Historic Mill Has Allis-Chalmers Connections

Historic Mill Has Allis-Chalmers Connections Before Allis-Chalmers, there was Reliance Works, owned by Edward P. Allis. Before building farm equipment, Allis built milling equipment. A great place to see this equipment is Richfield, Wis. The Richfield Historical Society owns and is restoring an 1871 three-story grist (grain) mill equipped with Reliance milling equipment. Built by Andrew Messer, a German emigrant, the grist mill was originally water-powered. Messer’s father, Johann, had built a sawmill on the site in 1856. The new grist mill went up alongside the sawmill. According to the Historical Society, Messer is believed to have turned to Allis in nearby Milwaukee for a general designer or millwright. While the lumber came from the Meyer sawmill, virtually all the milling equipment he ordered came from Reliance. In 1860, Allis bought Reliance Works, a bankrupt firm that manufactured milling equipment. Only 2 years after supplying equipment for the Messer mill, Reliance went into bankruptcy, and Allis reorganized it as the Edward P. Allis Company. Under his management, the Allis company became one of the world’s leading manufacturers of milling equipment. The milling industry’s interest in steam power led Allis to expand into steam engines. By 1900, while still a major milling equipment manufacturer, his company was also among the largest makers of steam engines. The mill remained in the Messer family, passing first to Andrew’s uncle Johann Mayer and then to his descendants. Over the years, the mill’s power source changed from a 25-hp water turbine to an internal combustion engine and, finally, to electricity. Aside from the addition of roller mills, very little else changed. The complex three-story mill remains a living showcase of Allis technology from that era. Originally installed equipment includes two sets of grinding wheels, sifting machinery (bolting machines), elevators to move grain and flour between floors, operations, storage bins and bagging equipment. The family operated the mill until 1954, when it closed. After the last Mayer owner died in 1973, the mill was sold but left untouched. In 1998, the Town of Richfield purchased the site and leased it to the Richfield Historical Society. Reopening the mill required extensive restoration by local volunteers because the building was in poor condition. It was reroofed, and the siding was replaced and painted to match the period when the mill was built. Windows were rebuilt with wood frames, and old-fashioned glass with swirls was installed. As when the mill was built, lumber to replace the rotted flooring was milled from trees on the property. A second set of stairs for tours was added, and the foundation was also restored. The original water turbine remains in place, awaiting the restoration of the dam and mill pond. In the meantime, the Society has restored a 1913 Superior engine and plans to install it. It’s believed to be similar to the engine the Mayers used from the early 1900s through the transition to electricity in the late 1920s.  Work continues, and a list of projects is posted on the Society’s website. Equipment still needs to be cleaned, refurbished and restored. The end goal is to get the mill grinding. Interested readers are encouraged to visit the mill to see the original Allis equipment, donate and volunteer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richfield Historical Society, P.O. Box 268, Richfield, Wis. 53076 (www.richfieldhistoricalsociety.org).

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