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History of Pine Creek Mill Pine Creek Grist Mill, built in 1848, was actually the second grist mill built by Benjamin Nye. Nye is recognized as the first permanent settler of Muscatine County in southeast Iowa. The mill was built of native lumber sawn at Nye's sawmill located nearby. Some hand-hewn timbers as large as 14"x14"x35' long were used in the post and beam construction. The flooring was native oak and original weather-boards were walnut. The mill was constructed at a cost of $10,000. Coarse wheat flour was ground, packed in barrels and then shipped down the Mississippi River by steamboat (docked at the mouth of Pine Creek, one mile away) to St. Louis where it was sold to southern planters as rations for slaves. This trade stopped at the onset of the Civil War. However, many settlers from miles around continued to use the mill for their flour supplies. Various families operated the mill until 1923. Over the years numerous improvements were made, including a large addition of flour storage. Power sources and machinery used in the mill included a large inside water wheel, power turbine, steam boiler, steam engine (originally believed to be from river boat), grist mill, and roller mill. Most of this machinery was left intact when the state of Iowa purchased the mill in 1927 for $8,750. For a detailed account of the history of the Pine Creek Grist Mill, read: Read also:
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