Mill Site – Caplinger Mills Historic District –Caplinger Mills, Missouri - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

"There have been at least four milling buildings on the same site at Caplinger Mills, all of which succumbed to fire. Little documented evidence of the early mills has been discovered. However, it is known that construction of the original mill spanned the years 1840-1843. It is obvious that the building was carefully situated on a low bluff on the west riverbank at a spot where the solid stone bed allowed construction of a reputed rubble dam which was probably about 190 feet long.

In 1851, Samuel Caplinger, then owner of the mill and dam, contracted with the Cedar County Court to build a wooden bridge across Sac River just below the dam. That project never came to fruition and when the mill burned in 1853, Caplinger was allowed to use some walnut timber (which had been cut for the bridge) in the reconstruction of the mill. That mill survived only until the Civil War when it was burned by Shelby's Raiders. It was probably during subsequent reconstruction by Andrew Masters that the original dam was replaced by a log dam. The rebuilt milling building stood until 1947 and is well remembered by locals. Photographs from the early 1900's show that mill to be a gabled roof, three and one half story frame structure about 58x28 feet with a gable end facing the river. A similar but smaller structure, about 14x20 feet and offset to the upstream side covered the water wheel on the east or river end of the building. There was a shed roof on the west or town end that sheltered the office and loading platform. It is said that the building was originally roofed with wooden shingles' and the walls were sided with clapboards (which were eventually covered with "sheet iron". Later remodeling (ca. 1930s) added a 45X21 feet ell extending to the south. Bunk Whinrey, who bought the mill in 1893, maintained that the mill contained some of the old hand hewn walnut timbers which had been used in the mill which was destroyed during the Civil War. If that is the case, then they may well have come from the bridge timbers that "had been got out" in 1851 by Samuel Caplinger.

When this mill constructed by Masters was destroyed by fire in 1947 it was replaced with a modern corrugated metal building. Since the 1953 fire, which also destroyed this later building, only the concrete and masonry remain. Two square pedestals, which were used to mount large electric motors, jut from the concrete floor. Oversized and primitive steps lead down the north side of the foundation to the forebay which was constructed of masonry and concrete and which still contains the turbine used to operate the mill from the 1890's until the mid 1920's. The receipt for the turbine (which is the personal property of Julie March of the Museum of Ozarks 1 History in Springfield, Missouri) states that it is a Samson Model, 45 inch turbine which was ordered September 19, 1893, from the Leffel Turbine Company in Springfield, Ohio, at a cost of $490 "cash"." – National Register Nomination

To get the best perspective of the mill site is best to view it from the bridge.

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Caplinger Mills Historic District Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link] Address: Jct. of Washington Ave. and the Sac R. Caplinger Mills, Missouri How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]

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