Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Watkins Mill State Park and Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site |
|
|---|---|
_crop1.jpg)
Watkins Mill
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Clay County, Missouri, United States |
| Area | 1,500.22 acres (607.12 ha) |
| Elevation | 896 ft (273 m) |
| Established | 1964 |
| Administered by | Missouri Department of Natural Resources |
| Visitors | 307,136 (in 2023) |
|
Watkins Mill
|
|
The Octagonal Schoolhouse at Watkins Mill
|
|
| Nearest city | Excelsior Springs, Missouri |
| Area | 560 acres (230 ha) |
| Built | 1860 |
| Architect | Waltus Watkins |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000416 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | November 13, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | September 28, 1983 |
Watkins Mill is a super cool place in Missouri where you can step back in time! It's an old factory that made wool cloth over 150 years ago. Today, it's protected as the Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site. This means the old buildings, machines, and even the business records are kept safe. It's also part of the bigger Watkins Mill State Park, a fun place with a lake and trails.
Contents
A Look Back at Watkins Mill's History
Who Built Watkins Mill?
A man named Waltus L. Watkins started a big farm called Bethany Plantation in 1839. He built the Watkins Mill factory between 1859 and 1860. He also built homes for the workers nearby. This created one of the first planned communities in North America! The mill made yarn and wool cloth. It was like a small, self-sufficient town.
The Mill's Busy Years
The mill was very busy until 1886. That was two years after Mr. Watkins passed away. After that, production slowed down. What's amazing is that almost all the original machines are still there! This includes a powerful steam engine that ran the factory.
Other Important Buildings
The Watkins Family Home
The Watkins family house was built in 1850. It's a large home with twelve rooms and three staircases. The main staircase has beautiful carved walnut wood. The Watkins family lived there until 1945.
The Octagonal Schoolhouse
There's also a unique eight-sided schoolhouse called the Franklin School. It was built in 1856. The Watkins family and their employees used it as a school. Later, it became a home for mill workers. It was made from bricks right there on Watkins' land.
Mt. Vernon Baptist Church
The Watkins family also gave land for the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church. It was built in 1871. Mr. Watkins donated more than half of the money needed to build it.
Becoming a State Park
After some changes in ownership, the state of Missouri took over the property. In 1964, it became a 1,442-acre state park. In 1980, it was recognized as a National Mechanical Engineering Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important place for understanding old machines and engineering.
Fun Activities at Watkins Mill State Park
Watkins Mill State Park offers lots of cool things to do! You can go camping there. There's a 100-acre lake perfect for fishing and swimming. A 3.8-mile paved trail goes around the lake. It's great for biking or walking. There's also a separate 3.5-mile trail just for horseback riding.
Images for kids
-
The octagonal Franklin School building. This unique 8-sided building replaced an older log schoolhouse around 1856.
-
The Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. This building was built in 1871 after an earlier church was destroyed by fire.
