Lime Springs Mill Complex, also known as Lidtke Mill, is a historic building located on the Upper Iowa River located in the "Old Town" area of Lime Springs, Iowa, United States.
The mill is an L-shaped structure, built mostly of limestone covered with a yellow brick veneer. The main section, originally constructed in 1857 and rebuilt in 1894 after a fire, is two stories high, on a basement that is above ground on the east side. It is rectangular in plan, with a tin-covered gable roof. Windows are rectangular on this side; on the west there are three round windows below the eaves and a tin-roofed porch which shelters two entries, one single- the other double doored. On the north end is a shelter on stilts which encloses the scales, with a loading area beneath. On the west side is attached a dynamo room, approximately 1 stories high. It is generally square in plan, with a low-pitched gable roof of tin and a brick chimney at one corner. Windows in this section are segmental arched, as is the double-door entrance. A small square brick "coal room", also with a gable roof, is joined to the larger structure at the northwest corner. On the north side is an enclosure made of vertical boards, set within the angle between the mill and dynamo room. It houses the mill wheels, and a small latrine which hangs over the millrace. The miller's house is rectangular in plan, largely of frame construction. The roofline displays great variety, due to the various additions made since the original, square, portion was built in 1857. Wings on the west and east were added about 1880, the whole north half, which is made of cement block on the ground floor level, in 1927. Because the mill functioned until 1960, its machinery and equipment are intact. At one time, it not only milled grains but also provided hydroelectric power to surrounding communities. The footprints of a worker nearly electrocuted there can still be seen in the floor of the control room.
Restoration efforts have been limited to roof repairs and the laying of paths for visitors, In the miller's house, however, the living quarters will be restored and on display to visitors; the livery and drying room half of the building will accommodate eating facilities and a visitors' orientation center. The mill complex is now open as a museum. From time to time, events such as the Buckwheat Festival are held at the site. The mill and the miller's house were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
In order to log this virtual cache, you will need to:
- In the southwest corner of the mill, near posted cords, there is a year on the building, what is that year. You need to send a message to the cache owners with the year that is on the corner of the building.
- Post a picture of a personal item (or yourself, if you choose) with the mill in the backgorund. No Spoliers please.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.