Near Kearney in Clay County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Watkins Mill
| | Clay County Historical Society Historic Landmark | |
Photographed by Tony Meyers, August 15, 2011
1. Watkins Mill Historical Marker
Erected by The Clay County Missouri Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks, and the National Historic Landmarks series lists.
Location. 39° 24.62′ N, 94° 15.594′ W. Marker is near Kearney, Missouri, in Clay County. It can be reached from Watkins Road one mile south of County Road MM. Watkins Mill, the Watkins Home and the Visitor's Center are located in Watkins Mill State Park in Clay County, Missouri. Drive approximately 6 miles east of Kearney, Missouri on State Hiway 92. Turn north on County Road RA and drive 2 miles to the State Park entrance. Follow signs in the park to the Watkins Mill historic site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area:
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Missouri River Corridor and in Greater Kansas City. It is also in the American Midwest, 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 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: James Farm (approx. 3½ miles away); Hall of Waters (approx. 5.1 miles away); a different marker also named Hall of Waters (approx. 5.1 miles away); Matthew David Mason CPO (approx. 6.1 miles away); Howard Porter (approx. 6.2 miles away); Welcome to Mount Olivet Cemetery (approx. 6.3 miles away); Bell-Pharis House (approx. 11.7 miles away); Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary (approx. 13.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kearney.
More about this marker. A representative of Watkins Mill Association (see Link
Photographed by Tony Meyers, August 15, 2011
2. Historical Markers at the Watkins Mill Visitor's Center
This marker and two additional historical markers are located just adjacent to the rear exit of the Visitors Center on the path leading to the Mill and the House.
Also see . . .
1. Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site. Missouri State parks website entry (Submitted on August 19, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
2. Watkins Mill Association. “Waltus and his wife Mary Ann, along with their children, built the farm they called Bethany into a very successful agricultural and industrial complex.” (Submitted on November 3, 2011.)
Photographed by Tony Meyers, August 15, 2011
3. Watkins Woolen Mill
Photographed by Tony Meyers, August 15, 2011
4. Marker designating Watkins Mill as a Registered National Historic Landmark
Watkins Mill has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark.
Under the provisions of the historic sites act of August 21, 1935 this site possesses exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the history of The United States.
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
1966
Photographed by Tony Meyers, August 15, 2011
5. Marker designating Watkins Mill as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark
National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark
1861 – C.A. 1890.
The Watkins Woolen Mill is among the best preserved examples of a mid-19th century woolen mill in the United States.
Its variety of machinery for preparing, spinning, and weaving—some of it modified during its life at the mill to improve its performance—presents an unsurpassed cross-section of textile technology at that time and is the finest collection of early textile machines in situ in North America.
The mill was designed and built by Waltus L. Watkins (1806-1884), a machinist and master weaver from Frankfort, Kentucky.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers - 1980
Photographed by Tony Meyers, August 15, 2011
6. The Waltus L. Watkins Home
Watkins Mill and the Watkins Home are accessed from the Visitor's Center.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., July 22, 2013
7. Watkins Mill
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2011, by Tony Meyers of Liberty, Missouri. This page has been viewed 1,008 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 15, 2011, by Tony Meyers of Liberty, Missouri. 7. submitted on August 25, 2013, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
