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Photograph of Arcola Mills
Photograph by McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

From the record

“Arcola Mills is a historic house in the unincorporated community of Arcola, Minnesota, United States. Built in 1847, it is considered the third-oldest and largest all-wood-frame house still standing in Minnesota.”

Wikipedia article Arcola Mills, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 42 National Register listings published here for Washington County · listed in 1980 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building, 1 site as contributing to the listing.
  • Listed as. Mower, John and Martin, House and Arcola Mill Site - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
  • Address. Arcola Tr., Stillwater
  • When was it listed? June 1980
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Washington County MRA (AD); Washington County MRA
  • Township. May township
  • National Register reference number. 80000407 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

24 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 24 fires within 5 miles of John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site between 1992 and 2020, burning about 92 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning7
Recreation and ceremony6
Arson/incendiarism4
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Equipment and vehicle use2
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
18 September 2000Arson/incendiarismunder an acreSaint Croix National Scenic RiverHECKOFADAY
16 August 1992Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreSaint Croix National Scenic RiverSOMERSET
3 June 2019Debris and open burningunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources19148
9 May 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources20134
8 May 2020Debris and open burning1.0 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resources20133
8 May 2017Recreation and ceremony6.5 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
7 May 2020Natural2.0 acresWisconsin Department of Natural Resources20131
7 May 2020Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesST CROIX ISLANDS

Every fire recorded in Washington County

Mines and quarries near this property

9 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of John and Martin Mower House and Arcola Mill Site: 4 occurrences, 3 producers, 2 past producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Moelter QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Belisle PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
L Allier PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Larson Pit and MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Somerset Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
St. Croix River Sand Deposit # 5Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
St. Croix River Sand Deposit #4Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
St. Croix River Sand Deposit #6Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence
St. Croix River Sand Deposit #8Sand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrence

Every working recorded in Washington County

Storms near this property

35 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Stillwater, the town this property stands in, in 35 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 16 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 3 lightning, 2 heavy rain. The reports record 1 death and 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2009LightningStillwater1 killedA 14 year old girl was struck by lightning as she played under a tree during a thunderstorm. She later died at a hospital from her injuries.
April 1994Tornado (F2)Stillwater1 hurt, $5,000,000Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and damaged a home in Maplewood. Several trees were blown down in the Lake Elmo area. A tornado touched down west of Stillwater and caused an estimated $3 million damage to 17 homes. Ten of the homes were severely damaged and a 3-year-boy was injured by flying debris.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindStillwater1 hurtMany trees, a light pole, and 6 power lines were downed. A woman riding her bike at Lowell Park along the St. Croix River just south of the historic Stillwater Lift Bridge sustained a serious arm injury when a tree crashed down and pinned her to the ground. Several outdoor event tents nearby were blown into the St. Croix River.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindStillwater$1,000,000Marina damaged. Pier broke lose from shore with 25 boats, some still occupied. Two other piers heavily damaged. Wind damage also reported in Oak Park Heights, Lake Elmo and Oakdale. Large tree limbs and power lines down.
July 2005LightningStillwater$250,000A home on Penfield Avenue North in Stillwater Township was struck by lightning and caught fire. The blaze caused $250,000 damage to the structure. Another home on Ozark Avenue North in May Township was damaged by a lightning strike. The time was estimated.
August 1999LightningStillwater$20,000Lightning strike fried radio, phone, and computer systems at City Hall.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindStillwater$5,000Several trees and power lines were blown down in the area.
June 2016Heavy RainStillwater-A rainfall report of 2.89 inches occurred southeast of Stillwater in less than 6 hours.
June 2016Heavy RainStillwater-A rainfall report of 3.44 inches occurred east of Stillwater in less than 6 hours.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindStillwater-A few trees and power lines were blown down in Stillwater.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Several six inch diameter trees were blown down north of Stillwater, Minnesota.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Trees and power lines downed.
August 2007HailStillwater-Estimated wind speeds of 50 mph at 845pm LST. No damage reported.
October 2006HailStillwater-Hail occurred near Big Carnelian Lake.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindStillwater-At least 12 trees up to 50 feet tall and 20 inches in diameter were downed in the Norcrest Avenue area.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Numerous trees were downed.
September 2004Thunderstorm WindStillwater-A power line was downed along Highway 96 at Norrel Ave.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Trees and power lines toppled.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Trees down. Estimated windspeed.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Power lines and large branches down. Estimated windspeed.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindStillwater-Large tree limbs down.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindStillwater-A large tree was blown down by strong thunderstorm winds. Hennepin County Brooklyn Park,30,1610CST,,,0,0,?,0,Thunderstorm Winds Several satellite dishes were reported to be blown over.
April 2025HailStillwater-no account filed
May 2022HailStillwater-no account filed
June 2012HailStillwater-no account filed
June 2012HailStillwater-no account filed
October 2006HailStillwater-no account filed
June 2001HailStillwater-no account filed
July 1999HailStillwater-no account filed
June 1999Funnel CloudStillwater-no account filed
March 1998HailStillwater-no account filed
May 1996HailStillwater-no account filed
May 1996HailStillwater-no account filed
August 1996Thunderstorm WindStillwater-no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindStillwater-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Washington County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Benjamin B. Sheffield House1.2 miles1980
St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn4.0 miles1980
St. Croix Boom Site4.1 miles1966
Marine Mill Site4.1 miles1970
Marine on St. Croix Historic District4.2 miles1974
Pest House4.8 miles1980

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 80000407 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Washington CountyAll 42 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.