Falling Spring Mill, Southern Missouri

One of the more photographed spots in the Mark Twain National Forest, the Falling Spring Picnic Area offers history, scenic beauty, and quiet relaxation. This day-use area is situated on the edge of a spring-fed pond that falls from out of the middle of a small bluff wall. This spring, which is also a waterfall, has provided power for two mills in the past, the second of which still stands today. Built in the 1920s, this mill provided electricity, ground corn, and even sawed lumber and shingles for the few local residents. A small wooden walkway leads to the mill for closer inspection, which still has some of its original machinery in place.
Aside from a few picnic tables and a small parking area, Falling Spring Picnic Area also holds an historic log cabin over 100 years old. Built in the mid-to-late 1800s, this cabin is the first of four houses built near this site. Constructed with half-dovetail notches at the corners, this helps to shed water away from the cabin, and may be one reason why it still stands today. http://www.exploretheozarksonline.com/activities/parksnature/nationalforests/marktwain/elevenpoint/fallingspring.html

The historic log cabin

The dove-tailed corners of the cabin.

Inside the small cabin, looking up at the loft.

Axe hewn logs

View of the cabin from the mill side of the lake across the wooden bridge.

The mill.

Mill wheel

Plaque at the mill explaining the site.

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