Cedarburg Mill

The mill was immediately successful and following that success additional mills were built on Cedar Creek including the Hilgen and Wittenburg Woolen Mill in 1864 and the Excelsior Mill in 1871. During Wisconsin's "Great Indian Scare" of September 1862, the mill was used as a makeshift fortress by some residents in response to rumors of a Native American uprising in the state. 30,000 men were out of state, serving in the American Civil War, and would not be able to respond to such an uprising inflating residents fears. The rumors were ultimately false, however the rumor caused mass hysteria in state's population.[4] In 1881 the mill was the only one whose dam survived the severe flooding that spring, and a year later in 1882 the mill was sold to John Grundke.[4]

In 1901 the mill was sold to Christian, Louis, and William Ruck, and in 1913 Louis Ruck, the son of Christian Ruck bought out his family members and became the sole owner of the mill, the milldam and pond still bear the ruck name. The mill building was bought from Louis Ruck in January 1930 by the Cedarburg Supply Company and converted from hydropower to electric power.[4] From the 1960s through the 1970s a sewer carried waste oil including PCBs from Mercury Marines Cedarburg factory to the millpond resulting in dangerous levels of PCBs in both the mill pond and the entirety of Cedar Creek from the mill pond to its confluence with the Milwaukee River.[5][6] In 1974 the mill building was added to the U.S National Register of Historic Places.[3] In the 1990s the millpond was dredged removing the contaminated sediment.

In 2016 additional PCB remediation was completed in the mills raceway.[6] The mill is still owned by Cedarburg Supply Company, now known as Landmark Supply Co who occupies much of the first floor of the building. Other tenants include a brewpub and architecture firm.