Jolly Bethel and Jolly Mill
Jolly Bethel Church and Cemetery and Jolly Mill grew out of the same Capps Creek community. They are separate places with separate histories, and the mill park is run by its own organization.
| Jolly Bethel Church & Cemetery | Jolly Mill | |
|---|---|---|
| County | Barry | Newton |
| Location | Sec. 12, T25N, R29W [S11] | SW¼ NE¼ Sec. 11, T25N, R29W [S1, PDF p. 9] |
| Distance apart | About ⅔ mile, straight line (calculated from S5 and S16) | |
| Historic designation | None identified in the sources reviewed | National Register of Historic Places, listed October 13, 1983 (reference 83004021) [S16; S17] |
| Organization | See About | Jolly Mill Park Foundation, a separate nonprofit [S13] |
A shared pioneer: Frederick Hisaw
The clearest documented link between the two places is Frederick Hisaw. Family tradition says the cemetery began as his family's burial ground [S9]. The National Register nomination traces the mill site's ownership [S1, PDF pp. 9, 16]:
- On April 2, 1841, Frederick Crackel received title to the waterpower site from the U.S. government.
- On July 7, 1845, Crackel sold it to Anthony Bledsoe, who resold it to Hisaw within about a week.
- Hisaw had been distilling about a mile upstream, and he moved his operation to the new site.
- In 1848 Hisaw sold the site for $300 to Thomas D. Isbell and his son John. They built the distillery and gristmill known first as Isbell's Mill and later as Jolly Mill. The Missouri Encyclopedia dates this purchase to September 1848 [S2].
Hisaw's great-grandson, John M. Slankard, gave a signed statement that was used in the 1980 nomination [S1, PDF p. 23].
Jollification
A village called Jollification grew up around the mill. The Missouri Encyclopedia says the name appears in print as early as 1855 [S2]. Thomas Wright, born into slavery in the valley, later described the village of 1861 as having "eight homes, a church, postoffice, three general stores, a drug store, a blacksmith shop and, of course, a saloon and Isbell's Mill" [S1, PDF p. 10].
During the Civil War the village was burned and only the mill survived. The nomination places this after the 1862 skirmishes [S1, PDF p. 3]. The Missouri Encyclopedia says about September 1863 [S2]. The nomination also mentions an oral tradition that the village church was spared, but concludes that "the overwhelming evidence points to the fact that only Isbell's Mill did not go up in flames" [S1, PDF pp. 18–19].
By 1875 the village was no longer officially called Jollification. For a short time it was known as "Capps Creek," and "Jolly" first appeared as a place name on a map that year [S1, PDF p. 11].
How the name arose: Most accounts connect "Jollification" with the distillery and good times [S1; S2]. A State Historical Society place-names file preserves another version, saying the mill was "named for the owner, a man named Jolly" [S14].
The 1861 village church stood at the mill, in Newton County. None of the sources reviewed identifies it with Bethel Church.
People connected to both places
- Juanita C. Hays and Otis E. Hays Jr. prepared the 1980 National Register nomination for Jolly Mill [S1]. The Missouri Encyclopedia lists their book A History of Jolly Mill: Pioneer Enterprise and Historic Treasure, published by the Jolly Mill Park Foundation in 1995 [S2]. Juanita "Dutch" (Chapman) Hays (1921–2006) was a daughter of Maro C. and Bertha (Hill) Chapman [S6]. Maro and Bertha Chapman are buried at Jolly Bethel, according to volunteer transcriptions [S8].
- Pat Chapman (1942–2026). His obituary says he "served on the board for many years" (in the context of Jolly Mill), "moved the Chapman school down there," and "served on the Jolly Bethel Cemetery Board" [S12]. One published account says the J. H. Chapman family donated the 1884 Chapman School to the Jolly Mill Park Foundation in 1985, and that the school was moved about a mile and a half to the park [S18].
Jolly Mill Park
The Jolly Mill Park Foundation was incorporated in Missouri on February 7, 1983. On March 7, 1983 it completed its purchase of the mill property from Ben D. Taylor [S1, PDF pp. 13, 27–28]. The park is at 11262 Jolly Mill Lane, Pierce City [S17]. It includes the restored mill, the Chapman School and several bridges, among them the Cummins, Hawkins and Haskins bridges [S17]. Those are surnames also found among Jolly Bethel burials [S6; S8], but the sources reviewed do not say which individuals the bridges honor.
For current park information, refer to the Jolly Mill Park Foundation. Nothing on this page is published on the foundation's behalf.