Near Dillard in Crawford County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Old Mill Lodge

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 21, 2024

1. Old Mill Lodge Marker

Inscription. The two-story house visible through the trees on the hill to the right became the nucleus for Lesser Klemme's Old Mill Lodge resort. Lodge guests, many of whom came from the St. Louis area, paid $7.00 per day and received meals in the house, swam and fished in the mill pond and enjoyed the splendor of the northern Ozarks.

Klemme had four cabins built – two smaller log ones near the house and two larger, clapboard-sided ones near the mill on the hill to the left. The Honeymoon Cottage was a log cabin near the two-story house. It is still standing.

After 30 years of operation, the Old Mill Lodge closed in 1962 following the death of Lester Klemme's wife, Virginia.

[Captions (clockwise from top left)]
• The main house of the Old Mill Lodge
• Lester Klemme
• Lester Klemme and Rex
• Summer Cottage on the hill by the mill
• Two small cottages below the mill

Erected by Missouri State Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1962.

Location. 37° 43.234′ N, 91° 12.383′ W. Marker is near Dillard, Missouri, in Crawford

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County. It can be reached from Dillard Mill Road 1.6 miles south of Missouri Highway 49, on the left when traveling south. Marker is in Dillard Mill State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1542 Dillard Mill Rd, Davisville MO 65456, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dillard (here, next to this marker); Fish Raceway (within shouting distance of this marker); Dillard Store and Post Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Dillard Cemetery (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Turning Water into Power (about 500 feet away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 10.2 miles away).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 21, 2024

2. Old Mill Lodge Marker

Featured marker is on the right.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 185 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 23, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.