Swany White Flour Mills, Flour mill in Freeport, Minnesota, US.
The Swany White Flour Mills is a three-story brick structure with an attached powerhouse, miller's residence, and separate smokestack on an industrial property near Freeport. The facility specialized in processing grain into flour for both wholesale and retail customers in the surrounding agricultural region.
The original mill was built in 1898 and purchased by the Thelen brothers in 1903, who branded their flour as Swany White and operated the facility until a fire in 2011. The fire destroyed the historic building but did not end milling operations at the site.
The mill functioned as a gathering place where local farmers could buy and sell grain or trade wheat for processed flour. This direct business model made the site central to the area's agricultural community and daily rural commerce.
The site is visible from the street and provides a good view of the mill structure and grounds. Visitors should check ahead about access options since this is an active production facility.
The facility was Minnesota's last operating nineteenth-century mill before the 2011 fire, and the Thelen family rebuilt with a new plant in 2012 designed to maintain traditional milling methods. This modern facility continues producing organic flour using techniques that honor the original operation's heritage.
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