Cottage Mills

How did Cottage Mills fit into Grove City’s historical past?  And, just what was Cottage Mills?    The question was answered during a phone call with Louie and Joan Eyerman. 

Louie remembered a reference to Cottage Mills in an old letter in their possession written during the Civil War.  It wasn’t a town; it was a business that operated as Cottage & Mills, a grist mill located in present day Shadeville.

People who lived in the area at the time identified so much with the business that they included it as a return address on correspondence.  The Eyermans searched and found more papers.

Much information was contained in an old insurance policy issued by The North Western Insurance Company of Oswego, New York dated Feb. 4, 1864. The policy provided $2,000 coverage for the stock of wheat contained in a three-story grain tower on the premises of “Cottage & Mills”. 

Coverage was also in place for the contents of a one-story warehouse that was located 18 feet east of the mill.  A provision in the policy allowed the insured, Hughes and Rockefeller, to qualify for an additional $7,000 insurance if needed.  The policy, which cost $15, lists the insured premises as the Shadeville Mill.       

                                                                                                                        Story by James F. Hale