- Linda Meigs, the owner of the Florence Mill, shares the mill's history, the impact of the DAR metal plaque being stolen at the former time, and what she plans to do to bring it back to the mill.
- The Florence Mill is one of the oldest mills in Nebraska. It was built by the Mormons during the winter of 1846-1847 at Winter Quarters. The mill was powered by water and provided both flour and lumber. This helped the Mormons deal with the harsh conditions in Nebraska more easily.
The Florence Mill, an attraction that connects agriculture, history, and art, had part of its history stripped away.
Linda Meigs, owner of the Florence Mill, says, "The plaque it's self, they're not going to get anything for it,"
After returning from a Christmas vacation, Meigs discovered that a historic plaque outside the mill was gone.
Meigs says, "I came back to find that the marker was gone. In fact, they disfigured the stone, the boulder it's on to try to get it off,"
The Mormons founded the historic mill in the Winter Quarter of 1846. The DAR metal plaque honoring the mill's long history was stolen around the end of December.
Meigs says, "It's very frustrating, you do something to improve a site that a lot of people think it's lived it's life, but it has potential, and this certainly did,"
Meigs has plans to get the plaque replaced, she says, if it gets stolen get another one. So maybe that's the reason not to get a bronze plaque because maybe you can't keep nice things outside,"
Meigs stressed that the stolen plaque has nothing to do with the monetary value but the value of the honoring history. Meigs says, "The historical value is part of what makes our community have a story,"
