"It is no longer possible to determine exactly when the first mills in Gahlen used water power to grind grain. In 1405, a man named Wynck was first mentioned as a miller in the Lippe village. The first documented reference to a Gahlen mill dates back to 1508.
Numerous structural changes over the past three and a half centuries have contributed to the fact that only traces of the original form of the Gahlen mill near the church (today's Kirchstraße) remain. The village mill was leased in the 18th century by the Winck family, who came from the Bocholt area.
Until the 1890s, only the central wooden structure, standing on heavy stone blocks, remained. Its blunt roof matched the profile of the church tower.
Photos from the early 20th century show the mill with its brick extensions on both sides, the color of which is popularly known as the village mill. This earned the village mill its name "Red Mill." In the spring of 1945, the mill wheel of the village mill came to a standstill. German troops retreating from the Allied front blew up the nearby road bridge. The explosion also caused damage to the mill house, the mill wheel, and the grinding mechanism. Since the mill pond had also largely silted up, milling by water power was no longer an option for the time being. Since then, one grinding mechanism has been powered by electricity.
... "