The History of Arcola Mills

In the early 1840s, John and Martin Mower moved to the St. Croix River Valley to take advantage of the logging boom in the Midwest. They built a small and prosperous lumbering village on the shores of the St. Croix River known as Arcola.

By 1847 the Mower brothers completed construction of a grand Greek revival-style home at Arcola Mills, as well as a general store, a small boat-building operation, carpentry and blacksmith shops, a one-room schoolhouse, and homes for the mill workers.

Regarded as the third oldest and largest timber frame house in Minnesota, the Mower house, as well as the original Arcola sawmill chimney, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the 1990s, after Katharine Van Meier’s death, Arcola Mills was incorporated as a non-profit organization.The Mower house is being restored and Arcola Mills will remain a place of historical significance and a center for retreat, study, and reflection.

Photograph courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

By the 1920s, long after the lumbering bonanza ended and the sawmill closed, the Mower family home and surrounding village fell into disuse.

In the mid-1930s, Dr. Henry Van Meier and his wife Katharine purchased the Mower house and its surrounding 50+ acres of property on the St. Croix River. It became their summer house until Dr. Van Meier’s death in 1979.

During those 50 years the Van Meiers acquired nine cast-off buildings and installed these eclectic cottages around the property. Here artists, writers, family, friends and students came to create, learn, reflect, and have fun. The Arcola Mills Foundation is carrying the Van Meier legacy forward.

“ I’m privileged to help preserve the rich history and beauty of Arcola Mills. It’s a site that will allow future generations to learn and enjoy.”

Board Member and Restoration Committee Chair, Dick Olsen