The Excelsior Mills were built by Hamilton Richardson.

The evidence

• “The Excelsior Mills, located where the Blodgett Mills now are, were also built during this year by Hamilton Richardson. The lower dam was completed by Ira Miltimore about October, 1848, and stood until 1852, when it was partially swept away and rebuilt. Mr. Miltimore also commenced building the large home on the hill south of Monterey bridge which is now occupied by his son, and moved into it on Christmas day of 1848.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/26-history-of-janesville.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 28 / book p. 542

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources