Rockbridge Mill
N 36° 47.193 W 092° 24.318
15S E 553061 N 4071359
Historic Mill and other community buildings in Ozark County Missouri
Waymark Code: WM1CGF
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/04/2007
Views: 72
Rockbridge which was, until it was burned during the Civil War, the county seat of the original Ozark County after 1841. A new village grew up around the mill built on the banks of Spring Creek in 1865.
B. V. Morris bought and enlarged the mill in 1888. In 1894 he built a two-story general store from pine lumber cut from the virgin forest. The store was considered one of the largest and finest in the Ozarks and once offered everything from food to hardware--including coffins. A bank building was added in 1904.
After witnessing the stirrings of growth and change in the Ozarks, the general store and the bank closed in 1933; the mill in the late 40's.
But in 1954 the tiny mountain hamlet of Rockbridge saw the establishment of a private trout hatchery and fishing resort. Because it was seriously damaged in a flood, the millhouse has undergone restoration. Still, a rocking chair in its shelter, almost directly above the falls at the handmade dam, allows an opportunity to experience Ozarks serenity firsthand.
Until destroyed by fire in 1986, the old general store served as headquarters for the resort and hatchery. A new structure, designed to resemble the original as it appeared in the 1890s, was erected on the site. Once again visitors can dine in a world-class restaurant while watching ruby-throated hummingbirds at feeders outside the large windows overlooking the mill and Spring Creek. And a fresh trout dinner followed by blackberry or apple cobbler is the perfect complement for our tour of the old mills.
Current Status: Still In Use
Current Use: Commercial Attraction
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