There are many historical places to see when you come to the Eleven Point River area. One of these areas is called Falling Spring. 
It is located approximately nine miles south of Winona on Highway 19. Then, turn east on 3170 (Forest Service Road). Turn left on County Road 156 and go 2.3 miles. You will pass the Falling Spring Cemetery on your right and the next right will be Falling Spring.
Back in the day, the road was called the Old Thomasville Road that connected Midco to Thomasville. Falling Spring was so “busy” at times that 10 to 12 wagons would be camped along the road in front of the spring.
The availability of 500,000 gallons of water per day provided the energy for over 100 years of historic use. The remnants of a small farmstead community with the cabin, mill, house sites, and cemetery can still be seen and felt.
Falling Spring is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It is a day use area only with three picnic tables and pedestal grills. This is considered the most picturesque site in the Mark Twain National Forest. There are weddings, reunions, family gatherings, photographers, and artists that have painted this area. For example, a local artist who was also a resident of Falling Spring, Mabel Brown, painted this area for years.
Thomas and Jane Brown homesteaded the Falling Spring area in 1851. They settled in a land which looked very similar to their homeland of Tennessee. This site was settled before the Civil War.
During the Civil War soldiers are believed to have camped in the area. This area around Falling Spring provided the Brown family’s basic need, which was: water for livestock, personal use, and trees from which to build a cabin. This cabin is known today as the Thomas Brown Cabin. It was the first (over 100 years old) of four houses built near this site.
