Morse Mill is an unincorporated town in Jefferson County, Missouri. The town is named for John H. Morse, an industrialist who settled in the area in 1847. Constructed in the early 1870s, his three-story frame house was used as a hotel in the 1920s. Known as Morse Mill Hotel, this was the place where Bertha Gifford, America’s third female serial killer, murdered her first victim. The building still exists, as does an abandoned mill dam on the Big River in Morse Mill, left over from the gristmill that had been operated by John Morse. Morse also built the iron-frame Morse Mill Bridge that spans the Big River. Today, Morse Mill is a rural town that gives few people a reason to stop as they pass by on Highway B. Cedar Hill Lakes and Dittmer are north of Morse Hill, while Hillsboro is southeast, and the small community of Cottage Farm is south, Belews Creek is northeast, and Grubville is to the west.
Recommended Resources
A map and directions to the church in Morse Mill, Missouri are presented, along with a schedule of services and weekly programs, a calendar of events, staff contacts and office hours, a sermon archive, and an overview of the congregation’s ministries.
http://www.mmbc.net/
Hosted by RootsWeb, the genealogical project offers a history of the town of Morse Mill, as well as historical photographs.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mojeffer/com_morsemill2.html
As a project of the Rainbow Ranch Project, the Recycling Rover program offers pet adoption assistance and the ability to house a limited number of stray, homeless and misplaced animals, recycling them through rehabilitation in approved foster homes, behavioral training, and long term assistance. General information about the Morse Mill, Missouri program is presented, with photographs and contacts.
http://www.recyclingrover.com/
Constructed as a farm house in 1816, while the area was still under the rule of the Spanish in the Louisiana Territory, it was purchased by John H. Morse in 1856, and added onto in subsequent years. As a hotel during the Roaring Twenties, the building saw several famous guest from all over the world, including Jesse James, Al Capone, Charles Lindbergh, and Clara Bow, for whom the character Betty Boop was created. Bertha Gifford, America's third serial killer, was a cook at the hotel.
http://morsemillhotel.com/
Provided by Animal Cruelty and Neglect, the site features information about the Rainbow Ranch Project and its Recycling Rover animal shelter in Morse Mill, Missouri. Included are copies of its articles of incorporation and dissolution, warning letters issued to the organization, inspection reports, and eye witness accounts.
http://www.therainbowranchproject.com/
