The Peotone Historical Society will host the 23rd annual Old Mill Fall Fest at the mill, 427 W. Corning Ave., Peotone.

For the first time, the fest has been expanded over two days, Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21.

“Attendance has always been good for the event, and with it being both Saturday and Sunday this year, we feel it will far exceed previous years,” said Ed Nelson, Peotone Historical Society president, in a press release.

They already had the event set up for Sunday, as usual, he added, but decided to add Saturday events this year to bring in more people … and more opportunity to raise funds for the mill’s needed renovations.

The fest opens at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, and will run until 9 p.m.. There will be live music provided by Rockaholics, a fan favorite in the area, and serving a craft beer named Old Millie, brewed for the Historical Society by Rt 66 Old School Brewing. Fire Pit Bar and Grill will be selling a wide selection of delicious food.

The fest opens at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, and runs until 4 p.m. Visitors can tour the Peotone Mill up to the 5th floor and view Peotone memorabilia and antiques. There will also be the ever-popular bake sale, Millie merchandise, craft vendors, Civil War demonstrators, reenactors from the 1900s, kids games, old-time crafts, food and more.

Admission and parking are free.

The annual event raises funds to help preserve the 153-year-old German windmill. The historical society has been working for almost 50 years to restore the mill, now one of only three remaining in Illinois. Two others can be found in Geneva and Fulton, and only one other in the Midwest, in Holland, Mich.
Just over two dozen are known to still exist in the entire United States.

Built in 1872 by Frederick Rathje, the mill was used to grind grain into flours and to grind feed for livestock. However, it is more commonly associated with his son, Henry A. Rathje, who entered the milling business, acquired the windmill and operated it for 12 years. Henry Rathje is listed as the proprietor on a mill invoice.

The mill was deemed obsolete just 15 years later, when it closed and stood vacant for over a century. But the structure remains an important symbol in town, and now draws hundreds of visitors to the annual Old Mill Fall Festival.

Often referred to as the H. A. Rathje Mill, the octagon-shaped Peotone Mill at 433 W. Corning St. rests on a foundation of locally quarried limestone, with five floors reaching a height of 60 feet, with notched and pegged timbers that were pre-cut and numbered before final assembly.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and also earned a spot on the Will County Register of Historic Places 20 years later, the same year the Old Mill Fest was inaugurated.
Grants, private donations and public events like Old Mill Fest have kept hopes of restoration alive.

Those efforts took a hit in August 2024, when crossbeams collapsed. The village and the Historical Society have shared the cost of repairs.

Nelson said money from craft vendors, a bake sale, merchandise sales, beer sales, 50/50 raffles at the event are put toward the renovation fund.

They have sponsors, he added, but they have managed to raise only $$17,000 toward renovations estimated at total of $950,000, including $1oo,ooo just for re-shingling the outside of the mill.

“With so few funds, we haven’t been able to qualify for matching grants,” Nelson said. “The village owns the mill. We recently met with village officials, and they want to be more involved in how to help with the renovations.”

To help raise funds, they have set up a GoFundMe account, and they also have an account at First Community Bank and Trust in Peotone where people can bring donations.

Nelson said those who want to donate by mail can send checks to the Peotone Historical Society, for the renovation fund, P.O. Box 87, Peotone, Ill 60468.