Friends of Beckman Mill, Inc

09/05/2026

🐝Attention Friends of Beckman Mill, 🐝

We have a bit of a StiCkY situation at the Mill today ⬇️

A swarm of bees has landed on the west side of the building. We are in the process of removing and safely relocating them with the help of a local beekeeper, who also happened to be our Friends of Beckman Mill Board President :) Ron Betley

For today the park is open, but we will be closed for Mill tours. We will be reassessing to make sure there is no hazard to our visitors and will update you all when we resume the Mill tours 💛🐝

‼️ UPDATE: MILL TOURS WILL RESUME TODAY ‼️

After temporarily relocating the bees, we have been able to better isolate the affected area. A small number of bees were found in the basement, so we will be making a few adjustments for today.

🐝 Mill tours WILL resume with a partial building closure.

For today:
• The east-side exit door will temporarily serve as the entrance for Mill tours.
• The main entrance will remain closed.
• The basement area near where the bees were located will also remain closed.

The remainder of the Mill will be open for tours as usual.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to safely address the situation. We’re happy to be able to welcome visitors back for tours today!

09/02/2026

ThrowBackThursday A great photo from circa 2002 that captures so much of the work that had been taking place at the dam. The dam was completed, but there was no millpond yet. You can catch a glimpse of the creek at the top of the photo. At this point, all of the water was flowing through the stop logs at the east end of the dam. This allowed for a dry area where the fish passage could be constructed on the west end.
A lot of work went into building the dam forms to make the finished dam look like it had been constructed in the 1920s. Rough-sawn, irregular lumber was lined inside the forms, creating the texture in the cement that can be clearly seen on the finished wall. Across the top of the dam are poles supporting wiring that supplied power for the fish passage construction.
Construction of the fish passage was well underway. The fish passage is made up of several ponds, with approximately a 6-inch elevation change between each pond. That elevation change created a ripple that small fish could swim up. When they reached a pond, they had a place to rest before continuing up to the next ripple.
The trapezoidal-shaped concrete structure shown in the photo is one of those ponds. You can see the plastic tubes that water flowed through, the tubes are at the bottom each pond, they helped keep the bottoms of the ponds cleaner. The crew are pouring cement for one of these ponds.
L to R: Kirby Simpson, Bob Fosler, John Larson, Jim Schmerse, Paul Newton, and Bob Pederson

08/29/2026

Heritage Sunday is almost here!!

Just two weeks to go and we are getting so excited!

Check out our Schedule of Events and let us know in the comments if you will be joining us this year.

We can't wait to see you all!

HERITAGE SUNDAY – Sept.13, 2026
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

🇺🇸11:00am – SPECIAL FLAG CEREMONY – by Revolutionary soldiers
🎻11:00am – 12:30pm – MUSEUM – violin music by Zachary Peterson
🪗Noon – 1:00pm – SHELTER – guitar & accordion folk music by Gene Shephard
🎵1:30pm – 3:00pm – SHELTER – Christian Country Witnesses band

🌽🌽🌽🌽11:00am – 4:00pm 🌽🌽🌽🌽
• MILL GRINDING PROCESS BEGINS after flag ceremony– water rushing & whistle blowing
• MUSEUM - Browse displays – Gertrude Beckman’s 1933 trophy & bakers cabinet, cooper tools, house and mill models.
• GIFT SHOP – corn meal, T-shirts, sweatshirts, old fashion candy and more
• BLACKSMITH SHOP – blacksmith's working
• Historic Trade Demonstrations –wood carvers, basket weavers, quilter, chair canner, and others along the lane to the mill
• Collector Show Cars– by the road
• Civil War living history display - surgeon– by the pine trees
• WWII living history display – soldiers, trucks, bike, motorcycle - by the pine trees
• Revolutionary War living history display – by the pine trees
• Underground Railroad display – by the pine trees
• FOOD in SHELTER– Sandwiches, chips, pop and water, and homemade desserts

KIDS ACTIVITIES:
* Butter making – by the shelter * Dig potatoes in the garden
* Blacksmithing by the blacksmith shop * Corn shelling in the mill
• Dance, sing and play instruments with Johnny Wittnebel by the garden

Become a member or renew your membership and get information - by the Shelter

Get your Beloit Heritage Days passport stamped at the Membership Table

THANKS to our sponsors:
Old Fashion Bakery, Frito Lay, Next Generation Builders,
True North Title!

**And a very special Thanks to ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS!**

11600 S County Road H, Beloit, WI, United States, 53511-9203

08/27/2026

ThrowBackThursday The Creamery is getting its sidewalks poured. From left to right are Bob Pederson, Paul Newton, Jim Schmerse, John Larson, and Bob Schindler. The Creamery was completed in 2006.

08/20/2026

ThrowBackThursday — Two of FBM's founding members working on the flooring in the Mill. Bob Fosler on the left, and Will Pollack.

08/20/2026

Join us tomorrow!! ☀️

08/16/2026

Johnny is coming to Heritage Sunday on September 13th. Come and join in on the fun!!

Johnny and Jody Wittnebel got a pick-up band together at yesterday's Ice Cream Social. Great seeing them there!

08/13/2026

ThrowBackThursday Two weeks ago, we looked at the siding being installed on the north side of the Mill. The west side presented more of a challenge because of the height. Scaffolding was used that could be adjusted, making the work safer and easier as we worked our way up the wall.

08/06/2026

ThrowBackThursday When the Friends of Beckman Mill was formed, the north foundation wall of the Mill looked like a problem. During the first winter, someone would go to the Mill and measure the wall to see if it had moved any farther out from the Mill. Thankfully, we never saw any movement that first winter. At that point, we weren’t sure what we could have done, since we did not yet have a lease from the County.
Then came the day we were ready to lift the Mill off the foundation. As the hydraulic jacks began lifting, we quickly found out just how bad that north foundation wall really had been. The wall had been standing only because the weight of the Mill was holding it in place. Once the weight of the Mill was removed, the wall crumbled.
It was a moment that confirmed to us just how much work would be needed to save the Mill.

07/30/2026

ThrowBackThursday Jim Disrud (left) and John Larson install siding on the north wall of the Beckman Mill during its restoration. Every board they put in place helped bring the historic mill one step closer to the way it looked in its working days.