Old Mill: (Satellite)
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| Jim Higgs posted For railroad buffs here is Plainwell's first GR&I Depot. (We recently posted a photo of a train pulling into the second depot.) [I looked for that post, but could not find it.] Tim Shanahan shared |
While looking for the depot, I found this old mill. It is interesting that they have kept the old leg.
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| Street View, Jun 2025 |
I did find this while looking for the post of the second depot.
Betty P. Slovinski posted two photos with the comment:
Jim Higgs 1922: "Then And Now." An early 1900s colorized photo of one of Plainwell's gems: The Eesley Mill on East Bridge Street. This structure is on the National Register of Historic Places. Also seen in a 2019 Google Streetview photo.Here is the history of the mill from the website of the Old Mill: "The Old Mill was once the Sunshine Flour Mill and the second largest producer of buck wheat flour in the country. The west side of the Old Mill was originally built in 1869 in downtown Plainwell on the south side of Bridge Street, purportedly to house a roller rink. The East side of the building (the elevator) was built on site in about 1870-73 by an original owner who has not been identified. In 1891, John F. Eesley (then the operator of the nearby D. B. Merrill flour mill) partnered with three other local entrepreneurs to establish the Sunshine Flour Mill at the Bridge Street site. In 1903, Eesley moved the mill building from its original site to the current site, joining it to the elevator which was already at this location. He renovated both buildings to create a single structure.At its height, the Sunshine Flour Mill produced 600 barrels of buckwheat flour per day, making it the second largest producer of buckwheat flour in the nation. Eesley operated the mill at this site until his death in 1929. Shortly after, the mill was taken over by the Plainwell Elevator Company. The Plainwell Elevator Company operated the building as a feed mill until the 1990s. The building was renovated in 2006 and Old Mill now houses a brewery, restaurant and catering company.
Shariann Draper: I absolutely loved going into the feed mill as a young girl. We used to buy oats there for our horses. I can still smell them in my mind!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Betty P. Slovinski: Shariann Draper we would buy oates from them for our horses and fill our large grain bin over the tack room. One day I fell in and almost didn't get out. There was nothing to grab on to and the oats kept slipping out from underneath my feet. I was sinking. Finally I was able to get my feet on a relatively solid base and got out okay. There were hazards for the workers at the feed mill. I was disappointed when my family switched over to pellets. I also loved the smell of oats.
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The building across the tracks also looks very historic.
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| Street View, Jul 2023 |
Including a GTW caboose.
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| Street View, Sep 2019 |
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| 1943/43 Kalamazoo Quad @ 62,500 |
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