Mills Community House Association
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Fall colors in Benzonia MI. Mills Community House with Crystal Lake in background. Photo by Elija Fly Photography
Fall colors in Benzonia MI. Mills Community House with Crystal Lake in background. Photo by Elija Fly Photography

About Us

Mills Community House Association
891 Michigan Avenue, PO Box 421, Benzonia, MI 49616 
231-882-0591  or millscommhouse@gmail.com 
Spring Hours Mondays 10-2 or by appointment
The Mills Community House is located in the heart of Benzonia, on U.S.-31 and just up the hill from Crystal Lake and the village of Beulah. The distinctive red brick building,  built in 1909 as a dormitory for Benzonia Academy, became the Mills Community House in 1925, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been used as a public venue throughout its history; a gymnasium, meeting location, site for educational and cultural programs, and home to the Benzonia Public Library.
The Mills House was deeded from the Congregational Church of Benzonia to the Mills Community House Association, a newly formed 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, in 2002. The board of directors is made up of community supporters who believe in the value of this historic landmark. Our mission is to provide stewardship and promotion of the historic Mills Community House as a venue for events and services that enrich lives.
Several organizations have used the Mills Community House facility to present public programs, concerts, theater, lectures, and educational activities. The Benzonia Public Library has been the middle floor tenant of the building since 1925. They also regularly utilize the other levels for their book and puzzle sales, craft classes, author programs,  and holiday party. 100+ Women Who Care-Benzie meets quarterly to determine which Benzie County non-profit will receive their support. The Benzie Area Historical Society regularly presents programs in the upper hall. The Benzie County Players, a community theater organization, has used this venue for many of their plays and theatrical readings.  The Benzie County Community Chorus has also performed numerous summer concerts in this wonderful acoustic performance space. Is it any wonder why "Community" is our middle name?
Our mission is to provide
stewardship and promotion of the
historic Mills Community House
as a venue for events and services
that enrich lives.
ENDOWMENT FUND INFORMATION
Mills Community House Association
Board of Directors volunteer their time
to ensure the Mills continues
to be a vibrant part of our community.

 
Donna Brown, Ruth Catton, Jimmy McLaren, ​
​Jane Sullivan, Colleen Swartz, and Samantha Wolfe.

Kristin Fleetwood, Executive Director
Providing a venue for arts, cultural, and educational opportunities and experience in Benzie County, events and activities booked at the Mills help support and maintain this lovely historic structure.
June
​
 8 Academy Lecture: Car Ferries in Ice
​13 Plant Diagnostic Clinic
21 Plant It Wild
22 BPL Summer Reading Program
24-26 Benzie County Community Chorus Summer Concert Series
​28 Maureen Esther: HistoryTeller
​29 BPL Summer Reading Program

July
 6 BPL Summer Reading Program
​
11 Plant Diagnostic Clinic
13 BPL Summer Reading Program

​13 Academy Lecture
15-17 Benzie County Community Chorus Summer Concert Series
18 Blood Drive
19 Plant It Wild 
20 BPL Summer Reading Program
​26 100+ Women Who Care
​27 BPL Summer Reading Program

August
​10 Academy Lecture
​16 Plant Diagnostic Clinic
​23 Making Teas and Tinctures


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Mills Community House Association
​891 Michigan Ave.
PO Box 421

​Benzonia, MI 49616
millscommhouse@gmail.com
​231-882-0591

Walk In Office Hours
Mondays 10-2* or 
​by appointment.

*Excludes holidays and overlapping events

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Donna Brown, Ruth Catton, 

Jimmy McLaren, ​Jane Sullivan,
​Colleen Swartz, ​Samantha Wolfe

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kristin Fleetwood
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A 501(c) 3 organization
Tax ID (EIN): 75-2977687

Land Acknowledgement
​Benzie county occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of Anishinabek people. The Mills Community house recognizes the Anishinabek of the Three Fires Confederacy, the Odawa (Ottawa), Ojibwa (Chippewa), and Bode'wadmi (Potawatomi); historic Indigenous communities in Michigan; and those who were forcibly removed from their homelands. Benzie County occupies land ceded in the treaty of 1855. We give thanks to the Anishinabek as the caretakers of the Earth and for their relationship to the land.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Board and Staff
    • History
    • Noteworthy at the Mills
    • Newsletters
    • Venue Photo Gallery
  • Events
    • Upcoming Public Events
    • Partnerships >
      • 100+ Women Who Care Benzie
      • Benzie Area Historical Society
      • Benzonia Public Library
      • Versiti Blood Center
      • ZONTA
  • Rentals
  • Ways to Give
    • Volunteer
    • Brick Fundraiser
    • Endowment Fund
    • IRA Charitable Rollover
  • Contact Us