12905 Arcola Trail North
Stillwater, MN, USA

John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site

Arcola Mills is a historic house in the unincorporated community of Arcola, Minnesota, United States. Built in 1847, it is considered the third-oldest and largest all-wood-frame house still standing in Minnesota. It was the home of brothers Martin and John Mower, who established one of the first sawmills on the St. Croix River and the community around it. The house and the remnants of the nearby mill were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as the John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site for having local significance in the themes of architecture, exploration/settlement, and industry. The property was nominated as an "excellent example" of Greek Revival architecture and for its association with the region's early settlement and lumber industry. The property now operates as a non-profit event and education center.

Description

Arcola Mills is located seven miles (11 km) north of Stillwater, Minnesota. The house is a two-story wood-frame structure with clapboard siding. It originally had a simple rectangular footprint of 36 by 50 feet (11 by 15 m). The Mowers added additions to the west and south in the 1870s, but these have since been removed.

The east façade of the house, which faces the river, has a full-width porch topped by a deck accessed from the upper floor. Greek Revival elements include corner pilasters and broken pediments at the gable ends.

The sawmill was a few hundred feet north of the house. Still standing is a 40-foot (12 m) stone chimney. A 20th-century summer cottage has been built up against the chimney upon the mill's original foundation. Other remnants include an engine mount and an embankment for a sluiceway.


Establishment

John Mower, originally from Maine, moved to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, in 1842 to work in the lumber industry. His brother Martin settled in Stillwater the following year and John soon joined him on the Minnesota side of the river. With three business partners, Martin established the sawmill north of town in 1847. Two of his partners immediately cashed out while John bought into the enterprise. The brothers built their home adjacent to the mill and established the town of Arcola around it for their employees. Town structures included a general store, a one-room schoolhouse, a boarding house, and shops for carpentry, blacksmithing, and boat-building.

John Mower served in the 1854 Minnesota Territorial Legislature and Mower County was named in his honor. Martin Mower worked as the managing owner of the St. Croix Boom Company. John had a wife and children but Martin remained a lifelong bachelor.

The original sawmill was powered by a 34-foot-diameter (10 m) water wheel in an enclosed wheelhouse over a spring-fed stream. In 1856 the Mowers rebuilt the mill and converted to steam power, doubling their annual output. Three years later they installed a new steam engine and other equipment, more than doubling their annual output again. By the 1870s, however, the brothers were engrossed in other endeavors and closed the mill.


Later history

The house remained in the Mower family, but by the mid-1930s it was vacant when newlyweds Henry and Katharine Van Meier chanced upon it while collecting ferns. They fell in love with the old structure and arranged to purchase it for a summer home. Over the years they assembled a collection of small cottages on the 50-acre (20 ha) property for use by friends, family, and artists.

The house remained in the Mower family, but by the mid-1930s it was vacant when newlyweds Henry and Katharine Van Meier chanced upon it while collecting ferns. They fell in love with the old structure and arranged to purchase it for a summer home. Over the years they assembled a collection of small cottages on the 50-acre (20 ha) property for use by friends, family, and artists.

National Register of Historic Places - John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site

Statement of Significance:

The Mower House and the Arcola Mill were built by brothers John and Martin Mower in Arcola in 1847. The Mower House is significant as an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture. The Arcola Mill was one of the earliest lumber mills on the St. Croix River. The Mower House and the mill site are all that remains of the community of Arcola which once included shops and houses built for the mill employees.

The Mower brothers are prominent figures in the history of the St. Croix Valley. John Mower was a member of the territorial legislature in 1854, and Mower County in southern Minnesota was named after him. Martin Mower was the managing owner of the St. Croix Boom Company for many years. (The St. Croix Boom Site is a National Landmark).

Originally from Maine, John Mower moved to St. Croix Falls in 1842 and worked with a lumbering company. He and his family moved to Stillwater in 1844 and built a house there.

Martin Mower came to Minnesota in 1843. He and three partners formed a company to build a saw mill and go into the lumbering business. In 1846 they moved to land seven miles above Stillwater and agreed upon the name Arcola. When the mill was finished in 1847, two of the partners sold out, and John Mower bought an interest in the enterprise.

The original mill built in 1847 measured 40 by 60 feet with one sash saw and an edger. It was powered by a water wheel 34 feet in diameter enclosed in a wheel house. The water was brought from a spring 100 rods away. The mill had a capacity of one million board feet a year.

In 1856, the Mowers rebuilt the mill and powered it by steam. It had a capacity of two million board feet. In 1859 a new engine and machinery were added, and the capacity was expanded to five million board feet.

Sometime in the 1870s, however, the mill ceased to operate. Martin Mower was deeply involved in the management of the St. Croix Boom Company and John Mower had other business and political interests.

All that remains of the Arcola Mill today are the chimney, foundation, engine mount, and structural embankment for the sluceway. A modern cabin has been built on the site using the old mill foundation and chimney.

The Mower House was built on the St. Croix River in 1847, a few hundred feet south of the mill. Martin, who never married, lived there along with John Mower, his wife, and children.

The house is a good example of Greek Revival architecture and was one of the largest and most elegant houses along the St. Croix River. The house remained in the Mower family until 1935 when the present owners bought it. It is now used only as a summer residence.