Springfield-Greene
County LibraryCompiled by Arthur Paul Moser
[1]
Antioch
Antioch is a part of Kansas City. Also Antioch in Clark County. (--Rand, McNally Standard Ref. Guide of MO., 1974.)
Arley
Arley is on R. F. D. northwest from Kearney. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, Williams, p. 363.)
It is situated at Sec. 13, Twp. 53 N, R. 32 W on Highway C north of 92. (--General Highway Map of Clay County, issued by the Missouri State Highway Dept.; unless otherwise noted all map descriptions are from this map.)
Mail via Kearney; no population; part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Arnold's Station
Arnold's Station, on the Hannibal & St. Joseph R. R. (Sec. 1/4 of 9-5032) seven miles northeast of Kansas City was founded upon the completion of the railroad by M. S. Arnold, Esq., for whom it was named...It is claimed the present (1888) population of Arnold's Station is 200. The post-office is called Blue Eagle. (--History of Clay County, p. 508.)
This area is now in the greater Kansas City area.
It is no longer listed; there is an Arnold in Jefferson Co. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Atchison
See Missouri City.
Barry (Gallatin Township, Clay and Platte Counties)
Barry was established first as an Indian trading post about 1830, before the Platte Purchase, when what is now Platte County belonged to the red men. Its location immediately on the boundary line (west half of Center Sec. 10, and the east half of Center Sec. 11, Twp. 51 N, R. 33 W) puts half the town in Clay and half in Platte...It is 10 miles west of Liberty and about the same distance from (north) of Kansas City... (--History of Clay County, pp. 507, 508.)
There was a post-office at Barry in 1836; P. Fleming was postmaster. (--History of Clay County, p. 507.)
The post-office was discontinued in 1905. (--General Scheme of MO., Taft, p. 25; for the use of Railway Mail Clerks.)
It is now a part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
[2]
Avondale
Avondale is in the southwest corner of the county, southwest from Birmingham, on the U. P. R. R. (--Map of Missouri, 1973, T. D. Murphy & Son.)
Bemont
Bemont was north of Liberty. (--Map of Missouri, 1911, Rand McNally.)
It is no longer listed.
Birmingham (elevation 735 feet)
Birmingham is east of Minaville. (--Williams, p. 363.)
It is situated at Secs. 1 & 12, Twp. 50 N, R. 32 W, east of East Kansas City (Randolph).
Mail via Liberty; population 266. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Blue Eagle
See Arnold's Station.
It is no longer listed.
Broadview Acres
Broadview Acres is a part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Campbellton
Campbellton was north of Avondale. (--Map of Missouri, 1911, Rand McNally.)
This area is in the outskirts of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
There is a Campbellton in Franklin County. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Centreville
See Kearney; Centreville in Reynolds Co. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Chandler
Chandler was situated at Sec. 22, Twp. 52 N, R. 31 W on Highways 33 & 13 at the 69 crossing.
It is no longer listed.
[3]
Claysville (Prospect Hill P. O.)
This place was about two miles northeast of Greenville, within a half mile of the Ray County line, and four miles south of Lawson, the nearest railroad station. It contained perhaps 50 inhabitants or less. It was in Washington Township. (--History of Clay County, p. 498.)
It is no longer listed.
Claycomo
Claycomo is east of Gladstone, southwest of Pleasant Valley.
It is a branch of Kansas City Post-Office; population 1,841. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Claysville P. O.
See Greenville.
East Kansas City (Corporate name Randolph)
(--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Eatonville
Eatonville was situated at Sec. 27, 34, Twp. 53 N, R. 32 W on Highway 92 west of C.
It is no longer listed. There is an Easton in Buchanan County. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Foxwood
Foxwood is a part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Gashland
Gashland was four and one-half miles south of Nashua on the K. C. Q. & O. R. R. (--Williams, p. 363.)
This area is in the outskirts of Kansas City; Gashland is no longer listed. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Gladstone (Linden)
Gladstone is one mile north of Oakwood. It is in the southwest corner of the county. It includes Oaks, Oakwood Park, Oakview, Oakwood Manor, and is a branch of the Kansas City Post-Office. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Glenaire
Glenaire is situated at Sec. 13 & 24, Twp. 51 N, R. 32 W on Highway 10 between Liberty and Pleasant Valley.
Mail via Liberty; population 505: Rand McNally, 1974.
[3b]
Excelsior Springs
Excelsior Springs was discovered in June, 1880...When it was learned that the waters of the springs had medicinal properties, the owner was advised to lay out a town. The town was surveyed about September 1, 1880, by County Surveyor Thomas B. Rogers...
Near the same time (fall of 1880) there was a large political meeting in the grove, in the creek bottom, which was conducted under the auspices of the Democrats...The post-office was established in March, 1881, and was at first and for about two years thereafter called Vigniti, instead of Excelsior Springs. The first postmaster was J. B. Holton...
February 7, 1881, Excelsior Springs was incorporated by the County Court as a village, the site comprising all of the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Sec. 1, Twp. 52 N, R. 30 W...July 12, 1881, the town was incorporated under the law as a city of the fourth class. E. Smith was the first mayor. (--History of Clay County, 1885, pp. 384, 385, 386.)
In 1900 the population was estimated at 2500. The town was laid out in 1880 by A. W. Wyman and J. V. B. Flack. July 12, 1882, Excelsior Springs was incorporated as a city of the fourth class, E. Snith, Mayor... (--Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, Vol. 2, p. 403.)
[4]
Gosneyville
Gosneyville, a small hamlet in the northern part of Platte Township (on the SE 1/4 of Sec. 5, Twp. 53 N, R. 32 W), had half a dozen houses, two churches, stores, etc. It was never regularly laid out and had no official history. Many years ago (from 1885) John Gosney established a blacksmith shop here, and for him the village was named. The post-office was called Paradise. (--History of Clay County, p. 427.)
See Paradise.
Greenville (Claytonville P. O.)
It was located in the southern part of Washington Township, on Williams Creek, sixteen miles northeast of Liberty and about six east of Kearney. It contained a school house, two churches and about 75 inhabitants. It was one of the oldest villages in the county. (--History of Clay County, p. 498.)
It was situated at Sec. 22, Twp. 53 N, R. 30 W on an unmarked county road north from 92.
It is no longer listed.
Harlem
Harlem was in the extreme southwestern part of Gallatin Township, on the north bank of the Missouri immediately across the river from Kansas City. It dated its origin from the completion of the railroad through to Kansas City...In 1885 the population was 200. (--History of Clay County, p. 508.)
This area is now in the outskirts of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974; it is no longer listed.)
Holt (elevation 865 feet; Clay and Clinton Counties)
The village of Holt is situated on the Clinton County line, on the northeastern half of Sec. 35, Twp. 54 N, R. 31 W...The land was owned by Jerry A. Holt, an old North Carolinian...who came to Missouri in about 1835...
Holt was laid out in the fall of 1867, and named for Uncle Jerry Holt, the owner of the land...The first house was built on lot 5, in East Holt, by J. C. Dever, and the building was occupied by Mr. Dever first as a store. Holt was incorporated February 4, 1878... (--History of Clay County, p. 453.)
It is on Highway CC east of the junction with 33.
In 1868 the post-office was established. Capt. Jacob Lamb secured the office and was the first postmaster...Prior to its establishment, Haynesville, Clinton Co., was the nearest post-office... (--History of Clay County, 1920, Woodson, p. 206.)
[5]
Kearney (elevation 830 feet)
What is now the southeastern portion of the town of Kearney was originally called Centerville, and was laid out by David T. Duncan and W. R. Cave in the spring of 1856. Duncan lived on and owned the north half of the site of Centerville. Cave purchased the south half from his father, Uriel Cave, the original owner. The first houses were built by Adam Pence and W. R. Cave, and theirs were the first families in the village.
Barney Spencer, a Kentuckian, owned the first store in Centerville...Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Centerville contained about twenty families, but when it closed there were only two or three...
The town of Kearney was laid out upon the building of the Hannibal & St. Joe Railroad in the spring of 1867, by John Lawrence...The town was named for Fort Kearney, Nebr., and not for a certain worthy citizen of the community...
Kearney was incorporated "as a village or town" by the County Court April 5, 1869... (--History of Clay County, pp. 451, 452.)
It is situated at Secs. 26, 27, 34 & 35, Twp. 52 N, R. 31 W, at the junction of Highways 92 & 33.
Kendall
Kendall was situated at Sec. 28, Twp. 53 N, R. 31 W, north of Centerville. (--New Atlas of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, Map 17.)
Kendall is no longer listed in Clay Co., is listed in Shelby Co. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Liberty Landing
Liberty Landing, on the Missouri, three and a half miles south of the City of Liberty, was established many years ago (from 1885.) The site was for many years a place of importance. All merchandise for Liberty and other interior towns north was put off the steamboats here. From 1858 to 1862 a large hemp factory, owned and operated by Arthur, Burris & Co., was conducted at this point...The business was broken up by the Civil War and the machinery sold to McGraw Bros. of Lexington, MO... (--History of Clay County, pp. 280, 281.)
Liberty (elevation 860 feet)
Upon the organization of Clay County, in January, 1822, the land on which the City of Liberty now stands was owned by John Owens and Charles McGhee...The legislative act creating the county appointed three commissioners to select "a permanent seat of government" for the county, and provided, that, until such an election, courts should be held at the house of John Owens...In their report to the circuit court, July 1, 1882 (sic) (no doubt 1822 is meant) as a reason for their selection (was due to the location of the site.)
[6]
As soon as the town was laid off, which was in the early summer of 1822, improvements began to be made. The first sale of lots was on the 4th of July, and at that time nearly all those fronting on the public square were disposed of...But up to about 1826 there were not more than a dozen houses in the place, and these, with perhaps one exception, were log cabins. One of the early hotel-keepers was Leonard Stacey, who had a licensed tavern in the fall of 1826 and continued in the business for six or seven years...
Probably the first store in Liberty was kept by Wm. L. Smith, the county clerk, who brought up a few goods with him from Bluffton, Montgomery Co., and sold them in his dwelling house.
Liberty was first incorporated as a town by the county court, May 4, 1829...under the name and style of "The Inhabitants of the Town of Liberty." ...The incorporation really included 160 acres of land, being the NE. 1/4 of Sec. 7, Twp. 51 N, R 31 W... (--History of Clay County, pp. 281, 282, 283, 285.)
It covers several sections in Twp. 51 N, R. 31 W at the junction of By-pass 71, 10 & 33.
Maple Park
Maple Park is a part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Linden
Linden is two miles south of Gashland on the K. C. Q. & O. R. R. (--Williams, p. 363.)
Linden also in Atchison Co; Christian Co. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
See Gladstone. Now in greater Kansas City area-- (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Miltondale
Miltondale was in the southeast corner of the county at Sec. 1, Twp. 51 N, R. 30 W on Highway N north from 210.
Milton also in Platte Co.
[7]
Minaville (or North Missouri Junction)
It is located on the NE. 1/4 of Sec. 11, Twp. 50 N, R. 32 W, eight miles from Kansas City, and six miles from Liberty. It is the point where the Hannibal, St. Joseph and the Wabash R. R. tracks formerly connected, and dates its existence from about 1868. It contained, perhaps, 125 inhabitants. (--History of Clay County, p. 508.)
It is a part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Mosby (elevation 765 feet)
Mosby is situated at Sec. undetermined, Twp. 52 N, R. 30 W, west of Excelsior Springs on Highway 69.
The railroad name is Moseby. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Missouri City
The origin of the town of Missouri City was the establishment, at the mouth of Rose's branch, about 1834, of what was called Williams' Landing...
In the year 1840 Eli Casey brought a stock of goods to Williams' Landing and opened a small store...In 1846 there were about a dozen houses at the mouth of the branch, include James Riggs' hotel, and the place was called Richfield...
In about 1844 the shipping current of the Missouri began the formation of a bar in front of Old Richfield, interfering with and preventing the landing of steam boats, and a joint stock company...laid out a town just below, but mainly on top of a high bluff overlooking the Missouri, which they called St. Bernard...The company erected a large two-story hotel on top of the bluff...Afterwards John S. Houston sold goods in this house, and was the first postmaster. The post-office was called St. Bernard.
Just below and adjoining St. Bernard was a tract of land which had been entered in the name of Abram Fry. After several transactions, another town was laid out which was called Richfield.1 Then Thos. Williams, a son of Shrewbury Williams, bought a tract of land of his father just east of Richfield, and laid out a village he called Atchison, in honor of Ho. D. R. Atchison...
March 14, 1859, the three towns of St. Bernard, Richfield and Atchison were incorporated by the Legislature as one and called it Missouri City...
From 1850 to 1861 Richfield was probably the largest hemp market above Lexington... (--History of Clay County, pp. 379, 380, 381.)
1. This may be considered New Richfield, as the hamlet which stood at the mouth of Roses' branch is remembered as Old Richfield. (--History of Clay County.)
[8]
Moscow (Gallatin Township)
Moscow is located on the NE 1/4 of Sec. 7, Twp. 50 N, R. 32 W eleven miles southwest of Liberty and five and one-half from Kansas City. The nearest railroad station is Arnold's two and a half miles away. (1885) It contained two churches...a good mill, general store, shops, etc. and had a population of about 150. (--History of Clay County, 1885, p. 508.)
The post-office was discontinued in 1905. (--General Scheme, p. 26.)
It is a part of Kansas City. Rand McNally, 1974.
It is assumed that Moscow was named for the city in Russia, as Moscow Mills, Lincoln County, was so named. (--Our Storehouse of Missouri Place Names, Ramsay, p. 33.)
Nashua (elevation 1010 feet)
Nashua is six and one-half miles south of Smithville, on the Kansas City, Quincy and Omaha R. R. (--Williams, p. 363.)
It is situated at Sec. 23, Twp. 52 N, R. 32 W, at the junction of 168 & By-pass 71.
It is a part of Kansas City.
Norona
Norona is six miles west of Missouri City on the Wabash R. R. (--Williams, p. 363.)
This area is near Liberty. (--Highway Map of Clay Co.)
Nebo
Nebo was situated at Sec. 23, Twp. 51 N, R. 31 W southwest of Missouri City.
Nebo is no longer listed in Clay County; it is listed in Laclede County. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
North Kansas City
North Kansas City is located in the southwestern corner of Gallatin Township just across the river from Kansas City. (--Woodson, p. 190.)
It is a branch of Kansas City post-office. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
[9]
North Missouri Junction
See Minaville.
Paradise
Paradise is situated at Sec. 5 & 8, Twp. 53 N, R. 32 W, on Highway W northeast of Smithville.
Mail via Smithville; population 150. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
See Gosneyville.
Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley is situated at Sec. 15, Twp. 51 N, R. 32 W, north of Claycomo.
It is one mile north of Claycomo; incorporated since 1950. It has its own post-office. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Prairie City
Prairie City was situated at Sec. 13, Twp. 53 N, R. ?, north of Greenville near Ray County line. (--New Atlas of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, Map 17.)
Highway 69 runs through this area.
Prairie City is no longer listed in Clay Co.; it is listed in Bates County, mail via Rockville. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Prathersville
The little hamlet of Prathersville was established about the year 1870. Rev. J. A. Prather, a Presbyterian minister, built a steam mill on Williams' branch, near where it empties into Fishing River, and soon after some stores and shops were put up, a school was built by the Presbyterians and Baptists and in time the village came to have twenty or more houses. Its nickname, "Shoo Fly" was given it in derision of its small size and general insignificance...and it is not impossible that some day the village will be of some importance. (--History of Clay County, 1885, pp. 388, 389.)
It is southwest of Excelsior Springs, at the junction of 10 & N.
Mail via Excelsior Springs; population 153. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Prospect Hill P. O.
See Claysville; Prospect Hill in St. Louis Co., mail via St. Louis. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
[10]
Randolph
Randolph is west of Minaville. (--Williams, p. 363.)
It is the corporate name for East Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Richfield
See Missouri City.
Robertson
Robertson was a station on the Hannibal & St. Joe R. R., five miles north from Liberty. (--Campbell's Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, p. 158.)
It was situated in Sec. 16, Twp. 52 N, R. ? (--New Atlas of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, Map 17.)
Robertson is no longer listed in Clay Co.; there is a Robertson in St. Louis Co. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Roosterville
Roosterville is situated at Sec. 19, 30, R. 31 W & Sec. 24, 25, R. 32 W in Twp. 52 N, on Highway C north from 69.
Mail via Liberty; it is a part of Kansas City. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
St. Bernard
See Missouri City.
"Shoo Fly"
See Prathersville.
Smithville
The town of Smithville stands on Sec. 23, Twp. 53 N, R 33 W, or one mile from the Platte County line and about five miles from Clinton County...The first settlers on the present site of Smithville was Humphrey Smith, who came in the spring of 1822 and two years later, or in 1824, built a mill on the fork of the Platte River...He was born in New Jersey in 1744...He was universally known as "Yankee Smith."...
Humphrey Smith had a store at his mill before 1828, and soon after a little village sprang up...
Smithville has been several times incorporated. The first incorporation was by the County Court, August 7, 1867; this was amended April 8, 1868, but the trustees appointed never qualified and July 6, following, the County Court appointed new trustees in their stead. February 4, 1878, there was another incorporation, the territory being described as "all that portion of the Southwest 1/4 of Sec. 23, Twp. 53 N, R. 33 W, lying south of Smith's fork of Platte River." October 8, following, there was a reincorporation as "a town."...The population of Smithville in 1885 was about 250... (--History of Clay County, pp. 425, 426.)
[11]
It is located at the junction of Highways 22, 169, KK, & F, north of 92.
Population 1974, 1, 785. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Stockdale
Stockdale is northeast of Missouri City. (--Map of Missouri, 1925, Rand McNally.)
It is situated at Sec. 25, Twp. 52 N, R. 31 W between Highways 10 & 69.
It has no population. (--Rand McNally, 1974.)
Thornton
Thornton is west of Randolph. (--Williams, p. 363.)
The post-office was discontinued in 1905. (--General Scheme, p. 26.)
It is no longer listed.
Vigniti
See Excelsior Springs.
Watkins Mill
It was in the northeast section of the county, in Sec. 10, Twp. 53 N, R. 30 W, north of Greenville.
It is no longer listed.
Williams Landing
See Missouri City.
Winner
Winner was north of Chandler. (--Map of Missouri, 1911, Rand McNally.)
It is no longer listed.