North Bend Mills

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The northernmost neighborhood in the city, it is actually the oldest as well. First settled in the late and incorporated in the 1700s, this section was originally where the grains produced in the outskirts were brought to be processed by the mills into flour. The section itself is named as such because the original mill was placed near the shores of the Fox River at its northernmost bend or curve and its waters were used to power the mill by spinning a large wooden wheel. The original mill was destroyed in a fire midway through the 1850’s but has been rebuilt and restored as a museum; using the river’s power once more to provide electricity for its lighting.

 

This is the oldest part of the city and had been the most sought after area to live before the dead began to rise. The first log cabins in the area became large estates as they were added onto or demolished by the families when they had the funds to build something more grand. In the 1980s a historical society had begun buying up the then deteriorating homes and restoring them to their former glories. Along with the updates and face lifts in the area came trendy new shops and other amenities but they were only permitted in the section if they adhered to the new old aesthetic. In a few short decades, it went from one of the most neglected neighborhoods to the nicest and most sought after and the upper middle class citizens who resided there did everything to keep it that way. Untouched by the look of modernism, walking through the streets of North Bend Mills was like a trip back in time; a journey that is now made much more disturbing with zombies lurking amid the dated architecture.

Aside from the old mill, other notable buildings in the neighborhood include Fox River University. Established in the 1870’s by the people of Foxhill Downs after their county seat was moved to another city, they decided to use the vacated courthouse for educational purposes. Since then, numerous other buildings in the area including an old mayoral home have also been added to the university as dorms, lecture halls, and even a cafeteria. The people of Foxhill Downs were extremely proud of their university and its history as one of the first to not only allow women but people of color to study within its walls. Despite their pride, being adjacent to confederate states and chapters of the KKK meant it was also the target of several fires among other acts of domestic terrorism. Damage from the fires can still be seen along the back side of the main building where long ashen marks from a cross burning are still visible. Rather than cover it up or hide it, the university chose to keep the scar as a sign that they would never bow down or cower to ‘agents of hate’.