Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site

Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site The OFFICIAL page of Watkins Woolen Mill State Park & Historic Site in Lawson, Mo. of Natural Resources for the benefit of all Missourians.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site consists of a 1,500-acre park including recreational facilities and the historic site grounds. The park offers a campground (99 sites), picnic areas, a small lake (fishing, boating and swimming), a youth camping area, a 3.75-mile paved hiking and bicycling trail and an equestrian trail. The historic site grounds contain the visitor center, mus

eum, the 1861 woolen mill, the 1850s Watkins family home, the 1856 Franklin Academy and the 1871 Mount Vernon Baptist Church. The state park system is composed of 92 parks and historic sites managed by the Dept. This forum is for speech related to Missouri State Parks. The views, opinions and positions expressed by users providing comments on this page are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Missouri State Parks or any employee thereof.

Yoga in the Park. Our friends group, The Watkins Mill Association, has a number of fun events lined up for the summer. ...
06/06/2026

Yoga in the Park. Our friends group, The Watkins Mill Association, has a number of fun events lined up for the summer. Check out their web page for more info. https://www.watkinsmill.org/ Trivia question: which organization has been around longer, The Watkins Mill Association or Watkins Woolen Mill State Park?

Yes, we do rent kayaks. Singles are $20 for two hours, $30 for all day. Tandems are $20 for two hours, $35 for all day. ...
05/25/2026

Yes, we do rent kayaks. Singles are $20 for two hours, $30 for all day. Tandems are $20 for two hours, $35 for all day. Kayaks can be rented from 10:00am - 4:00pm. All rentals need to be returned by 6:00pm. Payment is made at the campground; kayaks are picked up at the boat launch.
https://mostateparks.com/park/watkins-mill-state-park

The staff really like the photo but are stumped when it comes to a caption for it. What do you think, what's your capti...
05/23/2026

The staff really like the photo but are stumped when it comes to a caption for it. What do you think, what's your caption?

The Master Gardeners will be having a number of garden activities during Spring on the Farm and will be happy to answer ...
05/14/2026

The Master Gardeners will be having a number of garden activities during Spring on the Farm and will be happy to answer your gardening questions.

Friends,Who among us has not suffered from the following?APHONIA, BLACKWATER FEVER, BONE SHAVE, BRAIN FEVER, DEPLUMATION...
05/12/2026

Friends,
Who among us has not suffered from the following?
APHONIA, BLACKWATER FEVER, BONE SHAVE, BRAIN FEVER, DEPLUMATION, ECLAMPSY, FLUX OF HUMOUR, JAIL FEVER, MEMBRANOUS CROUP, MILK LEG, PETECHIAL FEVER, POTT'S DISEASE, SCRIVENER'S PALSY, SOFTENING OF BRAIN, SUMMER COMPLAINT, WINTER FEVER, VIPER'S DANCE, and WORM FIT.
I, myself, suffered continually from Snortles and the SlOES. In constant torment, I tell you, until I went to SPRING ON THE FARM at the CELEBRATED WATKINS MILL. My participation in the MASTER GARDENERS MEDICINAL and CULINARY PLANT SCAVENGER HUNT helped me find nature’s natural cures for what ailed me.
https://mostateparks.com/historic-site/watkins-woolen-mill-state-historic-site

1853 a Mr. O.S. Fowler wrote “A Home For All, the Octagon Mode of Building”. Fowler was enamored with octagonal shaped b...
05/10/2026

1853 a Mr. O.S. Fowler wrote “A Home For All, the Octagon Mode of Building”. Fowler was enamored with octagonal shaped buildings, especially schools. He believed that students would perform better in an octagonal schoolhouse because the evenly distributed lighting and ventilation made it much more comfortable, and the arrangement of the desks made it easier for the teacher to keep an eye on everybody. His book went viral and started an octagonal building craze.
By 1857 at least 1,000 octagonal houses had been built around the country as well as a number of octagonal churches, schoolhouses, barns, and pigsties. (lucky pigs!)
We have an octagonal schoolhouse at Watkins Mill. It’s usually only open for school programs, but as part of Spring on the Farm you can visit the schoolhouse and play old-time games in the school yard, for free!

What a fun way to wrap up National Volunteer Week! On April 24th our volunteers worked with our paid staff to host a fie...
04/28/2026

What a fun way to wrap up National Volunteer Week! On April 24th our volunteers worked with our paid staff to host a field trip for 70 kids! They took part in our Scavenger Hunt activity, where volunteers and staff spread out at different locations on the historic site and kids have to discover all of their locations. It's a fun event and it is only possible with the help of our volunteers! Our volunteers are invaluable to our park—we could not do all the fun things we do without them. If you are interested in volunteering at Watkins Mill please contact Rebecca, 816-580-3387.

Address

26600 Park Road N
Lawson, MO
64062

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5pm
Sunday 10:30am - 4pm

Telephone

+18165803387

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site:

Shortcuts

Share

Category