BOLLINGER MILL PROVIDES LINK TO NATION'S HISTORY

BURFORDVILLE - Resting quietly in the small Cape Girardeau County town of Burfordville along the Whitewater River is an important link to the country's past: the Bollinger Mill and covered bridge.

The 41-acre site, maintained by the Missouri Division of State Parks and Historic Preservation as a historic site, offers nearly two centuries of history with a mill that originated on the site in 1799 and a bridge that was completed in 1868.

In 1961 the site was given to the Cape County Historical Society by the Vandivort family, which had acquired the mill in 1954 from the Cape County Milling Co. The historical group realized it did not have the funds to adequately preserve the mill, so it was passed on to the county. The county, in turn, had it accepted as a state park in 1967.

After extensive renovations to the mill and bridge, Bollinger Mill was finally opened to the public in August 1981 as a state historic site.

The four-story brick and limestone mill that now stands in Burfordville was constructed in 1867 by S.R. Burford, for whom the town is named. It replaced a mill built in 1825 by George F. Bollinger that was burned by Union troops during the Civil War.

Bollinger, who was given the land around the mill in 1797 in a Spanish land grant that stipulated the land be developed to attract settlers to the wilderness area, built the first grist mill in 1799.

The mill has been restored to its appearance of approximately 100 years ago.

Jack Moot, park site administrator, explained the foundation of the building dates back to the 1825 structure. By the time the state acquired the building it was in poor condition and on the verge of collapsing.

The 140-foot-long covered bridge, one of four remaining in Missouri and one of a handful left in the United States, is now closed to both vehicle traffic and pedestrians.

The Department of Natural Resources' budget for this fiscal year includes $611,200 to remove the bridge from its abutments, restore it, and place it back over the river. The plans also call for raising the bridge by about 3 feet to reduce potential damage from flooding. A flash flood in 1986 shifted the bridge and caused serious damage, and flooding presents a lingering potential danger to the historic structure.

A rainstorm last month left some debris on the bridge and 50 inches of water inside the mill. Smoot said there was no major damage, but the rising water is a reminder of just how vulnerable the site is.

In the mid-1980s the bridge was closed to vehicles; last year when engineers were inspecting it to see what needed to be done for the restoration, a decision was made to even close the bridge to foot traffic.

Smoot said once the restoration project is finished the bridge should at least be open to pedestrian traffic and possibly some vehicle traffic.

Said Smoot: "Our primary concern and mission in the Missouri State park system is to preserve the cultural resources, but to also make those resources available for recreation. We would like to allow people to experience going across a covered bridge, if at all possible. But we are primarily interested in preserving the bridge, and if possible make it open for traffic."

The mill has an operating turbine and set of millstones. Certain pieces of equipment have been acquired that would have been used in the mill 100 years ago.

"We are trying to move the scope of interpretation to the development of the roller milling process, and make it more of a museum than an operating mill interpretation," said Smoot.

"Most of the old mill museums you see, especially toward the east coast, seem to concentrate on water wheels and millstones. Around the mid 1800s the process of flour milling changed dramatically, especially after the Civil War, and we moved more toward the type of equipment used today in the roller milling process. We see an opportunity at this mill to talk about that process, which very few mills can tackle. We have begun collecting what I think is an impressive collection of roller mills."

Smoot said he is unsure how many places have a mill and covered bridge at the same site, but it is unusual.

"It was probably very common in its day to have a mill and bridge together because the mill was really a focal point of the community and often was built first and the town developed around it," Smoot explained. "But to have a covered bridge next to an old grist mill like this is pretty uncommon now."

Bollinger Mill draws visitors from all over the country, ranging from people who see it advertised and want to visit to individuals enthralled with the history of mills and covered bridges.

There are national associations that promote the preservation of both mills and covered bridges.

The site also draws people from the area, who see it is an opportunity to learn some history and take advantage of the day-use picnic area at the park.

Signs on Interstate 55 placed by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department have helped draw visitors to the site, said Smoot.

Visitation declines in the winter because the mill is not heated. But in the spring and fall crowds are especially heavy from school groups and bus tours.

Bollinger Mill is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon until 4 p.m. Sundays. Guided tours of the mill are $2 for adults and $1.25 for ages 6-12. Group rates are available for more than 15 visitors.

All four covered bridges in Missouri are part of the state park system. The others are: Locust Creek Bridge in Linn County, Sandy Creek near Hillsboro, and Union Covered Bridge in Monroe County. The bridge at Burfordville is the oldest of the four.

The park system also has three other mills: Dillard Mill near Steeleville and one at Montauk State Park, both grist mills; and a textile mill at Watkins Mill north of Kansas City.