Ye Olde Mill, built in 1817, is the home of Velvet Ice Cream in Utica. (Photo credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Ye Olde Mill is probably best known throughout Ohio for the round containers of frozen treats that the mill’s owners produce there — Velvet Ice Cream. An Ohio landmark, the restored mill is headquarters of the Velvet Ice Cream Co., which has been cranking out ice cream since 1914.

The current mill is a working rebuilt replica of the original 1817 gristmill built at the site by Clarence McKnight. The mill was replaced in 1837 and then in 1870, all operated with wooden waterwheels and millstones.

The mill was completely rebuilt after a 1986 fire. (Photo credit: Ken Drenten)

The Dager family, which operates the ice cream company, purchased the mill in 1970 and fully restored it in the years that followed, only to see the mill burn to the ground in 1986. The mill was completely rebuilt on its hand-cut stone foundation.

Ye Olde Mill is both the centerpiece of the company’s headquarters and an integral part of the company’s trademark that appears on every container of its ice cream.

There is much to see and do at this venerable landmark. The mill houses an ice cream parlor, restaurant, gift shop and Ohio’s only ice cream museum. The grounds include a visitor center, picnic shelters and tables, fishing pond, outdoor patio and playground.

Special events such as musical entertainment and wagon rides are offered on weekends from May to October. The mill complex is the site of the annual Utica Sertoma Ice Cream Festival, held in late May. This year’s festival will be held May 27-29.

Ken Drenten is creator and manager of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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