The History Of The Millcroft
Home Of Cincinnati Distilling
May 28th
1788
John Nancarrow has land granted to him surveyed, this land contained part of present day Milford.
1794
Christian Waldschmidt leads group of 5 families from Western Pennsylvania to eastern edge of Sycamore Twp, purchases 1140 acres from JC Symmes.
Aug 3rd
1795
Treaty of Greenville
clears way for European settlements in the southern half of what later becomes Ohio.
Oct 1st
1796
Reverend Francis McCormick settles at East Milford at 1000 Forest Avenue as Milford's first permanent settler.
Dec 6th
1800
Northwest Territory Governor Arthur St. Clair establishes Clermont County.
Dec 2nd
1802
John Nancarrow sells the 230 acres to Reverend Phillip Gatch for $920.
March 1st
1803
Ohio becomes the 17th state in the Union.
July 17th
1806
Reverend Gatch sells 120 acres to Ambrose Ranson.
July 19th
1806
John Hageman purchases 64 acres from Ambrose Ranson and builds a crude mill race and grist mill in the village.
Feb 3rd
1807
Cincinnati Liberty Hall newspaper declares the village is the town of Milford.
Jan 17th
1807
Hageman surveys and records the 46 lots in the Philadelphia grid pattern that form the village of Hageman's Mills.
June 1st
1807
Anderson State Road (AKA US 50) opens through Milford.
1812
Cyrus and Elijah Pearson brothers buy Hageman's mill and start construction on lot number 1, but never finish. Lot 1 is turned over to US Bank of Phila in 1826.
1818
Covered bridge opens.
1828
Matt Kugler (Catherine Waldschmidt’s son-in-law) purchases Lot 1 for $12,000 out of forclosure and installs John Kugler as director. The house is finished in 1830 and he moves in with his wife Matilda (Brower).
He operates Kugler Mill until his death in the town of Milford.
1828
The Kuglers purchase the distillery at the corner of Elm and Water Street built by Daniel McClelland. Mills, distilleries, and tanneries could process logs, hogs, corn, wheat, rye, and hemp.
1835
Matthias Kugler becomes director of Little Miami Railroad, and is succeeded by his son John in 1842.
Oct 24th
1840
Matilda Kugler dies, leaving no children. Two years later, John marries Rebecca Julia Evans West. The Lot 1 house is converted from general store and residence to the Kugler Mansion.
1836
Kugler builds the stone stable on Lot 1.
1846
Catherine Elizabeth Waldschmidt Kugler dies.
1848
Distillery fire does extensive damage, amounting to $12,000 of which $5,000 was covered by insurance. This was applied to the reconstruction.
1854
Mattias Kugler dies.
June 16th
1859
John Kugler is declared the wealthiest person in Clermont County by the Clermont Courier.
1861
New Germany is annexed by the state of Ohio for a military training camp called Camp Dennison.
1860
Kugler whiskey production peaks at 3,814 barrels.
1862
Kugler builds 2-4-6 Main St. building as a whiskey warehouse (first floor) and a cooperage (second floor).
Jan 5th
1868
John Kugler dies, and his nephew John K. West operates Kugler Mill until 1879.
Oct. 13th
1869
Rebecca Julia Evans West Kugler marries Edmund B. Townsend and lives in Kugler Mansion until her death in 1871.
1874
Dr. Richard Belt marries Rebecca Strong West, the niece of Rebecca Julia Evans West Kugler Townsend, and moves into the Kugler Mansion. It is operated as a doctor’s office and residence until he and his wife’s death in 1930.
1880
Village purchases the mill race and gradually fills it in, making the Scott's (Kugler) Mill difficult to operate.
In 1888 the mill was converted to steam power.
March 1st
1879
Frank, Parker, and Walter Scott purchase the mill and Lot 1, joining it to the
Armstrong milling family.
1920
Scott's Mill, sitting on what is today 208-210 Mill Street, burns to the ground over a three day period.
1930
Dr. Harold Wiley takes over operation of the doctor’s office on the left side of the first floor of Kugler Masion.
May 11th
1939
​Lilly Stipson opens the Kugler Mansion as a tea room with overnight lodgings and a gift shop called the Gilcroft and operates it for 2 years.
June 7th
1942
James Franklin, previously the Gilcroft gift shop manager, becomes proprietor and renames the building to Millcroft Inn, and leases the stone stable to the Century Club, Cincinnati who opens the Century Bar & Grill.
Feb. 8th
1946
Franklin adds a service building with an extensive kitchen connecting stable and house.
Oct. 7th
1947
Ned Pritchard purchases the business and property while Mrs. Franklin continued to operate the gift shop until 1954.
1949
​Robert Bell purchases the business and operates it until 1972.
1954
Wayne and Mary Wheeler purchase the gift shop from Mrs. Franklin and operate gift shop until 1956.
Oct. 1st
1972
Sally Hough purchases property and business and operates it until 1976.
1978
Jerry Maisch and Steve Sargeant purchase the building and conduct an 18 month remodel including the addition of a fenced patio, re-opening in 1979 and operating until May 1985.
1982
Milford surpasses a census count of 5000 citizens and is officially designated a city.
1985
​Pamela and Steve Gongola purchase the business and property and operate it until 1991.
2001
Sonrise Church & Bookstore purchases the property and operates as a church until 2016.
Sept. 4th
Nov. 20th
1991
Willard Van Epps and the Graham family purchase the business and property and operate it until 1996, changing the name to
The Mill Street Manor. During this time, the annex building on the north side of the complex is rebuilt.
Aug. 16th
2016
​LS Reddy Purchases the property and begins a remodel, including replacing the roof throught the property.
2018
Contingent Holdings purchases the property and completes a four year site redevelopment, preserving the house and stable forming a 30,000 square foot mixed used site.
Aug. 16th
Nov. 18th
2022
Cincinnati Distilling opens a distillery and tavern restaurant, and resuming distilling production on the site.
