The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Graue Mill and Museum will open for the 2025 season on Wednesday, April 16, offering visitors a glimpse into 1850s life through engaging programs and expert demonstrations.

The historic mill will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Programs on milling, spinning, and weaving will showcase how mills shaped the local culture between 1850 and 1860. Each Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. historical interpreters will demonstrate skills like spinning, weaving, mill mechanics, and corn grinding.

“Visitors can step back in time and experience history in action,” said Fullersburg Woods campus coordinator Dave Andrusyk. “Whether you’re grinding corn, watching wool transform into thread, or exploring the role of grains, you’ll get a hands-on glimpse of life 175 years ago.”

Visitors can also enjoy a 0.6-mile walk along the newly restored Salt Creek to the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, which is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays. The surrounding forest preserve is open daily from one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset.

Admission to Graue Mill and Museum and the Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center is free. For details, call 630-850-8112.

Located at 3800 York Road in Oak Brook, Graue Mill is the only operating waterwheel gristmill in the Chicago area and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also the only gristmill recognized as an Illinois Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for its role in 19th-century technology.