The Waterwheel

Just three years after Frankenmuth was founded, the Hubinger brothers opened the first milling operation Frankenmuth Milling Co., in 1848, on the banks of the Cass River. Water pouring over the waterwheel, from the river, created the power necessary for turning the grindstones within the mill. Seeing a waterwheel on the exterior of an older building, always near a river or stream, indicated what was going on inside.

The original mill continued until 1956 when it was unfortunately demolished. By 1984, a recreation of the original mill with a working waterwheel was opened as the Nickless-Hubinger Mill, on that original site to commemorate Frankenmuth’s agricultural roots.

Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth purchased the mill in 2020 after it had stood vacant for several years. The vision was to develop this historic site as a small boutique hotel paying homage to Frankenmuth and Zehnder’s rich history.

It soon became apparent that the waterwheel installed in 1984 suffered from neglect and could not be salvaged. Does someone still build waterwheels? Our search led us to Sullivan Waterwheels in South Carolina and our new wheel, almost an exact replica, was soon on its way. The new wheel is constructed from durable southern pine, stands 12 feet tall and weighs 1,500 pounds. The new wheel runs on approximately 6-10 gallons of water per minute. We are proud to have this iconic symbol in operation as it did in 1848.

Al Zehnder, Chairman of Zehnder's of Frankenmuth