The History of the Hilgen-Schroeder Mill Store

The History of the Hilgen-Schroeder Mill Store. . , Hilgen-Schroeder Mill Store, In 1846 this cream city brick building was constructed by early Cedarburg businessmen Frederick Hilgen and William Schroeder as a retail outlet for the flour and feed mill across the street: the Cedarburg Mill. The building was also used as living quarters for mill employees. For the next several decades the structure operated as the mill store for the now (built in 1855) five story stone gristmill. The grounds of the feed mill also provided stables and a barn for the business's horses., The late 1800's witnessed a change that converted the lower level of the building into a tavern. In 1931 the Riverside Cafe opened in a small stand alone building to the east of the tavern. Over the years the new business location managed by several proprietors experienced alterations to parts of the shop area and grounds. Prior to United States' entry in to World War II, Walter Barth purchased the building and opened Barth's Tavern. This location evolved into a community institution: Barth's Cocktail Bar Restaurant. In the 1960s, handing the reins of the diner to his son-in-law, Palmer Krueger, the family business operated for 60 years, closing in 2001., For the next ten years the building shuffled through changes until it was purchased by Mal and Jill Hepburn who, in 2015, donated it to the Cedarburg Landmark Preservation Society for use as a Cedarburg History Museum and Visitor Center for the Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce.