Bollinger Mill & Burfordville Covered Bridge

Well this month we got to go see the Bollinger Mill and the Burfordville Covered Bridge in Burfordville, Mo.. We were going to go last month but it had stormed up there and we had to cancel. It was well worth the trip. Such a beautiful place. The Bollinger Mill State Historic Site is unusual because it features both a working mill and a covered bridge side by side. It is a 43 acre site has a tree shaded picnic area, a quarter mile stream bank and the historical cemetery where the remains of George Frederick Bollinger and members of his family rest. Bollinger Mill has been restored as an operating, water-powered grist mill. Water from the millpond is diverted through the limestone understory where it must pass through, and power, the turbine as it leaves the building. The mill contains examples of milling machinery such as separators, scours, roll stands, mill stones, conveyors and chutes. Live demonstations of making stone-ground cornmeal as well as museum exhibits. A 19th Century water-powered mill. The Burfordville Covered bridge is the oldest remaining covered bridge in Missouri. It is one of only four that survive today. The bridge exhibits Howe-truss construction named for William Howe, who patented the design in 1840. The Howe truss span was built mainly of yellow poplar. The bridge spans White River, is 140 feet long and has a clearance of 14 feet high and 12 feet wide. The road going through the bridge was part of the toll road system between Burfordville, Jackson and Cape Girardeau. Open to pedestrian traffic only, it is part of the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site. Both are in the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours of the mill are given daily. The other three covered bridges in Missouri are Sandy Creek Covered Bridge in Jefferson County, Locust Creek Covered Bridge in Linn County and Union Covered Bridge in Monroe County. Great place for photos. Right off the main road.