Hubbard Mill: Monrovia's historic hub

As the largest and longest-running business in town, the Hubbard Grain and Feed Mill was the primary landmark and hub of activity for anybody coming and going around Monrovia for nearly a century. But its history as a mill stretches back even further, spanning the mid 19th century all the way up to the 21st.

The original building of the operation was established as a steam grist mill in 1856 by Harris and Goddard, one of the first of its kind in Central Indiana. For the next four decades, multiple owners came and went until Dr. William H. Hubbard decided to purchase the mill in 1897.

Some form of milling existed continuously at the Monrovia mill for almost 150 years, with the mill's power supply transitioning over that span, from wood to coal to oil and finally, to electricity.

There were multiple agriculture services offered on the site, which was owned by four generations of Hubbards until the family decided to sell it to Central Indiana Farm Bureau Co-op in 1991. Thirteen years later, the new owners opted to demolish the main building.

Grist mills were essential to the development and sustainment of rural communities. With limited roads and antiquated transportation, necessities had to be produced locally. Families took their corn and wheat to the mill to be ground into meal and flour to feed their families and livestock. A sawmill or a woolen mill was often on the same property as the grist mill. It is understandable that the grist mill served as the business center and social center for the entire community.

The Hubbard Mill was not located near water, so in order to power the mill, steam was produced by burning wood, coal and oil until electricity became the primary source of power. As agriculture also modernized — from self-sustainment to commercial operations — the Hubbard family adjusted the services provided by their business. By the mid 1900s, flour was no longer produced at the mill. A grain elevator was also added, along with new buildings to house fertilizers, weed control products, animal health products, seed grains and the like.

As the number of small farms waned at the end of the 20th century, so did the need for local milling services in the Monrovia community. However, the Hubbard Grain and Feed Mill remained a business and social center among the agriculture community until the day it was sold in 1991.

The Hubbard Mill was owned and operated by four generations of family members, starting with Dr. William H. Hubbard (grandson of Monrovia founder George Hubbard), James W. Hubbard, James T. Hubbard and Tom Hubbard.

The site of the former Hubbard Mill — and the historical marker erected in 2020 — is located at 208 E. Main St.

(Prepared by the Morgan County Leadership Academy Class of 2022 on behalf of the Morgan County Bicentennial Committee)