LAKEVILLE ? Members of the Oakland Township Historical Society and the general public visited the Lakeville Mill, located on Millimine Street, over the weekend to tour the historic building and admire the handy work of owner Todd Elder.
Since purchasing the mill in 2004, Elder has spent the last 11 years restoring the four-story, 9,000-square-foot building to its former glory. He’s invested an estimated $300,000 in the project.
Elder explained in great detail all the steps he’s taken over the years to retore the mill and pointed out a variety of interesting things about the structure and its previous uses.
Elder said the mill had ‘amazing chunks of wood.?
‘The floor joists were made of oak, but the floors were all white pine,? he added. ‘That was the easiest thing to hand hewn.?
As for the mill itself, Elder said it was originally a grist mill, which was utilized turbines, instead of a wooden wheel.
‘The company that made the turbines for this mill is still in existence today,? he said.
‘There were holes where belts (for the turbines) would have been going through,? Elder noted. ‘It was dangerous to walk around.?
The Lakeville Mill is actually the second mill in Lakeville.
The first mill was erected by Addison Chamberlain sometime in the 1830s, according to ‘The Addison Album,? a local history book written by Barbara D. Stafford and published in 2000. Chamberlain also has the distinction of building the first frame house in Lakeville in 1832 and lending his name to the township.
Chamberlain’s mill burned in 1846. The site was purchased by Charles W. Chapel and a second mill was constructed within the next few years, according to ‘The Addison Album.? This is the mill Elder owns.
After being a grist mill, Elder said it was eventually turned into a machine shop.
‘They made boats here, surfboard-type skis for motor boats and they made fence posts,? he said.
And at some point, the first floor was used as a crematory.
‘About a week before we came to look at building, the oven was sold, he noted.
The first two floors he said would have been used by the machine shop, and the rest of the building really wasn’t used except for storage purposes.
The third floor, which looks as if it could be a dance studio with it’s beautiful wood floor and tall ceilings, ‘hasn’t been used much in recent years,? according to Elder.
‘Originally, this ceiling was three feet taller, (which would have been a) 14-foot ceiling,? he said. ‘It’s really unique. You don’t even see that (nowadays).?
As for the future of the mill, Elder is hoping to turn the first two floors into retail space.
‘I think it will have a use some day,? he said. ‘It could have been torn down, I could have taken it down and sold the wood, but I had a love for this building.?
The tour also included a lecture from Addison Township Supervisor Bruce Pearson on the history of the community.
‘In Addison Township, we have so much history and the good thing is we (preserved it) before people started tearing it down and burning it,? he said. ‘We’re so appreciative of what Todd has done to restore this (mill) as well as his help to repair the roof on the Leonard Mill.?
‘Without these kinds of talents and volunteers, none of this would happen,? Pearson continued. ‘For generations to come, people are going to say, ‘Who had the forethought to do this?? It’s people like Todd and the other people I have (as) volunteers.