Fall is approaching, and it's the perfect time to combine a road trip with some history. Perhaps one thing that Missouri has preserved well, in the Ozarks, are old mills. Located down narrow roads in the mountains and valleys, they're picturesque settings only two or three hours from St. Louis.
These mills, much like churches in St. Louis, served as centers for communities. What's also amazing is that rudimentary waterpower survived in these isolated pockets well past the invention of new technologies. A century after factories in St. Louis began to burn coal for steam power, and decades after reliable electricity, water falling into turbines was more efficient for small communities in Missouri. These three mills are worth visiting south and west of St. Louis.
Photography by Chris Naffziger
Bollinger Mill
The first mill—and the one with the oldest history, going back to the 18th century—is Bollinger Mill. Located in the small town of Burfordsville, in Cape Girardeau County, it also bears the distinction as being the only mill located next to a covered bridge—one of a few surviving in the state. The mill’s namesake, George Frederick Bollinger, received a land grant from the Spanish in 1797, less than a decade before the Louisiana Purchase. The first grist mill, which ground wheat into flour, opened in 1799. The current brick mill on the 1825 stone foundation dates to 1867, when the founder of Burfordsville reopened the business. Despite common conceptions, waterwheels had fallen out of use by the late 19th century. Turbines were then used in the vast majority of urban and rural mills. Bollinger Mill was no different. Likewise, the iconic massive circular millstones were replaced with rollers, which more efficiently ground the wheat into flour. Much of the original machinery on the interior of the mill is still intact, and the site is now a State Historic Site after the original family bought and donated the property to Missouri.
Photography by Chris Naffziger
Alley Mill
Heading deep into the Ozarks, west of Eminence, the seat of Shannon County is Alley Spring and Mill. While still far from any major highways, the area was once incredibly remote, and the Alley Mill was the center of the community for much of the area around the Current and Jacks Fork rivers. The name Alley does not come from any sort of natural feature, but a local landowner who lived several miles from the actual location of the mill. The mill is wood frame with wood siding, which was a common building material in the late 19th century, when a series of structures were built on the site. Alley Spring gushes forth from the bedrock, creating a round pool that functions as the headrace, which is the water supply for the mill. After the water passes through the 1893 mill, it escapes through the tailrace, the exit from the mill’s turbines, and continues down the creek, still crystal clear.
Photography by Chris Naffziger
Dillard Mill
The final mill dates from the 20th century, opening in 1908 and closing in 1956, the same year that the Interstate Highway System legislation was passed in Congress. It is sheathed in metal, and its foundations and footings are cut from solid bedrock. The mill was originally built by Emil Mischke, who then sold it to Lester Klemme. Unlike the other mills, Dillard Mill actually had a rail line that allowed for better commercial connections, but even that closed in the 1930s, leaving the area in splendid economic isolation.
But what is perhaps most interesting about the Dillard Mill area is its second life as a resort, until 1962, under its second owner, Klemme. Cabins and fishing ponds encouraged people who were now exploring the Ozarks to stop and stay in the picturesque surrounding of the mill and the Huzzah Creek. But even that business did not last long.
Ultimately, even the most isolated parts of the Ozarks were brought closer to the major industrial centers of the Midwest by the automobile, particularly after World War II. General Mills and Pillsbury of Minneapolis could provide flour at a fraction of the cost compared to small local mills—even transportation costs did not affect these massive companies’ competitive edge in small towns. The watermills of the Ozarks transformed from industry to commerce as picturesque tourist attractions.
