This site has been the location of grain milling for more than 180 years.  Today's mill is the third one built on this site.  The first two were built by George Frederick Bollinger, who came to this area in 1797 from North Carolina.  He received a 640-acre land grant from Don Louis Lorimier, the Spanish commandant at Cape Girardeau.  In return for the land, Bollinger agreed to develope the land and to bring more settlers from the east.  He returned to North Carolina and in 1800, brought 20 families, including six of his brothers and their families, back to settle along the banks of the Whitewater River.  The present four-story stone and brick gristmill was completed around 1867.

  The bridge was built by Joseph Lansmon starting in 1858.  The Civil War, however, delayed construction and the bridge was not completed until 1868.  The 140 foot Howe-truss designed bridge is the oldest of only four covered bridges left in the state of Missouri.  It has undergone many repairs through the years with the last major renovation completed in 1990's.

A visit to the mill offers a hint of the 19th century, as water-powered millstones rumble to life, producing the sights and sounds of corn being ground into meal.

The covered bridge provides an excellent setting for artists and photographers.  The best light for photographs is in the morning.

There are picnic sites available for day use as well as a short hiking trail that leads to the old Bollinger family cemetery.

The nearby Old Mill Store is a quaint little building that serves as a grocery store, ice cream shop and the United States Post Office for Burfordville, Missouri.

Mill listed in National Register of Historic Places June, 1972

Off Highway 34, on Highway HH in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Burfordville, MO 63739
573- 243-4591

The Mills of Ozark County

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