New Old Mills Seed Company building owner wants to connect with community

WASHINGTON - The Mills Seed Company building in Washington, Iowa, has served several purposes in its 100-year history, producing everything from Valentine's Day cards to plastic signs.

Terry Phillips, who assisted in the building's relocation in 2010, now owns it and is not yet sure what its future purpose will be.

Phillips hopes to gain the perspective of community members during an upcoming St. Patrick's Day fundraiser.

'We want to raise money, but we want it to be a partnership. We want people to give us their ideas about what should be in the building. Simply by making the building open and accessible, great ideas will come forth,” Phillips said.

Phillips also wants to have community members attend the St. Patrick's Day festivities so that they can see how much progress has been made since work began on the building.

The building has a negative reputation in the area because of its long-standing vacancy. Ideally, Phillips would like the public to start seeing the building as a community location.

The fundraiser will be from 6 to 10 p.m. March 17 at the building. The event will feature live music from local musicians, prize giveaways, and snacks.

Local bar and restaurant JP's 207 will serve alcohol and appetizers as part of its own St. Patrick's Day party.

Attendees will be able to tour the building. Groups interested in a tour are encouraged to arrive early.

'The main thing is to get people involved in the building to see what's there,” Phillips explained. 'We just keep finding stuff and we want to share that as we're doing it, because discovering the whole thing is what's fun for most of us.”

Some historic items found within the building, such as buttons and old Valentine's Day cards, will be for sale at the fundraiser. Freewill donations will be accepted but are not required for entry. Otherwise, donations can be made to the group's GoFundMe page.