Frankie Meyer: Missouri’s mills detailed in photographer’s book

Globe Life

Discussion

February 26, 2010

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Fri Feb 26, 2010, 06:23 PM CST

While at a writers conference at the College of the Ozarks last weekend, I had the honor of meeting Mike McArthy, an extraordinary photographer and author of a stunning new book titled “Historic Ozark Mills.”

His table-top book includes high quality, large, color photos of more than 25 mills. In the background of the photos, one can see nearby scenic streams, mill ponds, dams, rustic bridges and cabins.

He includes several views of most mills. The photos are so spectacular that I found myself looking at them again and again.

The information makes the book a joy to read, too. Next to each photo, McArthy has inserted details about the mill. From the text, readers learn about the construction, owners through the years, the original type of equipment that was used, types of equipment that were later used, type of grain that was ground, the type of power that was used, the last year the mill was in operation, nearby structures and the mill’s location.

McArthy also gives detailed directions for driving to each mill. A helpful map is included at the back of the book.

According to the author, most mills started out using stone buhrs but later converted to steel rollers. Some were powered by water wheels, while others were powered by beasts of burden, such as oxen. In later years, mills were sometimes powered by a turbine or a diesel engine.

The purpose of the mills varied. Although the power from most mills was used to ground grain, occasionally it was used to run a sawmill or produce electricity.

The mills were a popular gathering site in each community. Families loaded their grain on wagons and brought it to the local mill. They then waited near the mill and visited with others while their grain was being ground.

The ground feed was then put into sacks which the farmers loaded onto their wagons. Quite often, a family gave the miller part of the feed as a toll (payment). Until Prohibition, the ground grain from some mills was used by distilleries to make whiskey.

McArthy cautions that a few mills are privately owned and are not open for public touring. He was able to make special arrangements to take photos of most of the privately-owned sites. When he didn’t have permission to take close-up photos, he took them from the easement of a public roadway. He provides that type of information with each mill.

The Borgmann Mill, located in Boonesfield Village near Defiance, Mo., is the oldest mill featured in the book. That mill was built in the 1840s.

Four mills from Southwest Missouri are featured in the Western Ozarks section. Those are the Jolly Mill, located along the banks of Capps Creek southwest of Monett; the Richey Mill, located along Shoal Creek at the town of Richey; Hulston Mill, once located along Turnback Creek but moved during the construction of Stockton Lake to a site seven miles from Greenfield; and Wommack Mill, located in the town of Fair Grove.

McArthy has limited the first edition to 500 copies. Each book is numbered, dated and signed by the author.

For more info, contact the author at: Photozarks, 1499 Brittany Cove Dr., St. Charles, Mo., 63304. Call 636-399-2715. Also check McArthy’s Web site at www.photozarks.com.

Suggestions or queries? Send to Frankie Meyer, P.O. Box 731, Joplin, Mo. 64802, or e-mail frankiemeyer@yahoo.com.

Text Only

Globe Life

Students add vision to collaborative exhibit
In a “secret room” upstairs at Spiva Center for the Arts, an art project began last week that won’t be finished for 18 more days. That’s because it is being created by more than 1,100 artists.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo
Cari Rerat: Pair of graphic novels tell tales of heroism
Witty banter, blood-soaked violence, and old-school sound effects make this one of the most fun graphic novels I’ve read in a long time.

February 6, 2012
Frankie Meyer: Celebrity genealogy hunt makes return to TV
At last, my favorite series is returning for its third season. “Who Do You Think You Are?” is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fridays.

February 6, 2012
Frankie Meyer: Church minutes can provide details about ancestors
As you compile your family history, you will often learn the name of the church that an ancestor attended. Novice researchers sometimes ignore that type of detail, not realizing that church records can provide details that blast through the brick walls of research.

January 31, 2012
Phyllis Seesengood: Prequel takes Jack Reacher book series back in time
“The Affair,” by Lee Child, is the 16th book in the series of Jack Reacher thrillers and is a prequel to the other books. It takes us back in time to March 1997, where we learn valuable information about Reacher’s background and his reasons for leaving the military.

January 31, 2012
B-easy does it
Chris Watson, a Pittsburg State University graduate and Kansas native, was visiting a local video store when he stumbled across three horror movies he’d either produced, directed, directly written or co-written over the last eight years.

January 31, 2012 3 Photos
Book highlights opposites in animal kingdom
Even in science opposite attract. It’s the opposite ends of a magnet that attract. Don’t try to connect the south poles on two magnets, because it’s not going to work. Opposites attract.

January 23, 2012
Cemetery research can yield details about family
Through cemetery research, family history researchers can learn details such as names of spouses and children, military service, hobbies and religious preference, as well as the date and location of birth, marriages and death.

January 23, 2012
Art class helps kids deal with feelings from tornado
And while this innovative program received national attention -- thanks to the Joplin-based episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Jan. 13 -- Bourne’s mobile arts center, dedicated to the growth and healing of children through art, had been up and running long before the EF-5 tornado suddenly spiraled out of the clouds.

January 23, 2012 1 Photo
Danya Walker: Non-fiction work examines history’s infamous mistresses
Many times, the cover and title of a book promises a much more risque read than is actually delivered. “Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman” by Elizabeth Abbott is one such book.

January 16, 2012
More Globe Life Headlines

Water company cites reconnections

Globe Life

Search Results

Discussion

Frankie Meyer: Missouri’s mills detailed in photographer’s book

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Site Map

Contact Us