Down by the Old Mill stream

There are many structures that are instantly identifiable when you see them, a windmill, a grain elevator, a train station.....and a grist mill.  In Morrison stands a historic grist mill even now being restored back to its former glory. In 1858 William Annan and John Robertson constructed a stout building along the banks of  Rock Creek for the purpose of milling wheat, buckwheat flour, and cornmeal. Local sandstone was used and the walls are a sturdy two feet thick with heavy timbers from oak and walnut trees and put together using thick wooden pegs.

Using turbine power, Annan mill had a capacity to turn out 40 barrels of flour in a 24 hour day. Farmers came from as far as 50 miles away due to the reputation the mill had for quality product. The mill was So popular that it would frequently run around the clock with customers sleeping in nearby cabins as they awaited their turn to have their wheat ground. The mill even ran on Sundays during the busy season.

The mill ceased operation around 1940 or so and sat empty for the next 50 years before being bought in 1990 and partially converted into a house. It was sold in 2015 to a local resident who then donated it to the Morrison historical society last year. They plan to turn it into a museum showcasing farming and agricultural methods used in the past and are thrilled to have the mill which has the further distinction of being one of only two or three stone mills left standing in the state.

The Annan mill is located right on the edge of town on the Lincoln Highway and is instantly identifiable. My special thanks to Stephanie Vavra and the Historical society for permission to use some of their written material as well as interior photographs.