Name/Title
Histories, Harris Stone MillDescription
History of Waupun Business, particularly the old stone mill. Unknown author.
The old stone mill was built back in 1849 by Thaddeus Warsaw Markle, Waupun pioneer, the original part the west section of the present Canned Foods, Inc. Markle ran the mill alone for a short time and then Stephen Harris and later his son, William Wallace Harris operated the business with Markle.
In 1881 Luther Butts bought an interest in the business, and it was at that time the eastern half of the present stone building and the office were built.
When the old mill was first built, the firm ground both feed and flour by water power, using two sets of huge grindstones. It wasn't until 1881 when the mill changed over to grinding operations by roller mills. Two sets of stones were used, one set for grinding flour and the other for feed. The bottom stone was stationary while the top on rotated, this stone being set according to the fineness of the grinding desired.
In 1851, demands on the operation of the mill grew to such an extent that the amount of water power available was insufficient. Consequently a steam plant was installed in a small addition to the west of the main building.
Three different brands of flour were manufactured by the Waupun Stone Mill and distributed over a wide area. The varieties included "White Loaf," "Snowball," and "Ocean Spray" flours.
Most any day during the period when the mill was running it was a common sight to see farmers with teams lined up in a solid row on Mill Street from the plant as far south as Main Street, waiting for grinding of feed or flour.
In the early 1900s, the wheat producing efforts were gradually being turned to other products but the old stone mill continued to operated until 1912 when Harris died. From that year until April 1921 when the Waupun Canning Company bought the property, the building stood idle.