Springfield-Greene
County LibraryCompiled by Arthur Paul Moser
Shannon County
[1]
Akers
It was 4 miles south of Rector in the northwest corner of the county. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It was located at Sections 23 & 24, Township 31 N, Range 6 W, on Highway KK. (--General Highway Map of Shannon County, issued by The Missouri State Highway Department, 10-1-67. Unless otherwise noted, all map descriptions are from this map.)
Alley Spring
It is 7 miles west of Eminence, near the Current River. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It is located at Section 36, Township 29 N, Range 5 W, on Highway 106. Alley Spring State Park is nearby.
Angeline
A post-office from 1910 to 1929, in Delaware Township. Named by Mr. Mabrie, a settler from Buchanan County, for a feminine relative. Another explanation credited E. B. Grandin, director of the Missouri Lumber and Mining Co., with the naming of the office for Mrs., Angeline Grandin. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Banker
A small settlement near Deslet and the Reynolds County line. (--Place Names.)
There is a Banker Cave, in Section 24, Township 29 N, Range 2 W, south of Deslet and near the Reynolds County line. It is on Highway HH.
Bartlett
A village in Bartlett Township; a post-office since 1889. A railroad flag station named for W. R. Bartlett, a stock holder in the Frisco Railroad. (--Place Names.)
It is located at Section 20, Township 27 N, Range 4 W, at the junction of Highways 60 & K.
Beal
A discontinued post-office (1922-1930) in Grassy Township. Named in honor of William Beal, farmer and postmaster. (--Place Names.)
It is (or was) located at Section 6, Township 28 N, Range 1 W, on an unmarked road leading southeast from Highway HH, south of Banker Cave.
[2]
Birch Tree
Birch Tree is in the center of Birch Tree Township; a post-office since 1865. Named for a birch tree near the site of the original post-office, which was two miles from the present town site. Name given by John dePriest. (--Place Names.)
It is on the Frisco Railroad, 9 miles west of Winona. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It is located at Sections 21 & 22, Township 27 N, Range 5 W, on Highways 60, FF & 99. Population in 1966 was 420.
Blair Creek
A post-office in Blair Creek Township in 1867. Named for the stream (which was named for a pioneer family.) (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Brush Arbor
A meeting place for the Church of God in Jasper Township. Named for the arbor which has been built for shelter. A brush arbor is made by erecting posts and rafters for the roof. Branches of trees are then cut and laid over the rafters thus providing shelter from sun and rain. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Brushy
A post-office listed in 1932 and 1933, in Newton Township. Named from the school-house. (--Exact location is unknown.)
Brushy School
It was so named because of the undergrowth and brush which had grown on the cut over land. (--Place Names.)
Buckeye City
A long discontinued post-office (1879) in Buckeye Township. It was named from the Horse Chestnut trees that are plentiful in the vicinity. The hamlet was of short duration, lasting only a year or two. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Camp Zoe
A tourist resort in Watkins Township. Named for the daughter of J. W. Sharp. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
[3]
Casto
A post-office in Casto Township from 1897 to 1901. An early settler and prominent farmer, Jim Keel, raised castor beans on a large scale. He named the township and the post-office for his product. Why he shortened the name from castor to Casto is not known. (--Place Names.)(Exact location is unknown.)
Cedar Grove
A very old trading-point and a post-office since 1890 in Bowlan Township. Named for its location in a grove of cedar trees. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 4, Township 31 N, Range 6 W, on Highway PP in the northwest corner of the county, near the Dent County line.
Chiltonsville
A village in Eminence Township; now long disappeared but was across Jack's Fork from the present site of Eminence. Named for Josh Chilton, early member of the House of Representatives, (1860.) (--Place Names.)
Civil War Oak
While not a town, village or hamlet, still it is felt that this oak deserves a place in this directory. It is one of the few trees in the Ozarks having legal protection for life. The oak stands in a wheat field of what was originally the Joshua Chilton farm, a few miles north of Eminence in Eminence Township. It received its name because it saved the life of Alex Chilton, Joshua's brother, when he and his four companions were attacked by guerillas during the Civil War. The men were known to be Southern sympathizers, but the guerillas gave them a sporting chance to run for their lives. The other four men were shot, but Alex climbed into the huge tree in the clearing and hid there until the enemy left the country. The deed to the farm now carries the provision that the tree is not to be cut. (--Place Names.)
Congo
A post-office in Congo Township since 1896. Name suggested by Walter Webb, who had been studying the geography of Africa, and was attracted by the name of the great river. (--Place Names.)
It was in the southwest corner of the county, 6 miles northeast of Cobalt, (Howell Co.), and 6 miles northwest of Not. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
[4]
Cotoreva School House
District School No. 40, near Ellington. Named for Chief Cotoreva, who saved the early settlers from massacre. He is buried near the school. (--Place Names.)
Court House Cave
See Eminence. (--Place Names.)
Court House Hollow
See Eminence. (--Place Names.)
Current River
A post-office in the northeast section of the county from 1867 to 1879. Named for the river. (--Place Names.)(Exact location is unknown.)
Delaware
A post-office since 1924 in Delaware Township. Named for the creek (which was named for the Indian tribe. Also known as Indian Creek.) The stream was named first, then the township, and last the post-office; but they all seem to have been named from the Indians as well as having been transferred from one another. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 17, Township 28 N, Range 4 W, on Highway K, south of Alley Spring.
Dent's Mill
A flour mill on the little Shawnee in 1901. Named for its builder and owner, Hiram Dent. (--Place Names.)(Exact location is unknown.)
Deslet
A post-office in Bowdan Township since 1899. Because of the remoteness, the name Desolate was selected, but through some error the name was spelled Deslet. (--Place Names.)
It was in the eastern part of the county, 15 miles northeast of Shawnee. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It was located at Section 13, Township 29 N, Range 1 W, on an unmarked road running north from Banker Cave.
[5]
Eminence
The original county seat, located as early maps show, on Current River. The court house was placed on a fine hill or bluff overlooking the river; hence the name. It was burned during the Civil War and the county government was non-existent for several years; although court was held in Court House Cave (q.v.) during that time. Later the county seat was transferred to the present Eminence (q.v.). The vanished town is now often referred to as "Old Eminence." (--Place Names.)
Eminence
The present county seat, located in the center of Eminence Township. It was established in 1870 and has been a post-office since 1874, although the town was not incorporated until 1930. There has been much discussion as to the origin of the name. The obvious solution would be that it was named for its position, but it is located not on an eminence, but in a valley. Jesting neighbors have accounted for the discrepancy by a story to the effect that the first wagon bearing material for the court house broke down at the foot of the hill on which they had intended to build it, and that the inhabitants were too lazy to repair it and hence resigned themselves to living in the hollow. Naturally this explanation is indignantly rejected by natives of the town, as inspired by mere envy and uncharitableness. According to Mr. A. J. Hawkins, the town site was donated by Mr. Thomas Joshua Chilton, who had a large plantation. Mr. Chilton gave 50 acres of land to be dedicated to the public use for streets and alleys, as is mandatory under the Missouri law. This tract extended up the bald hill on the north side of the town, from which point there is a remarkable view. Hence the name. Mr. John Freeman, assistant postmaster at Eminence, says he is the grandson of W. M. Freeman who drove the first wagon-load to build the court house in 1867. He says that the wagon did break down, it being winter and the roads were very muddy, but this incident had nothing to do with the name Eminence. The original intention had been to erect the court house near Round Spring, which is about one mile down Current River, at the place now sometimes called "Old" Eminence, but usually Court House Hollow and Court House Cave. During the 1860's court had been held in this cave at the mouth of the hollow, and had Freeman's wagon not broken down in 1867, the court house building would have been erected there.
Mrs. Cora Williams, who is the daughter of the original wagon-driver, is positive that the name Eminence was transferred from Old Eminence. She says that the old place was so called before the present town was started. It was the original county seat before the Civil War. The court house there was on a fine bluff overlooking Current River. This was burned during the Civil War, and the county government was non-existent for several years. Court was held in the cave during this time. When the court house was rebuilt, it was located at the site of the present Eminence as stated by John Freeman. The court house burned again and was rebuilt. In 1937 it burned once more.
[6]
Eminence (Cont)
In 1938, a bitter fight ensued to move the county seat to Winona, a larger town, but in the extreme southern end of the county. Led by Judge Arthur Detherage, the Eminence faction was successful, and the third court house is built at Eminence this summer (1939). Reference to an early map (1861) shows a town of Eminence located on the Current River, north of the present location, which is south of Jack's Fork. This seems convincing proof of the Freeman story that Eminence is a transferred name from "Old" Eminence, which was named because of its location. (--Place Names.)
It is located at Section 34, Township 29 N, Range 4 W, at the junction of Highways 19 & 106.
Eudy
A post-office (1910-1914) in Eminence Township, named for Christopher Eudy, who came from North Carolina before the Civil War. His grandson, Dr. W. T. Eudy is now a physician at Eminence. (1939). (Place Names.)
The post-office was discontinued July 31, 1917. Thereafter, it was supplied from Summersville. (--Missouri Manual, 1917-1918, p. 644.)
It was southwest of Ink. (--Map of Western States, 1911, Rand, McNally & Co.)
A possible location is at Sections 8 & 17, Township 29 N, Range 5 W, on Highway D, north of Highway 106.
Fishertown
A section of Winona which was a lumbering camp belonging to the firm of Cordz and Fisher. The lumbering camp was moved from place to place in the vicinity, and therefore several places around Winona are referred to as Fishertown. (--Place Names.)
Flip
A post-office listed from 1915 to 1921. Named by a Mrs. Hudson for her pet dog. (--Place Names.)
It was southeast of Shawnee; a possible location is at Section 23, Township 28 N, Range 3 W. (--Map of Western States, 1911, Rand, McNally & Co., with the aid of General Highway Map of Shannon Co.)
[7]
Gang
A post-office in Bowlan Township since 1893. Named by "Uncle" Jim Ferguson, who was the leading citizen of his community and always referred to it as the "Gang." (--Place Names.)
It is in the eastern part of the county, near the Reynolds Co. line, and 15 miles west from Exchange, (Reynolds Co.). It is located at Section 1, Township 29 N, Range 3 W, on an unmarked road leading from Current River, east of Jack's Fork. It is near Little Blair Creek. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517. General Highway Map.)
Gila
A discontinued post-office (1886-1915) in Newton Township. Named for the river in Arizona. (--Place Names.)(Exact location is unknown.)
Gomez
A post-office in 1897. It evidently was of short duration or else is an error for no one could be found who remembered it. (--Place Names.)
It is listed in the following Missouri Manuals: 1897-1898, p. 425; 1899-1900, p. 423; 1901-1902, p. 385. It is not listed in the issue of 1903-04. Exact location is unknown.
Grange Valley
A post-office in 1897 in Casto Valley Township, a long discontinued post-office which took its name from a farmer's organization which flourished in the district. (--Place Names.)(Exact location is unknown.)
Haeffner
A discontinued post-office (1910-1918) in Moore Township. Named for a German family of Haeffners who farmed in the region. (--Place Names.)(Exact location is unknown.)
Hardage
A post-office since 1918 in Moore's Township. Before an office could be established, the farmers in the community had to volunteer to carry the mail, free, for a time. W. W. Thompson, who was in charge of the matter, had great difficulty in securing aid. When the office was established he decided to call it Hard, but his family objected to the abruptness of the name, so he added "age." (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 12, Township 31 N, Range 4 W, on an unmarked road south of Highway H, near the Dent Co. line.
[8]
Himont
A small settlement east of Rat near the Reynolds Co. line. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 3, Township 30 N, Range 3 W, on an unmarked road leading southwest of Midridge, which in turn is south of Rat.
Hospital Cave
A cave on Current River. Named because of the fact the cave was used as a hospital during the Civil War. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Ink
A village in Central Jasper Township and a post-office since 1886. Mrs. Deatherage, present postmistress, 1938?, says that the post-office was named by Mr. George Shedd, who died in March, 1939, at the age of 92. He chose the name after a discussion among the residents, when a bottle of ink was accidentally spilled. One of those present said, "Why not call it "Ink"?"
The story was confirmed by Mrs. Cox, grand-daughter of Mrs. Shedd, who said that Mr. Shedd had been told by the government Postal authorities that short names were desired, three letters if possible. He sent in a number of three-letter names, among which Ink was preferred by the Washington authorities. He had just received a consignment of goods in which a bottle of ink had been broken, spoiling the other articles.
The government asked for short names to fit the postal ring or stamp. Judge Arthur Deatherage confirmed the story that Mr. Shedd was asked to submit a number of three-letter names, and sent in Ink among them. He doubted the spilled ink story; he thought his grandfather-in-law had merely put down all the three-letter words he could think of. Mr. James Cox, son-in-law of Mr. Shedd said he had often heard his father-in-law tell how he had sent in the names. There was no special reason for Ink, except that he put down all the three-letter words he could remember from his school days reader. (--Place Names.)
It is 7 miles west and 10 miles north of Eminence. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It is located at Section 34, Township 30 N, Range 5 W, at the north end of Highway N. It may be reached by taking Highway 106 from Summersville east to N.
[9]
Koller
A discontinued post-office, (1915-1918) at a logging station in Jackson Township. Named for a German family, who operated the store. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Lightfoot
A post-office from 1893 to 1895. Named for the family in whose home the office was established. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Low Wassie also Low Wossie
It is a village and post-office in Pike Creek Township since 1891. First named Pomeroy after James Pomeroy, pioneer. It was changed to Low Wossie in 1892, and Low Wassie in 1925. Named because of a sink hold close to the village. A Wassie is a dialect term for a rain wash or swamp. (--Place Names.)
It is 5 miles southeast of Winona, near the Carter Co. line. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It is located at Sections 23 & 26, Township 27 N, Range 3 W, on Highway DD, north of 60.
Mahon Creek
A small stream in the central section of the county which flows into Jack's Fork. Named for a family who lived at the head of the creek. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Mahon's Creek
An early post-office (1887) which has long been abandoned. Named for the creek. (--Place Names.)
Map
A post-office from 1893 to 1936. An office in Buckeye Township which was named by Mr. Smith Martin, first postmaster, because the word was short and had no duplications. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 7, Township 30 N, Range 3 W, on an unmarked road west of Himont.
Midridge
It was located at Section 36, Township 31 N, Range 32 W, on an unmarked road south of Rat.
[10]
Montier
A village in Montier Township, and a post-office since 1890. Named for A. N. Montier, who was master-mechanic of the Frisco Railroad at Springfield. Often spelled Monteer. The hamlet, according to Mr. Smotherman, was first known as Nip, after Bill Nip, who was the first section foreman on the Current River division, (of the Frisco.)
Mr. Hawkins, however, said that like Flip (q.v.), it was named for a dog, by Mr. C. P. McClellan, the first postmaster in 1885 or 1886. Nip seems more like a dog's name than a man's. (--Place Names.)
It is located at Sections 23 & 26, Township 27 N, Range 6 W, on an unmarked road from Highway M to Terresita. It is 3 miles east of Terresita, and 5 miles west of Birch Tree.
Munsell
It was located at Section 12, Township 28 N, Range 4 W, on Highway F, southeast of Eminence.
Nip
See Montier. (--Place Names.)
Not
A discontinued post-office (1887-1918) in Spring Creek Township, named by Simon Pierce, first postmaster. He meant to name it Knot, because of a very large knot on a black oak tree that stood in front of the early post-office, but not being much of a speller, spelled the word Not. (--Place Names.)
It was located in the southwest corner of the county, on the Oregon Co. line. (--Map of Western States, 1911, Rand, McNally & Co.)
A possible location is at Section 30, Township 26 N, Range 5 W, on Highway 99, since according to the General Highway Map there are several buildings at this location; not named.
Oakside
A post-office since 1891 in Current Township. Named for the timber growing in the vicinity. (--Place Names.)
It was located on a line between Sections 7 & 8, Township 28 N, Range 6 W, on an unmarked road midway between Highways WW & O, near the Texas Co. line. Also, it is near the Howell Co. line, being 10 miles from Mountain View, and 6 miles from Summersville.
Orchard Point
A post-office in 1876 in Jackson Township. Named for Nat Orchard, a farmer and postmaster, later a state senator. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
[11]
Owl's Bend
It is located at Section 16, Township 29 N, Range 2 W, on Highway 106 at the Current River.
Point Rock
A small saw-mill settlement in south central section of the county, near the Reynolds -- Carter County line. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Pertz
A post-office from 1901 to 1904. A logging spur named after the postmaster, Van Pertz. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Pine Grove
A post-office listed in 1910, in Spring Valley Township. Named for the nearby pine forest. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Pine Hill
A post-office (1867-1879) in the south part of the county. Named for the trees in the vicinity. (--Place Names.)
It was in the southeast corner of Jackson Township, No. 36. Near the Jasper Township line. (--New Atlas of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, Map #32.)
It was located at Section 36, Township 30 N, Range 5 W. (--Located with the aid of New Atlas of Mo, and The General Highway Map of Shannon Co.)
Piney Wood
A post-office (1876-1879) in what is now Bartlett Township. Named for the trees in the district. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Pomeroy
See Low Wassie. (--Place Names.)
Pulltight
A post-office from 1891 to 1902. There is a large spring at this place and the entire valley is referred to as Pulltight Valley. A steep hill leads down to the spring and in the early days a large grist mill was located there. Bringing the grain wagons heavily loaded down the hill required the men to pull tight on their reins. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
[12]
Rat
A post-office north of Timber on Big Creek since 1899. Named by James Sweeney, the first postmaster, in disgust because he could not have the name he wanted. He had asked for the name Buckhorn because he had a fine pair of horns over the post-office door; but the Department rejected that name as too long and already used elsewhere in the state. (--Place Names.)
It was located in Sections 13 & 14, Township 31 N, Range 3 W, on Highway P, in the northeast corner of the county.
Rector
A post-office in Moore Township since 1893. Named for a pioneer family, many of whom still live in the district. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 5, Township 31 N, Range 5 W, at the north end of Highway J, in the northwest part of the county, near the Dent Co. line, 4 miles north of Akers.
Riverside
A small settlement in Jackson Township on the Current River; a post-office in 1879. Named for its location by the Current River. (--Place Names.) (Exact location is unknown.)
Russell
A discontinued post-office (1874-1893) in Bowlan Township. Named for H. H. Russell, a pioneer farmer and postmaster. Listed until 1886 as Russell's Hill, (q.v.). (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 4, Township 28 N, Range 2 W, on the south bank of the Current River. Highway NN is the nearest highway.
Russell's Hill
It was in the southwest corner of Bowlan Township, on Current River. (--New Atlas of Missouri, Map #32.)
See Russell. (--Place Names.)
Round Spring
In northeast Jasper Township, a post-office since 1876. Named because of a large round spring about 80 feet in diameter. A local legend says that a mad Indian Chieftain stamped the ground until the hollowed basin from which the spring flows was formed. (--Place Names.)
It is located at Section 19, Township 30 N, Range 4 W, on Highway 19, on Current River.
Round Spring State Park is adjacent.
[13]
Shannon Dale
A community center in Newton Township, established in 1931, sponsored by the Christian Churches of St. Louis. The center contains a large rock church, a school building for adult classes in sewing, canning, weaving, etc., and tennis courts. A filling station and general store complete the group. Named for the county and the center's location in a valley. (--Place Names.)
It is located at Section 12, Township 31 N, Range 5 W, on Highway 19, near the Dent Co. line.
Shawnee
In the western part of Eminence Township. A post-office from 1891 to 1918. Named after the Indian tribe which was invited into Missouri in the early days to protect the settlers from warlike Osages. Shawnee is an old Indian word for the tribe and means "Southerners." They were first known in the Cumberland basin in Tennessee, but they were wanderers and roamed over much of the middle Southwest. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 3, Township 38 N, Range 3 W, on an unmarked road leading northwest from H, north of NN.
Sinking
It was in the northwest portion of Newton Township. (--New Atlas of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, Map #32.)
It was 10 miles south of Gladden, (Dent Co.) and 6 1/2 miles north of Timber.
See Sinkin.
Sinkin
A discontinued post-office (1874-1934) in Newton Township named because Sinking Creek goes under a hill at this point, making a sort of natural bridge which is from 1/8 of a mile to 1 1/2 miles in width. The spelling corresponds to the local pronunciation of Sinking. (--Place Names.)
It was located on a line between Sections 19 & 20, Township 31 N, Range 4 W, on Highway A, north of CC.
Summersville
While the larger portion of Summersville is in Texas Co., a small portion extends into Shannon Co. That small portion is also known as Summersville. (--Hon. H. E. Swanson, Mayor of City of Summersville, August 28, 1972.)
It is located at Section 19, Township 29 N, Range 6 W, at the junction of Highways 17, 106 & JJ.
[14]
Teresita also Terresita
A post-office since 1904. Named by the Postal Department after the suggestion, Pleasant Grove, made by Mr. R. L. Smotherman, had been rejected. The Smothermans had the store and post-office at Teresita from its establishment until about two years ago, (1945 is the date of this report), when they sold the store and moved the post-office about two hundred yards down the highway. Mr. Smotherman said a postal employee told him the name meant "spot on the earth," obviously a bad guess. The word is a common Spanish name for a woman. cf. Angeline, Louisa, Vada, etc. (--Place Names.)
It is in the southwest part of the county, near the Howell Co. line. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It is located at Section 29, Township 27 N, Range 6 W, on Highway T, south of 60.
Timber
A post-office in Jasper Township since 1896. Named from its location in a timbered region, which will eventually be included in Clark National Forest. (--Place Names.)
It is in the north central part of the county, 10 miles north of Eminence. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517.)
It is located at Section 19, Township 31 N, Range 4 W, on Highways A & 19.
Venice
In Moore Township. A post-office from 1915 to 1925. Named by Clyde Martin, son of postmaster Smith Martin, after something he had been reading ... Hawkins did not remember if it was "Merchant of Venice" or not.
It was located at Section 5, Township 29 N, Range 4 W, on Highway 19, south of the junction with D.
West Eminence
A village north and west of Eminence in Eminence Township, now almost entirely disappeared. A post-office since 1910. Named for its location across the river from Eminence. West Eminence was offered for sale November 7, 1928. The town once had a population of 2,000 but the timber industry failed and the people left. (--Place Names.)
It was located at Section 33, Township 29 N, Range 4 W, south of Highway 106. See Eminence.
[15]
Winona
In central Winona Township. A post-office since 1889, named by lumbermen from Minnesota for their home city, Winona. The word is a Sioux female name signifying a first born child. The word is used by Longfellow in Hiawatha. It was first made popular by Keeting's pathetic account of the girl Winona in his narrative of Long's Expedition. It is the story of a Sioux maiden who committed suicide because her relatives sought to make her to marry against her will. It has become a stock name in the United States, being found in 20 other states besides Missouri. (--Place Names.)
It is located at Sections 7, 13, 18, Townships 28 & 29 N, Range 3 W, on Highways H & 19, north of 60, south of Eminence on the Frisco Rail Road. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 517; General Highway Map of Shannon County.)
Winona was named in 1889, for Winona, in Longfellow's "Hiawatha." (--Our Storehouse of Missouri Place Names, Ramsay, pp. 92 and 93.)