Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill

The Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill is a former woolen mill on the Milwaukee River in Grafton, Wisconsin. In the late 1800s the Cedarburg Woolen Company in neighboring Cedarburg decided to expand their production by opening a second mill. The mill was constructed next to the Grafton Flour Mill in 1880 at a cost of $40,000 to make worsted yarn and was the only one of its kind West of Philadelphia.[1] At its height, the Grafton mill employed 100 people.

Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill
Location	1350 14th Ave. Grafton, Wisconsin
Coordinates	43.31753°N 87.94898°W
Built	1880
NRHP reference No.	83003408
Added to NRHP	June 30, 1983

In 1882, a group of investors bought the mill and formed the Grafton Worsted Company. Diedrich Wittenberg, the president of the group, was also the owner of the Cedarburg Woolen Company.

In 1902, Wittenberg's son and his son-in-law purchased the building and formed the Badger Worsted Company, which combed, spun, dyed and packaged yarn in the building until 1980. During the Great Depression, the company acquired the neighboring Grafton Flour Mill and converted it to worsted yarn production as well. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983,[2][3][4] and currently houses shops, offices, and studios.[5]

See also

• Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill

References

1. "Early history of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin". 1965. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. "Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
4. Rankin, Katherine H. (1983-02-03). "Mills of Grafton Thematic Resources". NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-01-04. (Viewable with Edge browser.)
5. "These Places Are Hardly Run of the Mill". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 18, 2020.