An old flour mill in our state may soon get a new look.

The Fair Haven Flour Mill is one of the oldest mills still standing in Minnesota.

“We just don’t see a lot of historic places like this in Wright County,” Ross Demant, Wright County Parks and Recreation director, said.

The mill was built after the Civil War in 1867, and it became the centerpiece of the small town of Fair Haven. The mill operated for decades, turning wheat into flour.

“They used the dam and they upgraded to turbines and steam power to get up to about 2,000 barrels a year here,” Demant said. 

The mill closed in 1941, and for several years the building fell into disrepair. In 1970, it was taken over by Wright County and the outside of the building was restored.

There is a plan to restore the mill to its former glory. The county is considering several options for what could go inside.

“They talked about it being a distillery, a brewery, maybe an area kind of a boutique that had arts and crafts on the inside,” Demant said. “This is the third-oldest mill in the state of Minnesota, and so it’s rare and even rarer, especially to have it within a park system like we have.”

The building is part of Fair Haven Mill Park. The mill is on the National Register of Historic Places.