The unpainted frame mill with several additions presents a quaint picture by the pond. The mill was built by the same brothers that built Alley Spring Mill; although, Summersville mill is older, it is less well known.

*Update: The mill was built in 1886 by the McCaskills and was steam operated up into the late 1920's or early 1930's. Charlotte Siedsma 10/04/2007* *Update: In 2002 the owners of the Mill donated it to the Revitalization and Action Board of Summersville. The mill was closed in the 1970's. They are restoring the old mill. They had a second fund raiser Oct. 13, 2007. It still has the original machinery in it which is in excellent condition. They brought in an expert on mills and he said the mill has many pieces of machinery he's never seen before. Pat Moyer 10/16/2007*

This particular view is quite charming as all the mill is rather intact, just unpainted and rusty roofed.

This is a great before picture. The banner strung between two trees kicked off the restoration effort.

The after is unbelievable. It has new windows, siding (locally grown and donated), tin roof (donated), new flooring in two areas (donated), plus lots of TLC by the local people who stepped up to help.

Longtime Summersville resident, Roy Broce, working very hard in the preservation & restoration effort. The mills basement or engine room.

The old mill closed in the 1970's, but its derelict outer appearance perhaps saved it vandals and such like. Inside, there resided a wealth of mill machinery and mechanisms. A row or bank of about 4 or five roller mills.

A lineshaft, of which there are many, with pulleys attached in the basement. Roy Broce, a cowboy, welder and farmer, self-described as an impatient man, warned to go slow with the restoration. Replace one windowpane at a time i.e., clean it up and let the community see that there was interest in restoration.

A flour packer. The mill, closed by Vance Donovan in the 1970's (his raincoat still hung in the office at the start of cleanup), was donated to the Summersville Revitalization and Action Board in 2002 by owners Ronnie & Joy Reeves.

A grain cleaner, one of many pieces of milling equipment still extent in the old mill. The towns civic group, estimating it might take a million dallars to restore, were deflated when their federal preservation grant was denied, probably because Alley Spring, a very nicely restored grist mill, lies only about 15-20 miles east at Eminance, Mo. The towns earlier preservation attempt of the old town hotel floundered, so the 544 residents of Summersville were ar a loss as to how to procede.

Line shaft provides power to the various bolters and sifters filling many of the mills three floors. Roy Broce provided the encouragement that the town needed. Also, Jim Price, the chief resource manager for the National Park Service's Ozark National Scenic Riverways came onboard. He advised the town not to let it get away. He saw some machinery in the mill he had never seen before.

A photo from the opposite direction from the above photo. The builders, the McCaskill Bros., also bought the mill at Houston, Mo. in 1904. Summersville's early out-moded machinery was sold to Horace Greeley and moved to Alley Spring Mill.

Many flour sacks at the mill, waiting to be filled with flour. The new roller operation was introduced in 1884 for $3,000, hence the removal of the old stone ground machinery to Alley Spring. The mill was still operated by steam, as it originally was, but later two kerosine engines replaced the steam power.

Early 1900's saw the Gates family operating the mill and a saw mill. The mill was later sold to Doc DeForest, then to Joe Donovan in 1927. Joe's son, Vance took over from his father and closed the mill in the 1970's.

The mill was still making flour from soft wheat in the mid-1960's. The mill closed out its last decade grinding cattle and hog feed for area farmers. The mill has structural as well as cultural stability. The high school Beta club has come in and helped with clean up and is now doing research on equipment. The vision is for the mill area to become a town park, with a stocked pond, picnic facilities and a mill museum inside the mill. Much of the residing was done by local Amish carpenters.