Dundee Old Mill

The Old Mill has a remarkable story spanning more than 175 years. Over time, this landmark has served as a grist mill, a hydroelectric power plant, a Ford manufacturing facility, and later a fabricating and paper mill. Today, thanks to the dedication of community volunteers, it stands restored as a treasured historical museum.

Early Beginnings (1846–1880)

The three-story mill we know today was built between 1848–49 by Alfred Wilkerson, following the construction of a log dam in 1846. Designed in the Greek Revival style—popular throughout Monroe County at the time—the building was celebrated for its symmetry, geometric form, and refined proportions.

The mill featured double-hung windows, Dutch doors, and a timber frame supported by massive hand-hewn beams. Oak pegs were used in place of nails to secure the structure. While two smaller rear additions used for flour storage no longer remain, the mill’s historic craftsmanship is still evident.

In 1880, the Wilkerson family sold the property to Henry Smith of Berlin Township for $8,000. Two years later, Captain R.B. Davis purchased the mill, improving the dam and expanding operations to include grinding buckwheat flour and animal feed.

From Milling to Power (1910–1930s)

In 1910, the Dundee Hydraulic Power Company acquired the site and constructed a new concrete dam. By the 1920s, Detroit Edison held the rights to supply electricity to the village, and the mill fell into disuse. In 1931, village officials even considered demolishing the structure—until Henry Ford stepped in as its new owner.

Henry Ford’s Village Industry (1935–1954)

In 1935, Ford oversaw a major restoration. He stripped the building down to its timber frame, rebuilt it along original lines, and added a limestone powerhouse equipped with turbines, generators, steam boilers, and a foundry. The Dundee plant soon became part of Ford’s innovative “Village Industries” program, producing welding tips for his larger factories. During the Depression, this plant provided critical jobs and stability for the local economy.

After Ford’s death, the company phased out the village industries, and in 1954 the property was sold to Wolverine Manufacturing Company, which repurposed it into a paper mill for producing gasket materials.

Preservation and Renewal (1970–Present)

In 1970, Wolverine sold the mill to the Village of Dundee for $1.00. For the next decade, the building stood abandoned until, in 1981, the Old Mill Restoration Committee—made up of local volunteers—undertook the ambitious task of preserving this landmark. Despite its deteriorated condition, they transformed it into the historical museum we enjoy today.