Formerly called Hale’s Mill Pond
The marker is located on westbound College Avenue / County Road HH, west of its intersection with South Linnie Lac Place, New Berlin, Wisconsin 53146.Near this site, 1836-’37, Waukesha County’s first dam and sawmill were built by Hugh Wedge and Isaac DeWitt. In 1840 Wedge sold out to William P. Hale, who was joined by his brother, Hiram E. Hale in 1846. Hiram bought out William in 1855, and operated his mills to the 1890’s. Four water powered saw, grist and flouring mills and 4 steam powered flouring mills operated here and spurred development of the Yanke Settlement here and nearby Prospect Hill. Hale’s Mill Pond was the place to fish, swim, hold skating parties and ice cutting bees, inspiring the area’s name of “Mill Valley.” In the 1920’s John C. Blott, a Descendant [sic] of early settlers, subdivided the Mill Pond’s shores, and renamed it Linnie Lac to honor his wife, Malinda Hotelling Blott, whose nick [sic] name was “Linnie.”
Find-A-Grave: Malinda (1876-1963) and John C. Blott (1863-1935)
They share a headstone at Sunnyside Cemetery in New Berlin.