Arcola Mills
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John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site
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The Mower House from the southeast
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| Location | 12905 Arcola Trail N., Arcola, Minnesota |
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| Coordinates | 45°8′17.2″N 92°45′6″W / 45.138111°N 92.75167°WCoordinates: 45°8′17.2″N 92°45′6″W / 45.138111°N 92.75167°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1847 |
| Architect | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| MPS | Washington County MRA (AD) |
| NRHP Reference # | 80000407 |
| Designated NRHP | June 17, 1980 |
Arcola Mills is a historic house in the unincorporated community of Arcola, Minnesota, United States. Built in 1847, it is considered the third-oldest and largest all-wood-frame house still standing in Minnesota. It was the home of brothers Martin and John Mower, who established one of the first sawmills on the St. Croix River and the community around it. The house and the remnants of the nearby mill were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as the John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site for having local significance in the themes of architecture, exploration/settlement, and industry. The property was nominated as an "excellent example" of Greek Revival architecture and for its association with the region's early settlement and lumber industry. The property now operates as a non-profit event and education center.
Arcola Mills is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Stillwater, Minnesota. The house is a two-story wood-frame structure with clapboard siding. It originally had a simple rectangular footprint of 36 by 50 feet (11 by 15 m). The Mowers added additions to the west and south in the 1870s, but these have since been removed.
The east façade of the house, which faces the river, has a full-width porch topped by a deck accessed from the upper floor. Greek Revival elements include corner pilasters and broken pediments at the gable ends.
The sawmill was a few hundred feet north of the house. Still standing is a 40-foot (12 m) stone chimney. A 20th-century summer cottage has been built up against the chimney upon the mill's original foundation. Other remnants include an engine mount and an embankment for a sluiceway.
John Mower, originally from Maine, moved to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, in 1842 to work in the lumber industry. His brother Martin settled in Stillwater the following year and John soon joined him on the Minnesota side of the river. With three business partners, Martin established the sawmill north of town in 1847. Two of his partners immediately cashed out while John bought in to the enterprise. The brothers built their home adjacent to the mill and established the town of Arcola around it for their employees. Town structures included a general store, a one-room schoolhouse, a boarding house, and shops for carpentry, blacksmithing, and boat-building.
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