John Mishler Weaving Mill

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The Mishler Weaving Mill was constructed by John Mishler and his wife in the late 19th Century. It produced 40,000 pounds of a cloth a year at its height for use as dishcloths, cheese and fruit presses, rugs, and carpets. The Mill was moved at least twice before arriving at its current location. In 1993, the Smithville Community Historical Society bought and restored the business, which continues to produce and sell dishcloths, placemats, and table runners in addition to exhibiting antique looms for tours.

Images

The John Mishler Weaving Mill today, which features mechanical looms from as early as 1895.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

John Mishler (born Johann Mischler) and his wife Rosina Beyeler were born in Switzerland in 1852. They came to the United States in 1882 and settled in Smithville, Ohio. Because John was a weaver, he decided to build a mill that would produce rugs and carpets. The looms in the mill were originally operated by hand, though they updated to steam and diesel power over the years. Keeping ahead of the times, the Mishler Mill became the first business in town operated by electricity around 1915. The mill also began to weave cloth for dishtowels and fruit presses and was the only producer of cheesecloth for the Swiss cheese industry in the U. S. After John’s death in 1930, his son Daniel took over and moved the mill near its present location. Charles Norris purchased the mill in 1983 and later sold it to the Smithville Community Historical Society in 1993, who then restored it.

Sources

Historic John Mishler Weaving Mill. Remarkable Ohio. Accessed October 10, 2018. http://www.remarkableohio.org/index.php?/category/1518. Information and photo source.

Mishler Weaving Mill. Ohio.org. Accessed October 10, 2018. http://www.ohio.org/destination/historic-sites/mishler-weaving-mill.