Hodgson Water Mill

Supposedly, the Hodgson Water Mill is the most photographed spot in the entire state of Missouri. While that claim probably isn't true (who keeps track of that, and surely Busch Stadium or the Gateway Arch are in more pictures?), you can easily see why it would be. It really is a stunningly beautiful place.



The three-story mill was constructed in 1897, which replaced a mill originally built in 1860s.



The mill is powered by a spring, where about 23 million gallons of water of water pour out every day. It is the 19th largest spring in Missouri.



The original water wheel and most of the machinery are still in place, although it hasn't really been used since the 1970s.





A long red wooden walkway leads to the mill, which amazingly was all underwater in 2017. That Spring, some heavy storms dumped a bunch of rain that resulted in massive floods along the nearby Bryant River. The floodwaters were so high that about half of the building was underwater.



The clear waters of the spring create a little creek, which then flows out towards the Bryant River. There is an old bridge nearby (built 1925) that crosses the creek. So here's one last shot, of the bridge that looks to have been painted red to match the mill.