The Nelsonville Mill is one of the oldest mills in this part of the state and the last of its kind in Portage County. On September 10, 1855, Jerome Nelson purchased the land and water rights from Anna and Charles Stoltenberg on which to construct and maintain a mill dam. Nelson, for whom Nelsonville is named, built the dam and sawmill in 1855. The Rising Star Flouring Mill was built in 1868 upon his return from serving in the Civil War. The mill was operated as a business until 1984, after which it became a museum of the Portage County Historical Society.