John Baldwin Steam Mill
Douglas Co. | Kansas | USA
Watersource: Steam mill
John Baldwin Steam Mill
South of Lawrence, Kansas on US 59 for 12 miles , make a left on US 56 and go 3 miles to Baldwin City. Turn right on Sixth St. and go 7 blocks to High St. The mill is about half a block back on the west side of the street.
The 30'x40' limestone building was built in 1858 as the earliest building of Baker College. Some of the early history is centered around the bloody vigilante actions that went on in Kansas during the Civil War involving Quantrill's Raiders and other simmilar groups. It's a wonder that it survived the era.
It was converted into a steam grist mill in 1890, when the building was no longer essential for schooling purposes. George Motter converted the building to a steam mill known as Castle Mills. It is still part of the Baker Universiy Campus and is affectionately called the "Old Castle Museum".