Battle Of Athens

Thome-Benning (Cannonball) House

Built in 1853, this home has entrance and exit holes of a cannonball in the walls of the kitchen.

Colton Mill

Built in 1858, this building was built to withstand ice and flooding. It has thirty feet of stone foundation topped with four floors, plus attic. The top floor contained the textile manufacturing producing cloth, yarn, and custom rolls of fabric. The lower floors ground grain and the basement held the current driven water wheel.

Union Line Of Defense

This is the site of the northernmost Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River.

The land and buildings were part of the once-thriving town of Athens, Missouri. Located on the Des Moines River, Athens had nearly 50 businesses before the Civil War, including a large mill that produced flour, cornmeal, lumber, cotton, and woolen goods. Today, only a few structures remain.

Col. David Moore occupied the town with his pro-Union forces from July to Oct. 1861. Early on the morning of Aug. 5, pro-southern States Guardsmen, surrounded the town of Athens from the west.

Athens saw a rapid decline after the war, caused by many factors, the greatest being the routing of the railroad. The railroad bridge was constructed several miles down the Des Moines River instead of being built at Athens.