Kaehlers Mill

Kaehlers Mill. Established 1847. At the intersection of present day Covered Bridge and Kaehlers Mill Roads was the hamlet of Kaehlers Mill. A flouring mill was established in about 1847 by Charles F. Uhlig. After going bankrupt, Uhlig's mother sold the west half of the northwest quarter of section 10 to J.H. Kaehler for $4,000. His son, Peter F. Kaehler (1838-1902) was a merchant in Port Washington having established a store there in 1859. It is said that he petitioned the legislature for permission to become a merchant before the legal age of 21. He moved his family to the property, building a sawmill there, furnishing lumber for many area projects, as well as being in town government and the county agricultural society. The hamlet was also home to a blacksmith shop, several mill cottages and a small store. The mills fell into disrepair after the Kaehler family moved to Chicago in the late 1880's following a very lengthy court battle over property taxes. The last traces of the mills disappeared in 1903 when the lumber and metal was salvaged and sold off. The only buildings remaining are the store which has since become a single-family residence and the blacksmith shop.