Thompson’s Mills State Heritage Site is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 near Shedd

Shedd, Oregon

Shedd is an unincorporated community in Linn County, Oregon, United States on Oregon Route 99E.-History:In 1858, a community and gristmill was established about a mile and a half east of the present town of Shedd and called Boston, probably because one of the founders came from Boston,...

 in Linn County, Oregon

Linn County, Oregon

Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American occupation of the Oregon Country. By the 2010 US census the population of Linn county was 116,672 showing a 13.2% growth since the 2000 census...

, United States, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department , officially known as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks...

. The mill was first built in 1858. It burned down once in 1862, but was rebuilt right away. It continued to grind grain until 2002, making it one of Oregon's oldest continuously operating water-powered businesses. Oregon State Parks purchased the property in 2004 and the park was opened to the public in December, 2007. The property was acquired and restored under governor Kulongoski's "park-a-year" plan, in which one new state park is to be opened every year.