Wolcott Mill
Date Visited: August 25, 2019
Stop: #55
The working farm is comprised
of 250 acres and is the only public farm in the state of Michigan where all 6
heritage breeds of dairy cow – Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey, Milking
Short Horn, and Holstein – reside year-round.
There are a wide variety of other farm animals to see, including
miniature horses, draft horses, sheep, goats, and a variety of farm fowl. You can also visit the greenhouse and various
gardens, and when available, can take a horse-drawn wagon ride through the crop
fields. This is a popular place for
families with young children.
Camp Rotary offers indoor and
outdoor camping and access to miles of trails for hiking, and for horseback
riding. The camp includes an Activity
Center, the Shorian Lodge, and a Horse Staging Area. You can ride 2 different equestrian trails –
the West Loop that runs for 4.7 miles, and the East Loop that runs 3.7 miles.
The focus of our visit was in
the Historic Center. There are two ways
to access this part of the Metropark.
The main entrance is off of Kunstman Road, about 0.6 miles north of 29
Mile Road. This access road is called
Historic Center Drive, and if you follow it for a little over 0.8 miles, you
will come to a parking area. From there,
you have to hike about 0.17 miles to get to the location of the historical
marker. The second entrance, and the one
we chose to use, is located just south of Indian Trail on Wolcott Road. From this dirt and gravel parking lot, you
walk about 500 feet south through the Wolcott Mill grounds to get to the
historical marker. On the grounds of the
Historic Center, there is a barn (now used as a barn museum), the millpond, and
a truck garage. You will encounter
antique farming equipment and a restored Model T dump truck. There is also a corncob building, a modern
gazebo, and a toll road building, but the centerpiece of the Historic Center is
the Wolcott Mill, itself. This mill, one
of the oldest mills in Michigan, is the subject matter of the historic marker.
The mill was built in 1847 by
Arad Freeman, one of the early settlers in Macomb County. It was used as a grist mill and a feed
mill. The mill passed through many
owners until Fred B. Wolcott purchased it in 1878. Wolcott was born in Pennsylvania in 1845 and
lived there for 20 years before beginning an odyssey that took him to 5
different states before settling for the second time in Nebraska in 1869. Married in 1870, Wolcott continued to work
and improve his homestead until he traded this property for the mill in
Michigan that now bears his name.
The Wolcott family made a lot
of changes over the years as technology evolved and improved the milling
process. The historical marker tells us
that the breastshot waterwheel was replaced by a turbine in 1881. Then in 1890, the millstones were replaced by
more efficient metal rollers, and then they were upgraded again in 1917. Waterpower was supplemented by electric power
in the 1920’s. The mill gained the
reputation of producing the best high-quality flour in the area, and a number
of large Detroit bakeries used Wolcott flour in their baked goods. Wolcott Mill met the same fate that most
early mills met – the inability to match the mass production capabilities of
larger, more modern mills – and as business declined, the Wolcott family
finally sold the mill in 1967. The
Huron-Clinton Metroparks acquired the mill in 1979 for use as an historic
interpretive site. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Much of the original equipment is still in place, and the mill still
operates on a limited basis, however, the mill is temporarily closed at the
recommendation of its insurance company based on a recent inspection. It will remain closed until the structure is
inspected by a structural engineer.
Kathy and I spent a
significant amount of time exploring the grounds. We were not so bold as to explore any of the
three walking trails in the area, but we did spend time visiting each of the
buildings, looking at the waterwheel, the antique farm equipment scattered
about the grounds, and the truck garage, which had a couple of antique pick-up
trucks sitting inside. We even watched
some sort of photoshoot taking place on the grounds featuring a barefoot model. In any event, for such a perfect day, these
were the only other people in sight, so it was quite enjoyable having the whole
place to ourselves. But the thought of
drinking some wine started tugging at us, so we took some final photos of the
gazebo and headed back to our car to make the short journey to our first winery
of the day.
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