Historic Bowens Mills is a working 1864 grist mill and cider mill in Yankee Springs, Michigan near Gun Lake.

The 1864 Bowens Mills grist and cider mill stands in full autumn color at Yankee Springs, its red façade mirrored in the still pond below.

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Step back more than 160 years in time at the beautiful Historic Bowens Mills. Once a thriving rural community, this landmark served as the heart of local farm life, where families brought their grain to the 1854 grist mill to be ground into flour and meal. Today, the red mill stands as a vivid reminder of Michigan’s early milling history, surrounded by quiet water and brilliant autumn color.


​Located in the western portion of Michigan, almost exactly halfway between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, Historic Bowens Mills is in the Yankee Springs area of Gun Lake. Today, it is a second-generation family-owned and operated Michigan state historic site whose mission is to preserve this 19-acre​ historical park and the history of Yankee Springs Township and Barry County for future generations to learn from and enjoy. 



A beautiful autumn day at historic Bowens Mills. Bowens Mills is a working 1864 grist mill and cider mill located in Yankee Springs, Michigan near Gun Lake.

The red Cider Mill at Bowens Mills sits beneath vibrant autumn trees, its wooden porch, barrels, and rustic trim evoking the character of a 19th‑century milling community.


A settlement started here in the mid-1830s when a land speculator named Montermer Martin purchased the plot of land from the government. In those early days of Barry County, a sawmill was needed for the area to grow, so the Payne family built the first dam and sawmill where the two creeks joined just north of the lake. The mill was powered by a water wheel with a four-foot fall, and soon they were sawing around a thousand feet of lumber a day.

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A couple of years later, a lawyer named Barlow purchased some of the land, including the sawmill. He saw the potential for more water power about a half mile up the creek and decided to relocate the mill to its present location. He reused much of the original timbers in the building of the new mill. He built a wooden dam across the creek, backing the water up 14 feet, and in the process, he created the Mill Pond. He also flooded two smaller ponds to make a larger lake named Barlow Lake. He built a house on the east side of the Mill Pond where he lived, held court, and took care of legal matters. 



A red historic mill with a large wooden water wheel stands beside a rustic blacksmith shop at Bowens Mills. The blacksmith building has open doors showing tools inside, and both structures are surrounded by autumn trees. A small plaque sits on a rock in the foreground, marking the site’s historical significance.

At Bowens Mills, the red mill and its wooden water wheel stand beside the open‑air blacksmith shop, creating a vivid glimpse into Michigan’s early rural craftsmanship amid brilliant fall foliage.


The sawmill changed hands several times before Edwin Bowen moved from Ohio and purchased it in 1864. He and his son William soon added a three-level grist mill to the operation. Until this point, the area had been known as Gun Lake, but sometime around 1870, the mill and the surrounding area became known as “Bowens Mills” in honor of its leading citizens.


​Edwin Bowen was named Postmaster. He kept the mail in a large basket inside the family home, where farmers from the surrounding country could call to pick up their letters. At the time, the mail was carried by stagecoach from Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids, and someone would meet the coach in nearby Wayland to collect it. Mr. Bowen later placed a wooden letter holder in the mill office, where it can still be seen today.




In the early 1870s, rumors were flying that the railroad going from Grand Rapids to Battle Creek would pass through Bowens Mills. Knowing that the mill would not be large enough to handle the new growth, Mr. Bowen removed the roof and added a fourth level. The railway ended up following the Thornapple River and never came​ to Bowens Mills.


​In 1902, Mr. Bowen purchased a huge Albright Cider press and added a large room to the side of the mill to house it.



A large wooden crate filled with red and yellow apples sits outdoors on a rustic platform with a metal chute beneath it. A metal shovel stands upright in the apples, and autumn trees with orange and yellow leaves fill the background alongside a split‑rail fence.

Brimming with red and yellow apples, the harvest crate rests against a backdrop of golden foliage and split‑rail fencing, evoking the charm of Michigan’s rural autumn traditions.


Sadly, the village never grew larger than 100 people, but it had a sawmill, general store, blacksmith shop, and several other businesses. Bowen and his son William operated the mill, famous for its buckwheat flour until 1912.


The business changed hands several more times and continued to be a hub of activity: grinding flour and grist, making cider and vinegar, and also being used as a pickle weigh station. There was even a gas pump here for a while. Unable to keep up with the newer and faster mills in neighboring communities, business began to slow down,​ and the mill finally ceased operations in 1953 after 113 years of continual service to the Barry County community.



A red cider mill with white trim stands among vibrant autumn trees. Wooden crates, barrels, and apple‑processing equipment sit on the porch and in the yard, adding to the rustic harvest setting. The scene is surrounded by warm fall foliage, creating a nostalgic rural atmosphere.

Set against brilliant fall foliage, the rustic cider mill displays wooden crates, barrels, and apple‑processing tools on its porch, capturing the charm of Michigan’s traditional harvest season.


The next owners to purchase the property used the acreage to grow cucumbers for making pickles. During this time, the mill was used to house about 30 migrant workers who came each season to harvest the fields. The migrant workers brought their own cots, stoves, tables, and chairs, and they bathed in the pond. 


In 1971, four families bought the mill. They replaced the windows and doors that vandals had destroyed and did some basic clean-up. Over their seven-year ownership span, they opened the mill several times for tours. They were responsible for getting the “Michigan Historical Site” designation in 1972.


​The mill's current owners are Carleen and Owen Sabin. Mrs. Sabin’s parents, Neal and Marion Cook, purchased the mill in 1978. By this time, it had been sitting idle for 40 years, and it was their dream to see it operational again.


During this time, they began relocating local historic structures and period pieces to the property, creating a small village similar to what the area had been like “back in the day.”  


Barry County’s oldest schoolhouse, dating from 1850, now resides on the property. Inside, there is a desk with the name Ford carved into it. Although unsubstantiated, there is much speculation as to whether President Gerald Ford, who grew up in nearby Grand Rapids, may have carved that name in it. 


The 1840s plank house, complete with a rope bed, a water pump outside, and farm animals out back, demonstrates what typical daily life would have been like at the time. 


Union soldiers in Civil War uniforms fire a cannon during a reenactment at Bowens Mills in Yankee Springs, Michigan. A bright burst of flame and smoke erupts from the cannon as reenactors stand positioned around it in an autumn woodland setting.

Union artillery reenactors fire their cannon in a burst of flame and smoke at Bowens Mills in Yankee Springs, Michigan, bringing Civil War history to life amid the autumn woods.


The 11-room Victorian farmhouse, built by the Bowens in 1860, has been restored and is open for touring.


The grist and cider mills still grind and sell fresh cornmeal through their water-powered mill stones. ​


The absolute best time to visit is during the fall! The autumn colors around the old mill are absolutely spectacular! Unfortunately, the state of Michigan has put an end to their cider making season which they use to celebrate through the month of October with Cider Sundays and they are currently up in the air about how to go forward at the moment. It would be best to check directly with them as the season approaches if they will have the mill open.


They also put on a wonderful Civil War Reenactment, have live music, offer horse-drawn wagon rides through the grounds, and serve apple dumplings at the snack bar.  


Historic Bowens Mills is open year-round by appointment for tours. It is also available to rent for special events and is a popular wedding venue. Their telephone number is (269)795-7530. They can be found on their website and Facebook pages for more information.


Civil War reenactors in Union uniforms operate two cannons in an autumn woodland setting. Sunlight filters through the trees as smoke drifts across the scene, with one group gathered around a large cannon in the foreground and another working with a smaller red‑wheeled cannon in the background.

In the autumn woods at Bowens Mills, Union reenactors work their cannons amid sunlight and drifting smoke, offering an immersive glimpse into Civil War artillery history.






Historic Bowens Mills

55 N Briggs Road, Middleville, Michigan


Three vintage rifles are arranged as a tripod in the foreground, with leather straps and a satchel hanging from them. Behind the rifles, Civil War reenactors in period uniforms gather in an autumn woodland, with sunlight filtering through the trees and a historic American flag displayed to the right.

A tripod of vintage rifles anchors the foreground while Union reenactors assemble in the sunlit autumn woods at Bowens Mills, creating a vivid glimpse into Civil War camp life.

Not every image makes it into my blog. If you enjoyed the photos in this article, please check out my Michigan Collection for more pictures from this amazing state, or visit my Image Gallery with over 4000 images of locations around the United States.



A framed “Autumn at Bowens Mills” art print hangs above a beige sofa in a warmly lit living room. The rustic mill scene with golden fall foliage adds seasonal color to the space, surrounded by matching lamps, built‑in shelves, and coordinated décor.

The “Autumn at Bowens Mills” framed art print adds warm seasonal color to a cozy, traditionally styled living room.


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