COBB
Located in Roscoe Township; originally known as Howard’s Mill and later Richey’s
Mill. Was later known as Cobb in 1889.
Cobb had a Post Office during the years 1889-1918.
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The State of Missouri, 1904:
Cobb was in the southeast section of St. Clair County, six miles north of
Rookins and nine miles west of Collins., located in section eleven.
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Now and Then – Reminiscence, By Rev. B.F. Lawler:
Avery Howard built a Mill, the place being called Cobb. Here our already famous
Sac river had been reinforced by Cedar Creek, itself having received Horse Creek
into its channel. Horse Creek comes from way out toward “Golden Grove” as it
used to be called and drains a vast extent of country. So Mr. Avery had
something to do in harnessing the Sac river at that place to make it serve him,
turning the monstrous wheels of his then great Mill. Yes, there were times when
the raging waters had their own way.
St. Clair County Courier, 10 November 2000:
Nine miles west of Collins on Highway 54 is the Sac River Bridge. On the west
side of the old bridge, a side road ran next to the river. About a half mile
down this road would have brought you to the water mill and a small settlement.
Old man Ward settled on a piece of land on the west side of the Sac River. Dr.
Cox and Avery B. Howard built a mill on Ward’s land in 1841. This was the first
water mill in the county and was known as Howard’s Mill or the Ritchey Mill. It
was with one exception, the only mill of the kind in the county for several
years. It had two run of burrs and did a good business. Going to a mill in early
pioneer days was one of the first necessities to get food for their families.
With no roads, no bridges and no ferry boats, getting to a mill was no sorry
task when so many rivers and streams were to be crossed. Several of the early
census records list Howard’s Mill as the local post office. The first Post
Office was from Roscoe, Rives County with John Burch as postmaster on June 18,
1840, but was changed to Howard’s Mill on Sept. 8, 1854 with William H. Cock as
the postmaster. A series of postmasters were in charge from 1880 and moved from
Howard’s Mill to Roscoe a number of times. The postmasters from 1856 to 1867
were: Bertrand O. Weidemeyer, Gabrial P. Nash, William W. Ritchey, John H. Dice,
Anderson Morton, Noah Graham, Abraham S. Hart and Sterling Cooper. There were
several others until it was discontinued in 1886. The mill was called Cobb on
May 25, 1889 with James H. Fletcher, Mary S. Fletcher, Mrs. Meda Polston and
Reuben E. McLain as postmasters and continued until May 13, 1918, when the post
office was discontinued. The name “Cobb” was given the mill post office since
there was always a huge pile of cobbs near the mill. The people thought that
would be an appropriate name to give their settlements.
The mill was owned just before and at the beginning of the Civil War by William
R. Ritchey and his partner, U.L. Sutherland, both natives of Kentucky who
arrived in St. Clair County before 1840. They also had a large store in
connection with the only mill. William R. Ritchey eventually moved onto land
south of Osceola, close to the Harris Plantation.
U.L. Sutherland had a large house about ½ mile southwest of the river bridge. He
was probably responsible for the starting of a school in the area,
Cole-Hampton-Riverview. A small battle was fought there at the mill on Oct. 13,
1862. A small unit of the Southern Army took over a short time and began to mill
their flour. A union force of 50 men under General U.R. Parsons took the mill
back and began to mill their flour and meal.
A number of operators ran the store and mill over the next years. There was
always a blacksmith shop in the settlement, several drug stores, probably
several stills, a saw mill, several homes, store and one-pump gas station ran by
James Keeton which burned about 1927 or ’28. Evon Gentry built a store south of
the El Dorado – Collins road in the early ‘30s. Only rocks and some bolts
drilled into solid rock that held the mill in place show where the mill was at
an earlier time.