Underneath Rathbun Lake, where the south branch of the Chariton River ran, lie the remains of most of Griffinsville, a thriving little inland hamlet at the turn of the century with several houses, a general store, Barney Herr's Garage, a popular Odd Fellows hall with Uncle A.B. Lowry's harness shop beneath, a telephone exchange, an old stone mill, and Will (Bill) Herr's blacksmith shop. Herr's shop was a popular gathering place where wagon wheels were made, plow shares and tools sharpened, horses shod, and even complete wagons built, and it closed in 1959 after many years of faithful service. A post office was established in 1868 and closed in 1901, with Francis Griffin as the first postmaster and George Teater as the last. The village is thought to have been named after the Frank Griffin pioneer family and was sometimes called "old plukum town." The 1915 Appanoose County Plat book shows several buildings present in Griffinsville in section 23 of Independence Township.