Historical Woodland mill still operational after 146 years

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The Cedar Creek Grist Mill in Woodland has stood in place since 1876 and is still going strong today, with almost all the equipment and architecture being original.

The mill has been preserved thanks to a myriad of volunteers over the years, including board member Jeffrey Berry and President John Clapp.

“It was built by George Woodham, who ran the place for three years,” said Berry. “Then he packed up and went to Centralia. We had one of his great-great-nephews come in a few years ago, who told us Woodham was just as unsuccessful in Centralia as he was here.”

Berry said that once Woodham left, the mill sat empty for nine years. It was then bought by Mike Lynch, who built the flume and Leffel turbine in 1886 that is still in use today. Using the water from Cedar Creek, the turbine powers the machines in the mill. One machine is a grinder that grinds corn into cornmeal, which can then be used for cornbread. In 1980, the mill was vandalized and had trouble operating due to weather conditions. As a result, local residents formed The Friends of the Cedar Creek Grist Mill, a nonprofit which helps keep the mill operational. 

The board is made up of volunteers who dedicate their time to maintaining the mill.

“I and the others work here for no money and people ask me, ‘why are you still doing it?’ and I say, ‘because I owe a debt, a responsibility to all the people I worked with in 1980 who put so much work into this mill,’” Clapp said. “A lot of Americans say, ‘how much money am I going to get for this?’ and I say that some things in history need to be preserved and we need to understand it.”

Berry said the mill has experienced its share of vandalism. People have broken its windows and thrown its picnic tables into the creek. In one incident, some teenagers broke into the mill, but didn’t severely damage any equipment. After Berry called their parents, they came up with an agreement that included the teens moving rocks to needed locations in an effort to make up for the break-in. 

At 3 p.m. on Nov. 11, 1989, Clapp said the board celebrated the Washington State Centennial by grinding wheat with the original machines, which turned the mill into a working museum. It is the oldest building in the state providing the same services as when it was first constructed, said Berry. 

The mill is also a popular tourist attraction for people across the country. When The Reflector visited, Berry displayed a guestbook with signatures from people from Vermont, Florida, New Mexico and Alaska.



Although Clapp is the president of the group, he prefers to extend the leadership horizontally and gives each member an equal say in how things run.

Weddings are held on the property, with an average of six to 10 couples using the venue each year. The mill also hosts cider press events for the public and they used to have strawberry shortcake and pancake-making events. The Cedar Creek Grist Mill is funded by donations and is actively seeking more volunteers.

Berry said the mill is a culturally significant piece of Washington state history.

“(The mill) is culturally significant because of the community,” said Berry. “This is how we enjoy meeting people, and the kinship of the goal of taking care of the place. In here, you get back to your roots, as the sense of community today is lacking. My folks live in a neighborhood in Battle Ground, but they don’t know their neighbors. You might know one or recognize another, but there’s 30 people living in an area the size of my backyard. Here, you get to know each other better. It makes the commandment ‘love thy neighbor’ easier to follow.”

The Cedar Creek mill is open on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. It’s located at 43907 NE Grist Mill Road, Woodland.