Arcola Mills Historic Foundation

Built in 1847, this Greek Revival Mansion and Sawmill Remains are nestled along the St Croix River and lie within 54 acres of forested land and 7 springs once called the Village of Arcola. The mission of the Arcola Mills Historic Foundation through classes, retreats, and educational events, is to preserve this historic site by connecting this magical place with our guests for renewal and celebration that encourages a spirit of stewardship throughout the St. Croix River Area.

In the early 1840s, before Minnesota became a state and shortly after the founding of the first settlements in the territory (Stillwater and Marine on St. Croix), John and Martin Mower moved from Maine to the St. Croix River Valley. They sought to capitalize on the logging boom in the Midwest and built a small and prosperous village on the shores of the St. Croix River known as Arcola, centered on a lumber mill that still stands today.

By 1847 the Mower brothers completed construction of a grand Greek revival-style home at Arcola Mills, as well as a general store, a small boat-building operation, carpentry and Blacksmith shops, a one-room schoolhouse, and home for the mill workers. It was an entire village in and of itself. Regarded as the third oldest and largest timber frame house in Minnesota, the Mower house, as well as the original Arcola sawmill chimney, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cutting over one million board feet per year, legend has it that the lumber cut at Arcola Mills built the homes, villages and cities along the Mississippi River as far away as St. Louis. The lumber boom lasted until the early 1900s, so the sawmill closed, and the Mower family home and surrounding village were abandoned.

In the mid-1930s, Dr. Henry Van Meier and his wife Katharine of Stillwater, Minnesota stumbled upon the abandoned property while hunting ferns. They knew they had to make it their own and purchased the Mower house and its surrounding 50+ acres of property on the St. Croix River. It became their summer house until Dr. Van Meier’s death in 1979.

Following Katherine Van Meier’s death, the property was paced in a trust under the newly organized nonprofit, the Arcola Mills Historic Foundation.