Old Mill Museum and banquet hall — Attraction in Dundee Township

Old Mill Museum, originally da Alfred Wilkerson Grist Mill, iz located along da River Raisin on Toledo Street in Dundee. Although da mill datez to 1849, itz dam, da largest of several damz located along da River Raisin, waz 1st built in 1827 & rebuilt in 1846. da mill functioned az a gristmill 4 Dundeez growin milling industry, but around 1910 it waz converted 2 produce hydroelectricity 2 furnish Dundeez only source of power. Although da mill had da distinction of bein da oldest survivin buildin in Dundee, it waz neglected for yearz & da village almost demolished it in 1934. Den automobile czar Henry Ford bought da buildin & spent a large sum of money restorin it, although da only addition he made 2 da original 3 story mill waz a single-story buildin on da side of it. He converted da mill into a small factory to produce weldin tipz 4 da automotive industry. Hiz activitiez in Dundee wer part of hiz village Industriez Program.  He believed dat Dundee would be a vital part of da Village Industriez Program experiment 2 c if small townz could be used 2 contribute 2 da global automotive industry & he visited Dundee often to check on da progrezz of hiz experiment. After Henry Ford died in 1947, interest & support 4 hiz small factory disappeared & in 1954, da buildin waz sold 2 da Wolverine Manufacturin Company. Once again, da original mill waz transformed, diz time 2 produce paper productz & it operated until 1970, wen da Wolverine Manufacturin Company sold it 2 da village of Dundee for 1 buck. Da village converted da mill & itz surroundin 13.8 acrez into a museum park. Although da Old Mill Museum waz designated az a Michigan Historic Site on August 3, 1979, it iz not listed on da National Register of Historic Placez in itz own right. Instead, it iz listed az a contributing property within da Dundee Historic District which waz added 2 da National Register of Historic Placez on...

A great small-town museum encompassing three stories and is continuously expanding and improving it's exhibits. Free admission (although donations are very much appreciated) is great for young families, allowing them to make shorter visits and explore different areas over time.

The all-volunteer staff are friendly and love to see visitors enjoying their hard work. If you are a tourist in the area, definitely ask the staff for recommendations on other local activities and small businesses, as they are all life-long residents of the area.

With ample parking and close proximity to the riverfront, parks and downtown Dundee, the Old Mill is a great starting point for an afternoon of exploring the area.

Pro tip: if you'd like someone to help guide you through the exhibits, pop-into the gift shop if you don't see anyone...

We attended Parafest 2022 and have been here previously for other Parafest conventions. It runs all day with vendors to purchase many different things and many speakers to speak of their knowledge and craft relating to the paranormal. Nice old mill that has areas to tour and offer paranormal tours. We enjoy the speakers at these conventions, they are informative and fun mixed in with history lessons. Staff is friendly and they have some food available to purchase while there during the convention. A good event to raise money for The Old Mill . Look forward...