Champion Mill (Nebraska)
United States historic place From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Champion Mill is a historic flour and feed mill in Champion, in the southwestern part of the state of Nebraska, in the Midwestern United States. Built in 1888 and rebuilt in 1892 after a fire, the mill was used commercially until 1968. It is now a museum and park run by Chase County preserving the state's last working water-powered mill. The mill, headrace, and dam were added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 1988.
Champion Mill | |
 Champion Mill building. The milldam is out of frame to the right. | |
  Location within Nebraska  Champion Mill (Nebraska) (the United States) | |
| Location | Mill and Second Streets, Champion, Nebraska |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°28′14.34″N 101°45′1.84″W |
| Area | 3.8 acres (1.5 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000913[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 23, 1988 |
The town of Hamilton, later renamed Champion, was created as part of the inrush of settlers to the area in 1886. The location of the town was chosen because a natural three-foot (one meter) rock waterfall on the Frenchman Creek was deemed a prime site for a mill. Thomas Scott acquired land and water rights in exchange for his promise to build a mill on the site. An earthen dam and a mill were built and production of flour and animal feed began in 1889. The mill was rebuilt after a December 1891 fire and was back in operation a year later. The mill was expanded over the years, switching exclusively to feed in 1945. The site was used commercially by successive owners until it closed in 1968.[2]
The mill complex was purchased by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in 1969. The mill became the Champion Mill State Historical Park and State Recreation Area; recreation had long been a part of the historical use of the mill pond and adjacent picnic and camping area. The mill building became a museum.[2]
The mill complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for being a well-preserved and long-running example of mills common to the late-19th/early-20th centuries, and because its mill pond was a significant recreational destination in southwestern Nebraska. The historic district comprises the 1887 dam, headrace, and the three-story frame mill whose oldest sections was built in 1892.[2]
In 2013 ownership of Champion Mill State Historical Park (SHP) and the adjacent 11-acre (4.5 ha) State Recreation Area (SRA) were transferred from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to Chase County.[3] The site includes the lake created by the impoundment of Frenchman Creek.[4]
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