Washburn A Mill

Washburn A Mill was one of twenty-six Minneapolis flour mills that lined the Mississippi River below St. Anthony Falls during the city’s industrial heyday. By the early 1900s, its company (Washburn-Crosby) was the leading flour miller in Minnesota. The historic building has had five reincarnations in its more than 150 years: an original mill (1874–1878); a rebuilt second mill (1880–1924); a renovated mill (1924–1965); a warehouse (1965–1990); and a museum operated by the Minnesota Historical Society (2003–present).

Interior of Washburn A Mill’s fifth floor

Interior of Washburn A Mill’s fifth floor

Interior of Washburn A Mill’s fifth floor, showing the roller mills. Photograph by George R. Adams, June 1978.

Abandoned Washburn A Mill, 1976

Abandoned Washburn A Mill, 1976

Abandoned Washburn A Mill, 1976. Photograph by Steven W. Plattner.

Washburn A Mill and neighboring buildings, ca. 1950

Washburn A Mill and neighboring buildings, ca. 1950

Washburn A Mill and neighboring buildings, ca. 1950.

Washburn A Mill during a 1928 fire

Washburn A Mill during a 1928 fire

Washburn A Mill during a fire, September 21, 1928.

Washburn A Mill complex, 1914–1927

Washburn A Mill complex, 1914–1927

Washburn A Mill complex in Minneapolis, photographed by C. J. Hibbard between 1914 and 1927.

Washburn A Mill, 1905

Washburn A Mill, 1905

Washburn A Mill, 1905.

Washburn A Mill, ca. 1885

Washburn A Mill, ca. 1885

Washburn A Mill, ca. 1885.

Washburn A Mill, ca. 1877

Washburn A Mill, ca. 1877

Cyanotype of Washburn A Mill, ca. 1877, before the 1878 flour-dust explosion.

Flour mill row (Minneapolis) ca. 1877

Flour mill row (Minneapolis) ca. 1877

Flour mill row in Minneapolis ca. 1877, before the 1878 flour-dust explosion. Pictured are, left to right: Washburn A Mill, Crown Mill, Empire Mill, Pillsbury B Mill, Excelsior Mill, a paper mill, and Northwestern Mill.

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