Virtual Tour Station 3 The Historic Rockbridge Mill Site

Imagine you are standing in this spot in the 1850s. You would have seen a general store, black-smith shop, mill, and many other buildings. A mill and distillery operated from the 1820s to 1907, changing hands numerous times.  At the height of its production in the 1850s, it was owned by James McConathy, and produced about 17 percent of the state's whiskey.

Click on a "trail stop" to learn about what is seen along the way!

1 Devil's Ice Box Trail Head

2 Stinging Nettle

3 The Historic Rockbridge Mill Site

4  Under the Rock Bridge

5  The Dam

6  The Rock Bridge

7  Stream Piracy

8  The Providence Plank Road

9  Connor's Cave Overlook

10  The Sinkhole: Nature's Drain

12 The Devil's Icebox

11 Devil's Icebox Entrance

13 The Bluff Face: An Ancient Sea Bed

After McConathy’s death, the Emmits purchased and ran the operations off and on for thirty years.  A fire destroyed the building in 1889.  It was rebuilt and produced Heibel brand whiskey until 1907 when Boone County passed a law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol. The blacksmith shop and general store were moved, and today the store stands at nearby Pierpont, which is French for rock bridge.

The natural features and the surrounding businesses
drew many people to the area. Dances were held in a great hall near the bridge, and political speeches and theatrical performances were staged from a flat
space in the quarry. Shown in the photo to the right is the large flat surface that was quarried for stone to use in foundations and for a dam within the Rock Bridge

FoRB Office

Outdoors Building
200 Old 63 South, Suite 204
Columbia, Missouri 65205

Contact the FoRB office at
Mjdonlsn@aol.com

Contact the Park Office at:
(573) 449-7402
Check trail conditions at:
(573) 442-2249