Watkins Mill – Excelsior, MO - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Waltus Watkins, a farmer and businessman built the woolen mill in 1860 and produced a dozen different fabrics, a variety of blankets, yarn, and batting. He also built a gristmill and sawmill, planted a sizeable orchard, and raised shorthorn cattle, sheep, horses, and hogs. His bee hives still stand behind the house; the family sold honey, made their own butter and cheese, canned and dried the fruit and vegetables that they raised, and cured meat. Flour and cornmeal was produced in the gristmill and sold in stores. The woolen mill was finally closed in the late 1890’s, but the family continued to farm the land until 1945. The mill remains just has it did during operation. Inside a display of bowls of raw wool, a lathe, wood turning tools, and other artifacts from that time period is on display for visitors.

The property became a state historic site in 1964, was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and is now operated by the Missouri DNR as part of the state park.

The museum displays told more about the Watkins’ farm and their industry and has an automated loom operating in the back of the room. A variety of primitive tools, a two seat horse-drawn carriage, grindstone, hand plow, and other implements were also on exhibit.

A plaque outside reads:

Watkins Mill has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1955. This site possesses exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the history of the United States.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service

Street address: Watkins Mill State Park rural Exelsior, MO USA County / Borough / Parish: Clay Year listed: 1966 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Industry Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1850-1874 Historic function: Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction Current function: Landscape, Recreation And Culture, museum, park Privately owned?: no Hours of operation: From: 9:30 AM To: 5:00 PM Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/23/2018 MountainWoods visited it