March 2, 1855
Edward H. Brodhead, Chief Engineer for the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad, named and platted the Village of Mazomanie. His creation for a railroad built across Wisconsin called for a large millpond and a powerful mill to process Wisconsin’s number one crop, wheat.
July 5, 1855
Recorded as Block 18 “mill lot”, of the Original Plat of the Village of Mazomanie
December 12, 1856
Brodhead sold the plot to Walter R. Burke who decided to erect a “Flouring Mill and Woolen Factory.”
October 14, 1857
$300
Burke was unable to fulfill his agreement and assigned a land contract to George H. Walker, an early Milwaukee businessman and investor in the city’s railroad. Walker hired George F. Lynch to assist in the construction and operation of the “Lynch and Walker Flouring Mill.” Lynch and Walker also bought the water rights to Lake Marion.
November 19, 1860
$10,000
Walker and Lynch did not want to continue to operate the mill so they auctioned it off to Frederick Layton, a Milwaukee provisioneer.
January 24, 1862
$10,025
Frederick Layton sold his interests to Samuel Marshall, a Milwaukee exchange broker and banker and the mill became “Samuel Marshall & Company.”
May 5, 1865
$9,500
William Thompson, who was a manufacturer of barrel staves in Milwaukee purchased the mill from Marshall.
January 22, 1872
$40,000
Abstract records show that the mill was mortgaged to Abram Bell, brother-in-law of Edward Sanderson.
November 1874 – April 1875
The mill was then running with six run-of-stone, employed 20 men and was the largest in the state.
August 22, 1876
$17,000
Due to an unexpected financial loss, Thompson was forced to forfeit the business to Edward Sanderson, of Milwaukee, who held securities on the mill property. During his ownership, Sanderson made substantial improvements in the operation of the “Arcade Mill.”
April 12, 1879
The mill peaked commercially during this time and was the leading driver of commerce in a thriving Mazomanie.
August 2, 1883
$17,000
After Sanderson had finally satisfied his foreclosed mortgage initiated from 1876, he sold the mill to businessmen Hover, Hicks and the Bronson’s, who later renamed it the, “Mazomanie Milling Co.”
December 29, 1885
Water from Black Earth Creek, via the mill, spilled over two sunken generators to provide power for the mill and for the first electric lights in Dane County.
September 26, 1892
$17,000
Changes in economics finally took their toll on the “Mazomanie Milling Co.” and were obliged to suspend business from financial embarrassment. Clarence Waterhouse bought the mill and kept the company name.
December 4, 1899
Portions of the mill were destroyed by a fire that was attributed to an arsonist.
