The Jackson Mill Spring once powered the Joseph P. Lyons Mill, also known as the Old Jackson Mill. It sits southwest of Ava, Missouri, and is part of the Spring Branch that empties into Beaver Creek. The mill got its name from its first owner and operated, Joseph P. Lyons, who homesteaded the land during the Presidency of James Buchanan. The mill arose during the 1850s, but the main structure longer exists. Still, remnants of the mill remain visible near the creek, and the powerful spring that powered it remains, which is still frequented by canoers, kayakers, and campers.
This recently restored mill dates back to its construction in 1907. John W. Grudier, one of the founders of the now-unincorporated town of Hammond, built the mill and operated it for decades until he gave it to his son. The family sold the property in the 1940s and milling subsequently ceased. The town, once a busy community that supported a mill, shops, a bank, distiller and post office has largely disappeared, and the stream where the mill once sat has since moved further from the property. As well, the mill sat near "The Old Salt Road," a highway used before and during the Civil War for, among other things, transporting salt. So, while the community, road, and even environment are no more, the historic Hammond Mill survives.
Dating back to the 1840s and rebuilt after it was destroyed during the Civil War, the mill at this site was an essential contributor to the local economy and remained operational until the 1940s. The mill was the center of economic activity for Rockbridge, a small community that served area farmers from other parts of the Ozarks who visited to obtain milling services, buy goods, vote, get the latest news, and socialize. The community was nearly abandoned by the start of the 1950s, but in 1954, the property transformed into a fishing resort, which helped the town grow into a popular vacation spot.
Constructed in 1897, The Aid-Hodgson Mill in rural Ozark County, Missouri, is one of the few surviving mills in Ozark County, which once supported at least a dozen mills. The Aid-Hodgson Mill was typical of the custom water mills built in the rural Ozarks in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Still, it included several modern features such as a roller mill and turbine-driven gristmill. The mill initially performed as a custom milling facility, but it later evolved into a large market milling operation. Farmers routinely camped near the mill because they waited for days to have their grains milled, allowing them to socialize and shop at the general store built by Hodgson.
Now known as Dawt Mill Resort, the former grist mill stood as Ozark County's last one in operation, milling into the late twentieth century. The reconfigured resort stands as the remnants of the mill built in 1900, although milling in the area dates back to the end of the Civil War. The mill sits on the high banks along the North Fork of the White River. Its success bred growth for the area, eventually resulting in a community that included a Blacksmith, store, church, and hotel. Dawt Mill continued in operation through the 1970s, although by then, it only produced a fraction of what it did during its turn-of-the-century heydey.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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This relatively short drive includes stops at several historic mills that were crucial to the communities of the Ozarks gor several generations in the 19th and early 20th centuries. More mills will be added soon.
