The Pomme de Terre River flowing through Appleton provided valuable water power to early settlers, and at this point on the river a dam was built to improve that power for a flour mill on the north end of Main Street. Construction of the mill began in 1871 and was completed in 1872. In the 1880s, W.J. Jennison purchased the mill and made improvements at various times until it became the leading business in Appleton. In 1905, flames engulfed the mill and left it in ruins, but by the middle of January 1906 a new mill had been built and was operating. That same year, work began on an elevator with six huge tanks for storage of 100,000 bushels of grain. In 1911, the mill erected a 90-foot steel tower and tank to provide water pressure for the mill's sprinkler system. The mill changed from steam to electric power in 1930. In 1960, W.J. Jennison Co. Flour Mill merged with Springfield Milling Corp., which transferred the business to Springfield in 1961, ending flour milling in Appleton. In 1962, the mill was sold to Appleton Farm Chemicals. The flour mill building and storage granaries were torn down in June 1981, and the Mill Pond Dam was demolished in 1999.