McArthur Mill

The present day site of Towns & Associates was one of the earliest developed parcels of land in Baraboo. A small earth and wood structure first appeared across the rapids in the 1840's with the power being channeled to a saw mill that stood on the current location. The dam was fortified and enlarged several times over the next few decades, but it always remained in the same location.

In the 1890's, the dam was heightened to provide additional power to a new factory for the fabric industry. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1902 and rebuilt in the early 1900's.

As the hydro works were converted to electricity production, the turbines stood within the existing building. Successively owned by the McArthur family for more than 100 years, the dam and power generation facility generated more than 26 million kilowatt hours of electricity and many jobs for the Baraboo community.

Today, the dams have been removed and the Water Street building and the old Glenville mill are being used by small entrepreneurial companies.

McArthur Towel Mills

Beginning in 1885 the Geo. McArthur and Son(s) Co. Inc.'s Water Street mill wove linen toweling, later bath toweling. The weaving operation expanded to include manufacturing hammocks, with a portion of the operation being conducted at the Glenville mill. Both sites depended upon the Baraboo River dams for power. By 1969 Geo. McArthur and Sons was dissolved, and the weaving operations closed. John McArthur with his brother George, purchased the towel division, becoming a towel distributor company known as McArthur Towels, Inc. In 1976 McArthur Towel moved from the Water Street mill site to a new metal building on Moore Street . Today, the dams have been removed and the Water Street building, now owned by Towns and Associates, as well as the old Glenville mill are being used by small entrepreneurial companies.  

Location

126 Water Street
Baraboo , WI 53913