Field Trip Idea: Graue Mill and Museum

History of the Graue Mill and Museum

Frederick Graue was born in Germany, came to the United States and settled in Fullersburg, Illinois. He purchased land and began to build a waterwheel gristmill. It took five years to construct using bricks made from clay taken from the Graue farm and fired in a kiln near the site, and white oak timbers cut from a tract along the I & M canal near Lemont. The four huge one-ton buhrstones used for grinding were imported from the coast of France. The large gristmill was finished in 1852 and was used to grind the wheat, corn and other grains produced by local farmers.

The mill was a major center of economic life during the 19th century and was also used by Fred Graue to hide runaway slaves on their journey to freedom in Canada. President Abraham Lincoln reportedly visited Graue Mill during a trip from Chicago to Springfield. Three generations of the Graue family operated the mill for 60 years until modern milling methods rendered the old mill obsolete and the building was abandoned.

The building was eventually added to the properties of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. In 1934, it was decided to restore the mill to the period of 1852-1868, the time the waterwheel was in operation. The restoration was completed in 1943 but was not maintained. In 1950, the mill property was leased to the DuPage Graue Mill Corporation, an organization formed by local residents, who repaired the waterwheel and gear system and opened the museum.

Graue Mill was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in May 1975. And in 1981 was recognized as an Illinois Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers -- the only gristmill so designated on a national or local level, representative of an important technology and era in the history of America.

Saturday & Sunday, July 11 and 12, 10am to 4 pm From Grain to GristLearn the duties of a miller's apprentice by helping with many of the steps necessary to produce stone-ground cornmeal -- from shucking to shelling to grinding to weighing to bagging.

Sunday, July 26, 10 am to 4pm Scavenger Hunt at the MillVisit the Mill and get your treasure map. If you find every one of the Mill's "treasures", you win a prize.

Season
Mid April - Mid November

Hours
Daily Tuesday - Sunday 10 AM to 4:30 PM
Closed Monday, Except for Holidays
Admission Rates
Children 4-12 $1.50
Children 3-under Free
Adults $3.50
Seniors $3.00

Telephone 630-655-2090 or 630-920-9720
Call for information, group rates and reservations.

Location Visit the Graue Mill and Museum in Oak Brook, Illinois. Just 18 miles from the heart of Chicago, the Mill is on York Road, 1/4 mile north of Ogden Avenue, at the junction of York and Spring Roads.

Mailing Address
3800 York Road Oak Brook, Illinois 60523