The owners of Courtney Woolen Mill in Appleton have announced they are retiring and selling the building.
Kelley Woolen Mill was founded on the banks of the Fox River in 1880 and purchased by the Courtney family in 1904. According to the business’s website, the first mill was powered by a water mill that ran the same Davis and Furber carding machine still used today.
According to a social media post, Tom Kelley decided to retire and spend more time with his wife Kathy and their family. The post said: “It has been much more than a business, but a place that has created relationship(s) that have carried over generations.”
The post says the mill will remain open for normal business hours while it is being marketed.
The property at 401 E. Water St. is listed for $495,000. The mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
Wool carding is a means of processing raw wool so it can more easily be used for spinning yarn or in batting. Courtney Woolen Mill lists wool and polyester batting among its products and offers carding services for both raw and used wool.
