Adams Mill

County Road S 75 E, Cutler, Indiana

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Grist mill built in 1845 by John Adams.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
An Americana museum open to the public.

Open May through October
Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.,
or by appointment
Contact: info@adams-mill.org

Built in 1845, Adams Mill was a grist mill producing assorted grades of flour for more than 100 years. Commercial milling ceased in the 1950s, but much of the machinery is still operational. The mill is a prime example of post and beam construction common among agricultural structures in Indiana in the 19th Century. Hand-hewn timbers form the framework held together with shaved wooden pegs. The posts and beams are made from walnut; the joists are from oak. All of the lumber was harvested locally and cut and shaped on site.

John Adams walked along the Wildcat Creek from Lafayette to Kokomo to find a suitable site for his mill. He chose this location because of the oxbow bend at this point in the creek. The dam was built upstream on the Wildcat. The dam causes water to pool and feeds a raceway that turned turbines to power the mill. Tail-water exiting the mill returns to the creek as the oxbox bends back to the west. The point of reentry is almost a mile downstream by creek, but only about 200 yards from the dam site by the mill race.