Ray Township in Macomb County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Wolcott Mill
Photographed By Joel S., August 23, 2015
1. Wolcott Mill Marker
Inscription.
Wolcott Mill is among the oldest mills in Michigan. Built in the mid-1840s by the Arad Freeman family, early Macomb County settlers. It passed through several owners before Frederick Wolcott purchased it in 1878. The Wolcott family upgraded the business as technology changed. In 1881, the breastshot waterwheel was replaced by a turbine. The millstones where changed to more efficient metal rollers in 1890 and again improved in 1917. Waterpower was used until the mill closed, but it was supplemented by electric power in the 1920s. Declining business caused the Wolcott family to sell the mill in 1967. The Huron-Clinton Metroparks acquired the mill in 1979 for use as an historic interpretive site.
Wolcott Mill is among the oldest mills in Michigan. Built in the mid-1840s by the Arad Freeman family, early Macomb County settlers. It passed through several owners before Frederick Wolcott purchased it in 1878. The Wolcott family upgraded the business as technology changed. In 1881, the breastshot waterwheel was replaced by a turbine. The millstones where changed to more efficient metal rollers in 1890 and again improved in 1917. Waterpower was used until the mill closed, but it was supplemented by electric power in the 1920s. Declining business caused the Wolcott family to sell the mill in 1967. The Huron-Clinton Metroparks acquired the mill in 1979 for use as an historic interpretive site.
Erected 2012 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L2234.)
Location. 42° 46.006′ N, 82° 55.634′ W. Marker is near Ray, Michigan, in Macomb County. It is in Ray Township. Marker can be reached from Kunstman Road, 0.6 miles north of 29 Mile Road. The marker is in Wolcott Mill Metropark. From the entrance
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on Kunstman Road, it is about 0.9 miles from the park entrance to the parking lot. From the parking lot, it is about a 0.2 mile walk to the marker next to the mill. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 64162 Kunstman Road, Ray MI 48096, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Wolcott Mill Metropark. (Submitted on August 24, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Photographed By Joel S., August 23, 2015
2. Wolcott Mill and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 483 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
