and a copy of Henry’s Postmaster’s Certificate hanging on the wall.
Following the passing of their father in 1908, Charles (Charlie) and Henry (Hank) took over the operation of the mill. At that time they bought out their brother-in-law, Herman Grünke, who had been a partner with August since 1893. Together, using the name “Beckman Brothers”, they ran the mill during the teens, twenties, and thirties shelling and grinding corn and producing buckwheat flour. Packaged in 5, 10, and 20 lb. paper bags identified as “Strictly Pure Fresh Ground Buckwheat Flour”, the product was sold at the mill, to merchants in nearby towns and door to door in area communities. In the early 1920s, realizing that the mill and dam were showing their age, Charlie and Henry, with the help of their neighbors, embarked on a major improvement project. It involved the replacement of the wooden dam with a concrete one and a major renovation of the mill. Included were new siding, windows, roofing and a drive-through for protection from the elements. For storage and to house an auxiliary power source, additions were built on the mill’s south side. Upon the death of his brother Henry in 1939, Charlie continued to operate the mill on his own until the mid 1950s with a two-year hiatus during WW2 when he was employed at Fairbanks-Morse in Beloit. In the late 1950s a new roof was installed which served to preserve the structure. Around that time the mill was rented to a neighboring farmer for the storage of baled hay. In 1977 the mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and one year later in 1978, the Beckman family sold it and their 10-acre property to Rock County. The county secured the building but was unable financially to begin a restoration. In 1990, Friends of Beckman Mill, Inc. was formed and shortly thereafter volunteers from that organization began the restoration.
BECKMAN MILL TIME LINE
1834 Michigan Territory surveyed by U. S. Government.
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