Watkins Woolen Mill – Excelsior, MO - Engineering Landmarks 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 at the entry reads:

National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark 1861-ca 1890

The Watkins Woolen Mill is among the best preserved example of a mid-19th Century woolen mill in the United States.
Its variety of machinery for preparing, spinning, and weaving – some of it modified during its life at the mill to improve its performance – presents an unsurpassed cross-section of textile technology at that time and is the finest collection of early textile machines in situ in North America.

The mill was designed and built by Waltus L. Watkins (1806-1884), a machinist and master weaver from Frankfort, Kentucky.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers – 1980

Location: Watkins Mill Type of structure/site: Building Date of Construction: 1960 Engineer/Architect/Builder etc.: Waltus L. Watkins Engineering Organization Listing: American Society of Mechanical Engineers Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Web Site: [Web Link]

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