Isaac Staples' Sawmill, Industrial heritage site in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Isaac Staples' Sawmill is a mill complex on North Main Street with a limestone powerhouse featuring a tall smokestack and a four-story metal-clad building next to it. Together these structures form a compact industrial ensemble typical of sawmills built along Minnesota's waterways.
The mill was built in 1850 and later purchased by Isaac Staples in 1869 who operated it for lumber production. A major fire in the 1890s destroyed the wooden structures but left the stone powerhouse standing, which continued to be used for different industrial purposes.
The site reflects how water-powered mills shaped the growth of Stillwater and connected the community to the lumber trade. Today it stands as a place where industrial purpose transformed into everyday commercial and residential use.
The complex is easy to locate on North Main Street and visible from the street, making it convenient to stop by while exploring downtown Stillwater. The buildings now contain shops and apartments so visitors can observe the exterior architecture and interior conversions without special access.
The limestone powerhouse survived a devastating fire in the 1890s almost unscathed because it was built from solid stone, making it a rare example of 19th-century construction durability. This accident of fire and survival has left visitors with a clear glimpse of how industrial buildings were engineered for power generation in that era.
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