1827 - 2009
As early as the late 1820s there was a brush and tree stump dam to provide water for a sawmill. In 1898 a wooden rafter dam was built, then a log dam, followed by the current concrete dam in 1911.
Commerce at this site dates back to 1827 when a saw mill was built at this location. On Feb.11,1848 George A. Bagley and Theodore P. Dean contracted with Christian Zabriskie to buy the mill lot and water rights. The water rights were for one fourth of the water from the pond erected on the lot as handed down by deed from Leonard Boice to Sybrant Vanest and presumably to Zabriskie. Construction began in 1848 and the Old Mill was completed in 1849.
Victor Hogg, in “The 19th Century Buildings of Monroe County-Michigan,” book says, “The fine Greek Revival Mill Building in Dundee remains as perhaps the finest example in the country.” The present three story frame mill was built in the Greek Revival style, popular in the early 1800s, featuring symmetrical design, gable returns, frieze boards, corner pilasters, double hung windows and hand-hewn beams. The main beams in the building are of walnut and oak at least 10” by 10.” The building is of barn-frame construction with the structural beams all pegged together. There is extensive use of 45° braces.
There were several owners of the Old Mill in the 1800s. The last owner of the Old Mill as a grist mill was R. B. Davis who sold it to the Dundee Hydraulic Company to provide water-powered electricity for the village. The mill was abandoned in 1924 and the Village Council ordered it torn down in 1931, only to find that it had been purchased by Henry Ford to become part of his Village Industries.
Ford completely refurbished it in 1935-36, adding a limestone addition using stone from the River Raisin. Ford Motor Company manufactured auto parts from 1936 to 1954.
The Wolverine Manufacturing & Fabricating Company bought the mill from Ford in 1954. They added two new additions, now the hall and the Busz Conference Room. Wolverine operated as a paper mill, producing gasket material for the auto industry until December 1970. In December of 1970 the Wolverine Company gave the mill and 13.82 acres of land to the Village of Dundee for $1.00 to be used by the people of Dundee and to be preserved for future generations. From 1970 to 1979 the Community Center was used as the first ambulance center in Dundee, a youth center and, for a short time, as a senior center.
In 1972 the Dundee Village established a Parks & Recreation Board who served as volunteers to govern the village park department and the community center. Since that time many dedicated people have served as board members or in associate positions.
The purpose of the board was to improve the various parks in the community, provide recreation activities and supervise improvements and management of the community center under the guidance of the Village Governments.
With government revenues, grants, over $25,000.00 generated from six years of Friday night Bingo, community leader donations and the assistance of the community, volunteer programs were developed to equip the park site (Wolverine Park) and to renovate the community center. The Optimist Club donated tennis courts and a special recreation grant completed Wolverine Park.
In March of 1980, the people of Dundee voted a one-mill levy to help support the department. Through the leadership of the past Board presidents - Charles Justice, Richard Burke, Frank Stukenborg, Clara Jessie and Shirley Massingill and their various boards - a sense of direction was provided to maintain the momentum in creating a well-rounded recreation facility for the entire community.
In December of 1980 the kitchen was completed with a loan to the board from the Village government. In April of 1981 the north addition of the building was remodeled and dedicated as the Howard Williams Memorial Council Chambers.
The Old Mill Restoration Committee, an associate group to the Parks Board, was organized in May 1981 under the direction of Marjorie Busz who was appointed Old Mill Restoration Director by the Parks Board. Marjorie Busz was elected President of the Old Mill Restoration Committee at their organizational meeting May 1981. Its purpose was to restore the three story old mill and turn it into a museum of the Dundee area. The restoration not only entailed replacing and refinishing various areas in the building but updating the electrical system in the three floors. A heating system was added to two of the three floors to protect the artifacts within the museum area. The Old Mill received two grants to install a timeline on the first floor and elevators to the second and third floors.
In 1980 an architect estimated that the cost to restore the building was approximately $80,000 to $90,000. Marjorie Busz felt that volunteers could greatly reduce the cost. The volunteer group started with just seven individuals; Majorie Busz, Clara Jessie, Shirley Massingill, Judy Labun, Rose Gorrell, Meg Heinlen and Charlotte Freshour. One of the group’s first projects was to replace the flooring on the first floor. The number of volunteers grew to more than 100 over the next twenty eight years.
The museum was named to the National Register of Historical Buildings about 1990.
Under the supervision of the Old Mill Committee the beverage service area was completed in April 1982. Funds for this project were donated by Floyd Busz. Vaughn Massingill donated his services and fixtures to complete the plumbing for this project. In 1982 the second floor was renovated and the first floor was started. The first floor timeline was installed in 1989 with storefront displays added by the Keinath brothers in 1992 in honor of their mother, Lucille, who made the first donation to the museum. The third floor was completed with the dedication of the Native American Exhibit on September 17, 2005.
In 2004 the museum received a mini-grant from Motor Cities National Heritage Area to fund the Auto-Heritage exhibit which is displayed in the generator room.
In December of 1988 a new addition containing bathrooms, lounge, and an office area was added to the Community Center. A new exterior was added to the front. It gave the facility a new professional appearance and helped lower the heating costs.
In September of 1981 the Old Mill Committee held its first annual Fall Festival to raise funds to start the renovations of the Old Mill Museum. Other fund raisers followed: the famous Old Mill Brunches, Annual Christmas House Tours & Candle Light Dinners, Antique Shows, Auctions, Annual German Fest, Cook Book Sales, Bake Sales, Teas & Luncheons, small grants and the assistance of the Village government. The restoration continued through the past twenty eight years due to dedicated local volunteers like Rose Gorrell, Judy Labun, Betty Yahr, Betty Siler, Beth Norman, Lois & John Eicholtz, Jan Whitaker, Jane & Tom Beaubien, Madelyn & Walter Berns, Larry & Florence Wilson, Floyd & Marjorie Busz, Charlotte & Mickey Freshour, Vaughn & Shirley Massingill, Grace Hudson, Chuck & Ruth Drexler, Mary & Joel Schultz, Patti Pilbeam, Randi Kominek, Scott Heck and Doug & Meg Heinlen to name just a few of the hundred plus individuals who have given their time and services through the years to the museum.
The museum was originally open one weekend a month. Eventually hours were expanded to two days a week, Saturday and Sundays from 1:00-4:00 pm, with tours given by volunteers. In the tenth year two part time tour guides were employed to help work on alternate weekend. As the years passed and more visitors showed interest in the museum, the committee extended the hours to Friday through Monday 12:00– 4:00 pm. Sara Alexin was hired as a part time director on April 22, 2002. Her duties were to serve as a tour guide on Mondays & Fridays and oversee the operational needs, fund raising activities and grants for the museum.
In the fall of 2007 and January 2008 the village government funded the painting of the museum exterior, installed a new roof, ceiling and carpeting in the old council chambers. Museum volunteers and volunteers from the Monroe Country trustees program painted and provided carpentry work to transform the old council chambers into the Busz Conference Room. These renovations were in preparation for the Smithsonian’s “Key Ingredients” traveling display and to provide additional income to the museum by renting the conference room for small meetings, showers and various other activities.
On February 1, 2008 “Key Ingredients,” the Smithsonian’s and the Michigan History’s traveling display, opened in the museum. The displays, which told the history of food in America, continued for six weeks along with various food-related activities. The Old Mill Museum provided additional displays of local foods, restaurants and food related industries in the Dundee area. The Dundee Old Mill Museum was chosen as one of only six locations in Michigan for the displays and received a state grant to help defray expenses.
Through the years the museum has provided school tours covering various historical programs such as Native American Days. The Big Lesson brought students into the museum for week-long activities. Additional children’s programs have been the annual Halloween party, Christmas Crafts & Lunch and Easter Bunny Lunch.
On February 2, 2008 the Busz Conference Room was dedicated to Marjorie Busz for her many years of service to overseeing the transformation and preservation of the Old Mill Museum. The Madelyn Berns Archives was dedicated to Madelyn Berns on May18, 2008 in recognition for her years of service in preserving the history of the Dundee area.
The museum does not only a preserve the history of Dundee area but it is a tourist attraction as well. Visitors to the museum have come from California, Canada, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Holland and Germany to name just a few. Many visitors upon touring the museum have commented very favorably: found this museum on our GPS what a wonderful surprise; very interesting, we will be back with our family; awesome; way cool; fantastic displays; thank you for preserving this great building and history; wonderful community treasurer. Local residents, visiting the museum for the first time, have stated that they had passed by the building for years and did not realize what a treasure the village had in the old Mill. New business and residents have expressed that the Old Mill was a factor in attracting them to Dundee.
The Old Mill has gone through many phases:
1. Constructed 1848 – 1849
2. Operated as a grist mill until 1910
3. Operated as a hydro-electric power plant for the village 1910 –1923
4. Abandoned to become a derelict from 1924 –1935
5. Renovated and expanded as a Ford Village Industry 1935 - 1936
6. Operated as a Ford Village Industry 1936 – 1954
7. Expanded and operated as a gasket paper material plant by Wolverine Mfg, Inc. 1954 – 1970
8. Owned by the Village of Dundee as a Community Center and Museum 1970 – present. The council chambers were in the mill for over 20 years.
