River Bottoms in Carrollton, MO

River Bottoms Brewing Company

In April, Don and I made a memorable stop, on our Missouri road trip.

Genealogy was the main reason for our visit to the small town of Carrollton. Our lunch at River Bottoms, was the icing on the cake!

Back When...

Don and I have only been to Carrollton once before. We spotted a few new things on this visit. This mural on the side of a building, made me wonder about the town, a century ago.

It was actually further back than that, when my relatives lived in town. As we drove around, I tried to picture both of my great great grandmothers strolling by the shops, in the late 1800's.

Grandma Daw

Sadly it was hard to imagine. The town's population has gone down to around 3,500. Many of the old homes and buildings are in need of facelifts. I wish I could have seen what Carrollton looked like in 1897, when my Grandma-Daw, was a baby.

Daw is posing with both sets of grandparents, in this photo. The Ely and Jewell families both lived in Carrolton, before the turn of the century.

​Ely

​I was given my grandmother's maiden name as my middle name. As a kid (and adult!) I've always been excited to spot the name Ely, in different places. Especially on a street sign, Carrollton.

We even found Ely on some stained glass windows, in the Baptist Church. We found no hints of the Jewell family. They had fewer years in the small town. Their name got a bigger spotlight after moving to good old Springfield, MO. Oh I loved the puzzles of family history!

​Searching

Our search for old family houses, turned to a search for lunch. Street numbers have changed and houses have disappeared. It was frustrating and we were hungry.

I tried not to get my hopes up when I found a brewing company on Mapquest. It's hard enough to find a decent diner in a small town, during these pandemic times. The town seemed too small for a brewing company.

Another Mural
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Not only was River Bottoms Brewing Company open, but it was in a great historic building! 

We walked in the door and saw another mural. The interesting artwork was in progress, but it was still helped us imagine the town long ago.

​Festive Space
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The interior was welcoming, with art displayed on the brick walls and cozy booths. An elk head named was Edwin wore colored lights on his antlers. A propped instrument, made me think the brewery might be pretty fun at night.

But the most welcoming part of our visit, was our server Whitney. Not only was she talkative and friendly. but she had grown up in Carrollton and was passionate about the town and its history.

Gabbing with Whitney

After we looked over our menus a bit, we spent time asking Whitney questions. She said she didn't know any Elys or Jewells, but she introduced us to another young woman who might know.

The young woman had just come across the street, from her job at the library. (To get carryouts?) She said she didn't know of anyone with those names, but she invited us to come over after lunch and visit their genealogy room. What a nice surprise, to speak with 2 young locals, who had an interest in their town.

Food & Drink

Don and I celebrated our visit to Carrollton with a shared flight of beer.   

I'm actually worthless, discussing beer. But I'm pretty sure it was an American pale ale, that I liked best. Don was very happy with a Rye IPA . We made sure to toast to Carrollton!

Special of the Day

Whitney recommended that we just split the special of the day. Rarely do servers encourage sharing. I loved that!

The salad was packed with fresh greens, strawberries, goat cheese and almonds... topped with a  fantastic peppery mustard dressing! This did not taste like small town food.

Rueben Flatbread? 

Don is a big fan of the Rueben sandwich and I love a pizza. So this was perfect.

There was quite a party of flavors, on that flatbread! Tangy sauerkraut and salty corned beef, red onions, red pepper, bacon and a touch of sweet, in the Thousand Island! Yum!

Gypsy Stories

After we finished up, Whitney shared a few stories about gypsies in Carrollton. I'm not completely sure how much was local folklore, but these stories were definitely passed down in her family. We heard about gypsies,  who  used to come upriver by boat and stay for a while. Some folks in town, supposedly have collections of teacups, which were common gifts from the gypsies. 

We heard about the most well known and well liked gypsy woman, from way back when. She was in the area when a tornado came ripping through town. The woman begged a local to be let inside. She promised to put a spell on the town that would prevent future tornados from hitting the town. Supposedly this woman liked the town and stayed. She lived into her hundreds and is buried in the local cemetery. 

We thanked Whitney for sharing some stories and time with us. Her sister came out from the kitchen, to meet us. She took our photo and we headed out in happy spirits.

Post Lunch Exploring

​We wandered the town a bit, working off our lunch. I stepped inside to see the old Post Office. 

The courthouse and my family's old church, looked impressive!  

Last Stop Library
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Before leaving hitting the road, we stepped into the library and spent a little time looking at old Census records and news clippings.

There were no huge surprises, but I found the records showing the marriage of my great-grandmother Lillian Jewell, to my great-grandfather R.C. Ely. That made my day! 

That's my favorite kind of dining adventure! A little lunch. A little visiting. A little exploring!