The Watkins Mill Association was founded in 1958 to promote the Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site and to provide financial assistance for preservation projects carried out by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks.Located northeast of Kearney, the Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site is operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks. The site provides important information about work and life in the 1800s, including farming, homesteading, business, craftsmanship, technology, wool yarn and cloth production, womens roles, and the history of the industrial revolution in rural America. The woolen mill contains the finest collection of mid-19th century textile machinery in situ in North America and includes some of the most significant textile artifacts known to survive.