Wild Rose Mill will be a landmark for years to come

In a recent meeting with the current chair of the Wild Rose Mill Restoration (WRMR) Committee, Kent Barnard, I learned the history of and dreams for the future of the Wild Rose Mill.
​It was built in 1873 by Francis Strong. In that year, Wild Rose consisted of a couple of stores, some houses, and the mill. The mill played such a major role in Wild Rose becoming a village that it is still on the Wild Rose police badge.
​The Wisconsin Power and Light Company owned the mill from 1925 to 1933. Rodney Murty owned and operated the building as the Rose Milling Co. from 1933 to the late 1960s.
​The mill became the Ram Art Center in the 1970s and was later purchased as the private residence of Amanda and Jerod Hoffman.
​In 2018, the mill was purchased by the Village of Wild Rose because the DNR could not own the mill, as it is part of the dam.

​The mill consists of a basement, a sub-basement where the water runs through, a ground floor, and a second floor. The water runs under the mill, which is why there is no water wheel needed to turn the millstones. The millstones were imported from France at great cost. At some point, these millstones disappeared. No one knows what happened. (The Case of the Disappearing Mill Stones would make a good mystery title.)
​Unfortunately, no one remembers exactly how the mill worked mechanically. Quite a few people still remember hanging out at the mill listening to the old men talk while the grinding was in process. Jerry App (well-known local author who passed away in 2025) writes about this in his books. (Note to self – read Jerry App’s books!)
​When the village first took back the mill, they cleared brush along the north side for a better view of the mill. (It is quite picturesque.) The interior of the mill was also cleaned out (and needs cleaning again).
​In 2020, they re-painted the Mill, and in 2025, the fascia was fixed. (The fascia is the visible band under a roof edge, according to Wikipedia.)
​The WRMR Committee has worked with the Wisconsin Historical Society to get a Historical Marker for the mill. In August of 2025, the marker was approved and should arrive in March or April of 2026. One marker will be placed at the parking lot facing the mill as one enters Wild Rose from the north. A half mile before the marker will be a sign announcing the approaching historical marker. There will probably be two signs – one on each end of Wild Rose.
​Ideally, the mill will be restored by levels. The committee needed to have a restoration plan in order to apply for grants, so a plan was drawn up for the main floor. (Most grants want an applicant to be shovel–ready at the time of application.) To date, the WRMR Committee has not found a general contractor to be in charge of the project. (Smykal?) The village requires a contractor with insurance and a license to supervise the people doing the work.
​The main floor is not a major renovation. The building is already plumbed for adding an all-purpose bathroom and water for a kitchenette. This would be a kitchenette where people could bring in catered or potluck foods. The building inspector requires locking doors to close off the stairs going up and down from the main floor because these floors would not be restored at the same time. Stairs need to be added to the outside porch and a handicap ramp for the side entrance. Bauer Electric from Waupaca has committed to doing the electrical work. Currently, there is ugly fluorescent lighting, which remained from the mill’s sojourn as the Ram Art Center. A desk and scale remain from the old mill where they recorded weights near the center of the room, and this is something to be preserved for its historical value. The floors need sanding, and there are some interesting holes about an inch square that will need to be plugged for safety purposes.
​The original insulation of the Mill is corn cobs. They are still on the wall, and that needs cleaning up. It would be nice to keep a small section with a Plexiglas display of the corn cob insulation. Raccoons and cats had gotten into the Mill in some chewed areas, which made the first clean-up gross. Some insulation was placed this past winter to try to keep them out. Wes Zuege rebuilt the bottom of a raccoon-chewed door in the basement. However, despite the use of really good pine, wear is showing in this area because of its northern exposure. Mr. Zuege will cover it in another material.
​The stairs to the sub-basement rotted so that the area can be reached by only a shaky ladder. The second floor once had the roof raised by about six inches and it was not done well. At some point, that would have to be fixed. To be ADA-compliant, an elevator would be needed to access the second floor. Once the second floor was restored, the meeting space would be more than doubled. Some extra windows in that area would be nice to appreciate the view of the dam and the river. (The Wild Rose Historical Society has a lot on its plate with its seven buildings to maintain, so this project would be too much for its limited resources.)
​The main floor room is not large but could be used for meetings with folding tables. Another usage could be – if one got married in the gazebo at the park, the wedding party could walk over to the mill for an informal reception. (It couldn’t be a large wedding party, and the inside of the mill is rustic!) The village is concerned about who would clean the building after the events. (Take a page from the Airbnb business and have a cleaning deposit to be returned if not needed.)
​The mill would be a great “Welcome to Wild Rose Visitor’s Center” in summer if the staffing could be managed. (Maybe just Wednesday and Saturday, like the Historical Society.) The walls could display historical photos of the Mill and of Wild Rose.
​On Feb. 17 of this year, the restoration received $20,000, which almost doubled its available funds. When asked if they would receive their dream funding for the entire restoration, the answer was $500,000. Would you like to see the thermometer rise on the side of the beautiful Wild Rose Mill? I would.
​Donations to the Mill Restoration Project are tax-deductible if sent to Lindsey Inda, Clerk, Village of Wild Rose; PO Box 292, Wild Rose, WI 54984. To be a part of the committee, email Chairman Kent Barnard: barnard@wildroselibrary.org.
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