On the Eleven Point River in Oregon County, there is a natural spring where crystal clear, extremely cold water flows into the river. It was named Greer Spring after a captain in the Confederate army, Samuel Greer. In 1859, the first grist mill was built on the spring’s branch. It was destroyed during the Civil War, but was rebuilt sometime after the war.
Around 1883, the grist mill was removed and replaced by a new roller mill that was completed just before the turn of the century. By 1922, the mill had ceased operations, but it still stands today. The Friends of the Eleven Point River have worked with Mark Twain National Forest since 2013 to help bring Greer Mill back to life.
The group just donated $6,500 more to keep the project going — and at the same time, donated more than $11K in equipment and supplies to improve recreational opportunities along the Eleven Point Wild and Scenic River.
“This will be used to install interpretive signs and will also provide a boost for creating the trail that will go from the mill to the parking area down the road,” said Brian Sloss, president of the group.
In 2013, the Friends met with the Forest Service to design a plan to prevent the historic building from collapsing in on itself. Now they are moving their focus from stabilizing a building to making the site easy and fun to visit.
“I feel like we are completing the circle with this donation,” Sloss said.
The work accomplished over the past eight years to restore the mill has been impressive. Mark Twain National Forest employees coordinated with Friends of the Eleven Point CASP Group, Amish crews, HistoriCorps, AmeriCorps and many more volunteers to bring the mill back to a stable and beautiful condition.
Sloss noted that they have noticed a marked increase in the number of people stopping to admire the mill since work began eight years ago.
“I am excited that we can soon proudly show the mill off to visitors and I think it will be a tourist draw as people come to visit the beautiful streams and trails,” Sloss said.
The Friends of the Eleven Point River are continuing to do great work to make their vision a reality.