Springfield-Greene
County LibraryCompiled by Arthur Paul Moser
Vernon County
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Amos
Amos was about 8 miles north of Richards. A possible location was at Section 8, Township 27 N, Range 33 W, on an extension of Highway MM, west of V, since the General Highway Map of Vernon County shows a few houses at this location. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, Walter Williams, p. 531; General Highway Map of Vernon Co., issued by The Highway Department, 10-1-67. Unless otherwise noted, all map descriptions are from this map.)
Arthur (Osage Township)
The village of Arthur, on the Lexington and Southern Railroad (southwest quarter of southwest quarter, Section 5, Township 37 N, Range 31 W), was laid out by Frank P. Anderson, March 30, 1881 ... It contained but one store and eight or ten dwelling houses ... considerable shipping was done for the railroad station. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 394.)
It was located at Section 5, Township 37 N, Range 31 W, on Highway 71, 10 miles north of Nevada. (--Gen. Highway Map; The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531.)
Avola (Drywood Township)
The village of Avola is situated in the southwestern part of this township, on the lower half of the section line between Sections 19 and 20, mainly on the southwest quarter of the latter section. James Hyder settled a quarter of a mile north of the present site some years before the Civil War, and a school house which is still standing (1887) was built where the village now is in 1859 or 1860 ... Mr. James Huder laid out the village, but the plat was never recorded ... Avola now (1887) contains a half dozen houses, including a store, a school house and a church building.* (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 817.) (Highway N runs north and south through this area.)
A possible location was on Highway N, at an unmarked county road, north of the Barton Co. line, as the map shows a cemetery and a few buildings here: Sections 19 & 20, Township 34 N, Range 31 W, northeast of Sheldon.
It was a post-office 14 miles south of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
*This was in 1887. Not sure if anything is there now. (--Larry C. Bradley.)
Bacon Township
Bacon Township comprises all of congressional township No. 37, Range 29, and all that portion of Township 38 lying south of the Osage and within Vernon County. It is the northeastern township of the county.
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Bacon Township (Cont)
From the best evidence now obtainable -- Nelson G. McKenzie was the first settler in the township. In the year 1840, he came to the northwestern part of the township (northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 29, Township 39, Range 29) about a mile and a half northwest of Schell City ...
Papinsville was the chief trading-point of the first settlers; later they went to Balltown. For a time the nearest mill was on Sac River in St. Clair Co. ... An old man named Melton -- kept a little store on the headwaters of Kitten Creek, where the Harmony Mission road crossed the stream. He also entertained travelers, and it is said that his wife kept an almost incredibly large number of cats, to which the guests often objected ... From the great number of cats at Melton's the stream on which he then lived was called Kitten Creek. His name was also given to Melton's Branch, on which he lived at one time. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 710-711.)
Badger Township
Badger Township comprises congressional township 35, Range 30. Perhaps the first actual settlers in Badger Township were Esq. Isaac D. Smith and his son-in-law, John Hanson, who came in 1842, to the northern part of the township, on the north side of Clear Creek ... But the same year Judge James Overstreet settled in the northeast part of the township ... and it is difficult to determine with certainty ... whether he or Smith came first. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 431.)
Balltown Little Osage "Balltown" Osage Township
The village of Little Osage -- or "Balltown," as the place was for many years better known -- is located on the south bank of the Osage, in the western part of the township (southeast quarter of southwest quarter of Section 18, and northeast quarter of Section 19, Township 37) about midway from north to south ... It was both a grist and saw mill ... Austin's Mill was a well known institution to the first settlers of Vernon and Bates Counties. Mr. Austin died at Balltown in 1852 ... The first settlement on the site of Balltown was made by Daniel H. Austin, a member of the Harmony Mission Company, who in the year 1836 came over from the Mission and began the erection of a water mill on the Osage ... But the real founder of Balltown was Cecil D. Ball, a nephew of Rev. Nathaniel Dodge, who in the year 1837 came to the county first on a visit to his relatives ...
In the meantime he went to St. Louis ... He returned to Austin's Mill in 1839 and decided to engage in business and permanently locate at that point. He first purchased and then repaired and reconstructed Mr. Austin's Mill ...
The locality was a first called Austin's Mills; then Ball's Mills; then Balltown. But in 1851 Mr. Ball entered the land and laid out a town which he called Little Osage. In about 1842, the post-office was established and called Little Osage, having previously, about 1840, been located at the residence of Dr. Leonard Dodge, who was the first postmaster. This was the first post-office in Vernon County.
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Balltown (Cont)
Immediately after the Civil War Little Osage became a place of some importance. It was the only village in the county worthy of the name, for Nevada and Montevallo had been shriveled up in the flames of the conflict. It was temporarily the county seat, until a suitable place could be found for storing the records and for transacting the public business at Nevada. At one time a railroad route was surveyed through the village, and it was believed the Lexington and Southern road would be built via Balltown, but the location of the road a mile and a half to the east permanently injured the condition and prospects of the place and it gradually passed into decay. At present (1887) there is one store and but a few old houses. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 387, 388, 392.)
Balltown, see Little Osage. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
Bellamy City (Dover Township)
The town of Bellamy City was laid out by Thomas Bellamy, in September, 1882 ... There are two good stores in Bellamy at present, (1887) together with a blacksmith shop and a half dozen dwelling houses. (--History of Vernon County, 1887, p. 848.)
It was located at Sections 23 & 24, Township 34 N, Range 30 W, on Highway DD, north of B.
Belvoir Blue Mound Township
In the year 1838 Mr. John F. Son settled on the town site of Belvoir (northeast quarter of Section 25, Township 38 N, Range 30 W), and December 2, 1839, entered the land. This was one of the very first tracts of land (if it was not the FIRST tract) entered in the county; a majority of the first settlers lived on their tracts for many years before entering them ... The site was long known as Son's ferry ... For a time after the Civil War Belvoir was a fairly thriving village. Col. Tom Austin, of Nevada, was its principal citizen ... It was hoped that a railroad would cross the Osage at this point, but that hope was dispelled ... upon the location of Schell City in 1871. Sometime later, Col. Austin went back to Nevada and the town went into decay. The name Belvoir is a corruption of the French belle vue (beautiful view.) (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 542, 547, 548.)
Blue Mound Township
Blue Mound Township is composed of all of congressional Township 37, Range 39, and that portion of Township 38, same range, lying in Vernon County.
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Blue Mound Township (Cont)
The territory now embraced in Blue Mound Township was formerly a favorite locality of the Osage Indians. On the southwest quarter of Section 14, in Township 37, was located one of their principal towns, at the time of the cession of their reservation in 1825 ... There are now (1887) to be found on the town site relics of the Indian occupation of various kinds, as gun barrels, axes, hoes, bullets, lead, beads and scraps of metal.
The first actual white settler in Blue Mound Township was Peter Collen (pronounced Colly), a frenchman, who in 1836 or 1837, located on the south bank of the Osage (east half of the southwest quarter of Section 23, Township 38 N, Range 29 W) at the site of the well known Collen's ford, then called Rapids de Kaw, because the Kaw Indians who were in the habit of crossing the Osage at this point on their hunting expeditions. At that time there was quite a settlement just opposite him, on the north bank of the river, in what is now Bates County, where in about 1838 Michael Gireau had established a store or trading-point. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 534, 541.)
Bristow
Bristow was in Section 17, Township 35 N, Range 20 W, on Highway K, east of 71.
Bronaugh Moundville Township
The village of Bronaugh, which comprises the northwest quarter of Section 20; the south half of the southwest quarter, and the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 17, was laid out in the spring of 1886, on the building of the Nevada and Minden Railroad by the Bronaugh Town Co. It was named for W. C. Bronaugh, Esq., the owner of the land when it was built, a resident of Henry County ... At present (1887) Bronaugh contains three general stores, a drug store, a hardware store, a lumberyard, a hotel, etc. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 791.)
It is located at Sections 17 & 20, Township 34 N, Range 32 W, at the junction of Highways 43 & N.
Carbon Center
This little hamlet, which promised at one time to be a large and flourishing mining town, was laid out March 3, 1881, by Col. R. A. Boughan and John Mitchell ... The village is located in the center of the coal region, in the northeast part of the township (southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of southeast quarter of Section 27, Township 38 N, Range 31 W) and is almost a coal mining community. A switch some two miles in length connects it with the Gulf Railroad. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 394.)
This location is adjacent to Highway TT, which is south of the site. According to the General Highway Map of Vernon Co., there is a church and cemetery and 2 dwelling houses here.
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Center Township
Center Township comprises congressional township No. 35, Range 31. The first actual settlers in Center Township were John Hale and James Anderson, who came directly from Pulaski County here in 1840. Hale located about three miles west and north of where is now the public square in Nevada, and Anderson built his log cabin a little east of the southwest corner of the fair grounds ... Trading was done by the first settlers on Chouteau's Post (q. v.) on the Marmaton two miles above Deerfield; upon its abandonment they resorted to Balltown and Montevallo until Nevada was started ... The first physician that practiced in the "Haletown" settlement was Dr. White ... Nevada was called "Haletown." (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 583, 586, 587.)
The Village of Clayton Coal Township Eve
The village of Clayton is situated on the northwest quarter of Section 9, about two miles from the northwest corner of the township and nearly the same distance from the Kansas line. It is a way-station on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The county seat of St. Louis County is also called Clayton, its post-office bearing that name. The post-office in Vernon County is called Eve.
The village was laid out after the completion of the railroad, and named for Hon. Powell Clayton, of Kansas. Its proximity to Ft. Scott interferes with its business interests somewhat, although it has considerable local trade and business. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 565.)
It is located at Section 9, Township 35 N, Range 33 W, on Highway T, south of 54.
It is on the M. K. & T. R. R., 14 miles west of Nevada. It contains 2 stores, and is the shipping point for coal by the Osage Mining Company. Population, about 75, (1874). (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
Clear Creek Township
The first settler in Clear Creek Township was James Fergus ... In the fall of 1837 he came over from St. Clair County, and built a cabin on the southeast quarter of Section 24, (Township 36 N, Range 29 W) within a quarter mile of the Cedar County line. Clear Creek Township is composed of congressional Township 36, Range 29. (--History of Vernon Co., 1877, pp. 453, 455.)
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Connely's Springs Bacon Township
The village of Connely's Springs stands on the western line of Bacon Township (southwest quarter of southwest quarter of Section 18, Township 37 N, Range 29 W) a mile and a half northeast of Harwood Sta. on the M. K. & T. R. R. It was regularly laid out by the owner of the site, J. W. Connely ... July 28, 1885 ... The town was started at the site of the mineral springs, so called ... The post-office was established in January, 1886; G. W. Smith, grocery dealer, postmaster. There were four stores, a hotel, a blacksmith shop and a dozen dwelling houses ... A small bath house has been built, 1887. (--History of Vernon Co., pp. 721, 722.)
Coal Township
Coal Township comprises all of congressional township No. 35, Range 33. The first American settlements in Coal Township were made in the southern part, along Moore's branch. Smith Profitt was the first settler. In the spring of 1838, he came to the county ... and built a cabin on the south side of Moore's branch in the southeast quarter of Section 34 ... Trading was done at Bugg & Wilson's store at Ft. Scott, Kansas, at first. After a time Wilson ran the store by himself. Milling was done at Balltown, and on Sac and Spring Rivers. It was in the northeast corner of the township, on the Marmaton, where the storehouse of Ed and Charley Chouteau was located in the early days. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 562, 563, 564.)
Dederick
Dederick is located at Section 33, Township 36 N, Range 29 W, on Highways 54, K & AA.
Deerfield
Deerfield, on the M. K. & T. R. R. 10 miles west of Nevada, contains 1 large pottery, 1 wagon shop, and 2 stores. Population, about 100, as of 1874. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
It is located at Section 17, Township 35 N, Range 32 W, on Highways 54 & H.
The Village of Deerfield stands on Lot 2, of the northwest quarter of Section 17, in Deerfield Township, running up to the township line on the west, and to within a mile of the line on the north, making its location in the northwest corner of the township ... It contains two general stores, a drug store, blacksmith shop and perhaps thirty houses ... The site was originally settled by Abram Redfield, who settled near Deerfield in 1836. (This entry is of 1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 517, 522.)
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Deerfield Township
Deerfield Township comprises all to Township 35, Range 32. Among the first settlers in the township was Colonel George Douglass, who came to the north side of the Marmaton, (northeast quarter of Section 6,) a mile northeast of Deerfield, in May, 1834. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 516, 517.)
Dover Township
Dover Township comprises Township No. 34, Range 30 ... The first settler of this township came in about 1842, in which year a man named Britton settled on the northeast quarter of Section 7, north of the branch ... John Prior ... came from Gasconade County to the township in 1843. Prior settled on the northeast corner of Section 19 ... but in a short time located at the spring near Warwick post-office in Section 20. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 842, 843.)
Dover Township Dover Cemetery
Dover Cemetery, on Section 21, regularly laid out in 1866, by an association of citizens; the site is to be used "forever" as a cemetery. It is an old burial ground; interments were made here as early as in 1850. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 848.)
Note: The General Highway Map of Vernon Co., does not show a cemetery in this section. Highway DD runs along the north edge of this section, which is west of Bellamy.
Perhaps the following letter from the Milster Funeral Home, in Nevada, will clarify the matter:
"I think the cemetery you are referring to is the Toalson Cemetery, located in Section 21 of Dover Township. Location is 3 miles east of Sheldon, Mo., 1 mile north, 1 mile east, 1/2 mile north." (signed) Sincerely, Percy Milster.
Drywood Township
Drywood Township is composed of congressional township, 34, Range 31 ...
Perhaps Wm. Hudson was the first actual settler in Drywood Township. In 1840 or 1841 he came from Alabama to the northwest corner of the township and settled on Lot 6 of the northwest quarter of Section 7. Here he built a large double log cabin, known as Hudson's Tavern, because he entertained travelers. Passing over the road known as the Texas Trail -- the main road from Balltown to Ft. Gibson and on the Texas. Here was the voting precinct of Drywood Township, when this was a part of Bates County ... (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, 812, 813.)
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Drywood Township (Cont)
The first post-office in the southern part of Vernon County was at the residence of Judge Wm. Hudson, who was the first postmaster. The office was called Drywood ... After the war ... it was moved a mile to the eastward, and when Milo was established the office was discontinued, or practically removed to Milo.
Milling was done on Spring River, and trading at Papinville and Balltown. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 814.)
Highway BB runs along the western edge of Drywood Township.
Drywood (Drywood Township)
A post-office 7 miles south of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
It was located at Section 6, Township 34 N, Range 31 W, near Highway BB.
Duncan Creek (Henry Township)
Duncan Creek was a post-office 20 miles northwest of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
It was in the southwest quarter of Section 5, Township 27 N, Range 33 W. See Henry Township.
Dunnagin's Grove (Dover Township)
In 1844 Samuel Dunnagin settled in Dunnagin's Grove (Section 25) in the southeast part of the township. His house stood in the northeastern part of the township, (within 200 yards of where the church building now stands, 1887). Here he died in the year 1867. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 846.)
Note: The current General Highway Map of Vernon Co., shows a church and cemetery in this vicinity.
It was located at Section 25, Township 24 N, Range 30 W, south and east of Bellamy, east of Highway DD.
Fairhaven
Fairhaven was located at Section 19, Township 27 N, Range 29 W, on Highway C, north of V.
Fort Carondelet
The fort was established by Pierre Chouteau, Sr., under the authority from the Spanish Government, not later than 1787, and not earlier than 1785. It was called Fort Carondelet, in honor of the Baron de Carondelet, and was regularly set down in the lists of Spanish military posts in upper Louisiana. It was built by Mr. Pierre Chouteau, who was its first and only commandant. It was doubtless little more than a large log-cabin trading-house with perhaps a block-house and one or two cabins, the whole
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Fort Carondelet (Cont)
surrounded by palisades, re-inforced -- in places, at least by a stone fence or wall ... Fort Carondelet was really a trading-post ... The occupants of Fort Carondelet were the first residents in Western Missouri. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 104, 114, 540, 541.)
Greene Springs (Badger Township)
On Section 12, in the eastern or northeastern part of the township is a fine mineral spring, the property of George W. Greene, Esq. ... The medicinal properties are said to be equal to those of Eldorado ... They are located on a small branch in the prairie, and have been enclosed with stone work and covered with a neat pavilion.
A village or town adjoining this spring was regularly laid out and platted on the land of John C. Shaffer (south half of the northwest quarter of southeast quarter of Section 12, Township 35 N, Range 30 W), by Mr. Greene, on the 25th day of September, 1886, and named Greene Springs ... A post-office has recently been established, with Mr. Greene as Postmaster. There is also a good general store and a large hotel nearly completed. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 438, 439.)
Mr. Bradley adds: "Of course then but not now."
Goodrick (Clear Creek Township)
The little hamlet of Goodrick is the capital of Clear Creek Township, as it is the only locality in the township approximating a village or town. (1887) It received its name from the former owner of the site, Isaac Goodrick. Its location is seven miles southeast of Walker, (southwest quarter of northwest quarter of Section 28, Township 36 N, Range 29 W) at a cross-roads on the main road between Nevada and El Dorado Springs. It is thirteen miles from Nevada and nine miles from El Dorado Springs. At present (1887) it contains but one store (Mobley's) a post-office, and a blacksmith shop. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 458.)
Harrison Township
Harrison Township is composed of congressional township 34, Range 33 and is the southwestern municipal township of the county. The first white settler in Harrison Township was John Kinchin Gammons, who settled about one mile south of the mouth of Moore's Branch, (in Section 3), in the spring of 1838 ...
It is claimed that in 1842, the entire western half of what is now Vernon County was organized into a Civil Township by the Bates County Court and called Harrison ... in honor of President Harrison ... The first settlers traded at Bugg & Wilson's store at Ft. Scott ... and at one time there was a horse mill at Judge Proffitt's, but for the most part milling was done at Ball Town and down on Spring River. ... The township suffered heavy losses of life and property during the Civil War. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 765, 768, 759, 770, 772.)
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Harwood (Bacon Township)
The village of Harwood, in the southwest part of Bacon Township, was laid out in May, 1882 ... The first building was a combined store and dwelling by C. F. Coates, and was put up on Block 7, before the town was surveyed but after it was contemplated ... The village is the railroad station for Connely's Springs, and contains stores and shops, a grain elevator and corn mill, etc. (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 722.)
Henry Township
Henry Township is composed of congressional township 37, Range 33, and the two lower sections in Township 28, Range 33. It is the northwestern township of Vernon County ...
Peter Duncan was probably the first settler in what is now Henry Township. In 1839, he located nearly two miles north of the Osage, on the east side of the creek which bears his name. (Southwest quarter of Section 5, Township 37 N, Range 33) where was afterwards Duncan's Creek Post-Office. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 409, 410.)
Hoover (Henry Township)
The only town or village in Henry Township is Hoover, (1887) which is situated on the southeast corner of Section 20. It was laid out December 3, 1883, by Jacob Rumbaugh and Richard Kaufman, trustees of the Hoover Town Association. The first store was by Hoover Bros., and the establishment of the store was really the origin of the village. It now (1887) has two stores, a good drug store, one or two shops, and perhaps a dozen houses. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 414.) Highway D runs along the south side of this section, which is west of Stotesbury.
Katy
Apparently it was on both sides of the section line between Sections 7 & 8, Township 35 N, Range 33 W, a short distance south of Highway 54, near the Kansas State line. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531, and General Highway Map of Vernon Co.)
Ketterman (Blue Mound Township)
In August, 1886, Ketterman Post-Office was established in the southwestern portion of the township, and just over the line of Osage. The name is derived from one of the reported citizens, M. Ketterman who resides nearby (1887) but in Osage Township. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 534, 541.)
It was located at Section 30, Township 37 N, Range 30 W, on Highway CC, west of M.
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Lake Township
Lake Township comprises congressional township 36, Range 32 ... The township was but sparsely settled until after the (Civil) War. On the southside of the Marmaton, near the Deerfield Township line, Capt. H. C. Cogswell formerly had a well-known mill, which has long since disappeared. His widow, a most accomplished lady, a daughter of Col. George Douglas, yet resides at the crossing of the Marmaton, known as the Cogswell Ford, near the former site of the mill, (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 892, 893.)
No towns are listed for this township, although Ellis Cumberland Presbyterian Church is mentioned. (Ellis is in Deerfield Township.)
Little Osage (Balltown)
Little Osage was 10 miles north of Nevada. It contained 2 stores and 1 wagon shop. The population was about 50, (1874). (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
Marion (Osage Township)
The railroad station on the Lexington & Southern Railroad, in the southwestern part of the township, half a mile north of Marmaton, has more names than houses. It was first called "Blaine," for the "plumed knight," then "Marion" for the "swampfox," and latterly "Humble," for Mr. Charles Humble, the enterprising gentleman who presides over its destinies ... It has one store, (1887). (History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 394.)
A possible location was in Section 7, Township 36 N, Range 37 W. (--History of Vernon Co., with the aid of General Highway Map of Vernon Co.)
Metz Township
Metz Township is composed of all of congressional township 37 N, Range 32, and was organized in 1873. It was named for the little French town of the same name.
The first American settlement in Vernon County was made by the Summers brothers in the year 1829 (north half of the southeast quarter of Section 22, Range 32, Township 37) ... (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 884, 887.)
Metz (formerly known as Pleasant Valley) Metz Township
The village of Metz, (southwest quarter of southeast quarter of Section 11, Township 37 N, Range 32) was established in the fall of 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, and was named after General Bazaine's capitulation at Metz, and for that city. The locality was formerly known as Pleasant Valley. A fine steam planing mill gave the village some notoriety and attracted much attention ... (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 887. Gazetteer of Missouri, p. 624b.)
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Milo (Drywood Township)
The village of Milo is situated in the northwestern part of Drywood Township, on Lot 8 of the northwest quarter of Section 2 ... It was laid out October 14, 1881, by J. L. Samples and Mary Samples. It is as yet but a little hamlet, with stores, post-office, and a few dwellings (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 818.)
It is located at Section 2, Township 34 N, Range 31 W, on Highways 71 & E.
Montevallo Township
Montevallo Township is composed of Township 34, Range 29 ... Samuel Dunnagin, (also spelled Dunnigan) was one of the first settlers in what is now Montevallo Township ... The first religious services by the people in the southern part of the township, were held at Samuel Dunnagan's, in Dunnagan's (Dunnagin's Grove,) in 1846. (Dover Township) ... Nearly every acre of ground in Montevallo Township was the scene of some incident of record during the Civil War. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 851, 852, 853, 855.)
Montevallo
The present town of Montevallo is the successor of "Old" Montevallo, (q. v.). It is laid out on the east half of Lot 2, of the northeast quarter of Section 4, in Montevallo Township. The site was entered by Obediah Keithley, December 25, 1855, but the town was regularly laid out by Samuel Manatt November 25, 1881, but had been settled some years previously. It now (1887) contains a number of stores and shops, a good steam mill, etc. Population 300, (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 859, 860.)
Montevallo is 16 miles southeast of Nevada. It contains 4 stores, 1 hotel, 1 wagon shop, 1 grist mill and 1 large flouring mill in course of erection. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
It is located at Sections 3 & 4, Township 34 N, Range 29 W, on Highway E, east of the Cedar County line.
Moundville Township
Moundville Township comprises Township 34, Range 32. One of the first land entries in Moundville Township was made June 6, 1856, in Section 14, by the Rev. John J. Baxter, and consisted of a forty acre tract of land on the west side of Little Drywood, southwest quarter of northeast quarter of Section 14. After a few years, Rev. Baxter went down into Jasper. Much later he went to Texas; he came north again and located in the southeastern corner of Kansas, giving his name to the famous Baxter Springs, on the site of which he lived.
Moundville Township was first organized by the county court, March 6, 1867, on petition of Harvey Karnes and others ... The first election was ordered held at Karne's storehouse in Moundville Village. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 785, 786, 787, 789.)
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Mounds (Moundville)
It is 10 miles south, southwest of Nevada, and contains 3 stores and 1 hotel. Population about 100, (1874). (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
Moundville was laid out by Harvey Karnes (and Mary Karnes, his wife) on the 8th of March, 1860 ... The town had a few houses when the Civil War broke out but it soon decayed ... In the summer of 1866 the town started up ... Harvey Karnes built the first business house, Dan Arnold the first residence which was often used as a hotel. C. J. Sullivan had the first blacksmith shop, and Dr. Ashbaugh was the first postmaster. Prior to the establishment of the post-office, the citizens of the surrounding country received their mail matter at Nevada, where there was a box kept called "The Mound's box," into which all letters and papers for persons in this vicinity were thrown, and the collection was brought by whosoever chanced to call for it. For a number of years, Moundville comprised one store, a blacksmith shop, a post-office, and a few dwelling houses, but in 1882 ... it soon became a village of respectable proportions ... The publication of the Moundville Enquirer was begun in the spring of 1886. The first numbers were printed in Sedalia, the "copy" being sent up by mail from Moundville. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 790.)
Nevada City
The commissioners appointed to select the permanent county seat of Vernon Co. ... on the 1st day of October, 1886 ... made selection of ... 50 acres, which cost the county $250.00. From its natural peculiarities the county court desired to call the new town Fairview ... but the judges were reminded that there was already a village and post-office of that name in Cass Co., and the similarity would prove embarrassing ... After some discussion it was decided to call the new capital of Vernon County, Nevada City in honor of Nevada City, Calif.
Although the town was laid out in the fall of 1855, no improvements were made until the spring of 1856. In May, A. G. Anderson began the erection of a store house on Lot 1, Block 7; a few days later, D. C. Hunter began a dwelling house on Lot 8, Block 7; both buildings were frame. Anderson's was nearing completion when a wind storm blew it down, and Hunter's was the first building completed in the town; Anderson's was the first store house ...
Soon after the first houses were built the post-office was removed from "Haletown" to Nevada, and Col. Hunter commissioned the first postmaster, succeeding Col. Austin, the official at "Haletown."
With the advent of the Civil War Nevada City was subjected to raids by first the Federal troops, then the Confederates, and the "Jayhawkers," from Kansas. During the war years, Nevada City was nearly destroyed by fire.
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Nevada City (Cont)
When late in the fall of 1865, the first post bellum county court assembled here, there was no suitable building in which the judges could deliberate, and for several weeks, the county seat pro tem, was at Ball Town or Little Osage. The old school house was repaired at last, and here the county business was transacted for a considerable period of time.
The first incorporation of Nevada was as a town, by the county court, March 3, 1869. The old title of Nevada City was changed to Nevada (without the "City") by the order of incorporation, and by this name it has been known since. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 600, 606.)
It is located at Townships 35 & 36, Range 31 W, on Highways 71 & 54, (several sections.)
Nassau Junction
It is located at Section 14, Township 35 N, Range 31 W, at the southeast edge of Nevada, near Camp Clark, on the Mo. Pac. R. R.
Old Montevallo
The old town of Montevallo stood partly on Lots 4 and 5, of the northeast quarter of section 4, or about a mile and a half to the northwest of the present town ... The main street was the road from Nevada or Balltown to Springfield, which ran from northwest to southeast and the principal part of the town was built on either side of the street ... The founder of the town was Wm. Withers, who established a store here in 1850 ... The name was given by Rev. Thomas German, the first school commissioner of Vernon County ... Mr. German was a good scholar, and christened the town from two Spanish words -- monte, a mount or hill; vallo, a vale or little valley; meaning a combination of hill and valley. Due to its location, in a little valley between two ranges of hills, the name was quite appropriate ... By a special act of the Legislature, approved Dec. 12, 1855, the Montevallo Academy was chartered ... Montevallo was regularly incorporated by the county court February 9, 1860 ... At the outbreak of the Civil War the town contained several stores, mills, hotels, etc., with a population of about 250 to 350.
But when the war was ended nothing remained of the town but a few ruins that were not inflammable -- a few naked and wrecked chimneys, and a dozen unfilled wells. So complete had been its destruction by the flames of war that no attempt was made to rebuild it. The site is now a fine farm ... where once stood a busy, bustling town ... The old graveyard in the eastern part of the township, is overgrown with bushes and saplings, and many of the graves are obliterated ... Two or three tombstones mark as many graves -- one contains the names of the three soldiers killed in the hotel fight. A former owner of the farm is said to have destroyed a number of graves by plowing over them. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 857, 858, 859.)
[15]
Osage Township
Osage Township is composed of Congressional Township 37, Range 31, and the two southern tiers of Township 38, Range 31.
As the first white settlements in Vernon County were made in this quarter, so the first mills, shops, and stores were here. In 1839, Capt. Wm. Waldo established a store on the south side of the Marmatoo River (Section 33) near what was then and long afterwards known as Cephas Ford, exactly where is now (1887) the bridge across the Marmaton of the L. & S. Railway. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 381, 384.)
Panama
Apparently it was in Section 29, Township 38 N, Range 31 W, at the intersection of Highways 71 & TT. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531, with the aid of General Highway Map of Vernon Co.)
Pashaw
Pashaw was south of Highway 54, on the line between Cedar and Vernon Counties. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, Williams, p. 531.)
Pleasant Run
A post-office 11 miles south of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 624b.)
Pleasant Valley
See Metz.
Portia
Portia was located at Section 12, Township 36 N, Range 29 W, on Highway EE, near the Cedar County line. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531, with the aid of General Highway Map of Vernon Co.)
Prewitt (also known as Ellis)
The village of Prewitt on the northern part of the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 15, in Deerfield Township was about three and one-half miles east of Deerfield ... It is a station on the M. K. & T. Railway. It was laid out July 6, 1876, by W. A. Still, and named for Maj. W. W. Prewitt, who had come to the county in 1857 ... But when the railroad company came to establish the station they named it Ellis, as some say, in honor of the first passenger that alighted from the cars at this point; others assert that the station was named for one of the company employees. The post-office was also called Ellis.
[16]
Prewitt (Cont)
In 1887 Prewitt contained but two stores with two or three vacant storehouses, and a dozen dwellings. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 518, 523.)
It was located at Section 15, Township 35 N, Range 32 W, west of Highway 43, south of 54.
Richland Township
Richland Township comprises all of congressional Township 36, Range 33 W.
So far as can now be learned, the first white settler in Richland Township was Willis Bush, who came to the north side of Section 27, and built a cabin as early as 1845.
There is one post-office in the township called Enoch, after E. S. Weyand, Esq. It is located in Thornton's Store, at the southeast corner of Section 20, a few rods from the Methodist Church. It was established recently, and Mr. Thornton is the postmaster, (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 748, 751.)
The site of Enoch is near Highway Z, south of H, in Section 20, Township; 36 N, Range 33 W.
Rinehart (Metz Township)
The store and post-office of this name in the southern part of the township is conducted by J. H. Rinehart, Esq. ... The store is a large establishment and well patronized. Both store and post-office are of much convenience to a large section of the county, (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 887.)
Rock
Rock was in the northwest corner of the county, 6 miles southeast of Hume, (Bates Co.). (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531.)
Round Prairie
It was a post-office 13 miles southeast of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
Sand Stone
Sand Stone was a post-office 10 miles southeast of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
It was located at Section 35, Township 35 N, Range 30 W, on Highway E, east of Milo.
[17]
Schell City (Bacon Township)
This town, on the M. K. & T. R. R., 18 miles northeast of Nevada, contains 6 stores, 1 wagon-shop, 1 large steam flouring-mill, 1 railroad hotel and a population of about 200. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
It is in the northeast corner of the county, at Sections 3, 4, 33 & 34, Township 37 N, Range 29 W, on Highways C & AA.
The town of Schell City was laid out in the spring of 1871, by the Schell City Town Co., composed of Augustus and Richard Schell, and others ... Schell City was incorporated as a village by the county court in November, 1879. The town was named for one of the founders, the Hon. Augustus Schell ...
During the year 1885 Schell City was visited by three disastrous fires ... March 22, May 20, and 3d of August ... This last fire was visible at Clintonville, Eldorado, Harwood, Walker and Rockville. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 716, 717.)
Sheldon (Drywood Township)
The town of Sheldon is in the southeastern part of Drywood Township, on the northeast quarter of Section 35, half a mile from the Barton County line. It was laid out by Hon. Sheldon A. Wight, of Nevada, who gave the town his Christian name ... The plat was regularly surveyed May 6 and 7, 1881; S. T. Emerson was the surveyor ... The first building was a store-house put up by Wm. Hyder on Main Street (Lots 1 and 2 in Block 12) and occupied for a time by his family, which was the first in the place ... The town is incorporated as a village ... It contains a number of stores and shops, a bank, a newspaper, etc. (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 817, 818.)
It is located at Sections 35 & 36, 25 & 26, Township 34 N, Range 31 W, on Highways 71 & N.
"Shanghai" (Drywood Township)
In the southwest corner of the township, on the northeast quarter of Section 31, there was a locality before the (Civil) War called "Shanghai." The situation was about a mile and a half south of Avola. (Note: There is a cemetery in this vicinity today, 1975), according to the General Highway Map of Vernon Co.) Several years before the Civil War the Rev. Thomas R. Davis started a steam saw-mill a quarter of a mile from the exact location, where he had laid out a town which he called "Fairview." Just before the war Mr. Davis added a grist mill to his establishment. At "Shanghai" proper, Benj. Simpson had a considerable drygoods and grocery store, and there was a blacksmith shop, a grocery and two or three dwelling houses ... After the War broke out Mr. Davis went to Illinois where he remained until it was over ... It is said that the greater portion of Mr. Davis' saw mill was hauled off to Kansas by the Jayhawkers. Nothing more was heard of "Shanghai" after the War, and the site is now an excellent farm (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 814, 815.)
[18]
Stotesbury
It was located at Section 21, Township 37 N, Range 33 W, on Highways D & V.
Swart
It was located at Section 5, Township 34 N, Range 33 W, on an unmarked county road, east of T, and south of Eve.
Temple
Temple was southwest of Horton, from which point it was served by R. F. D. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531.)
Ten Mile Corner
It was on the section line between Sections 35 & 34, Township 34 N, Range 29 W, on Highway B, approximately halfway between Highways DD and the Cedar County line.
Veve
Apparently it was near Dederick, (q.v.). In Section 34, Township 36 N, Range 29 W. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531, with the aid of General Highway Map of Vernon Co.)
Virgil Township
Virgil Township is composed of congressional township 35, Range 29 W, and was named for Virgil City, the little village in the southeast corner ... Judge James Overstreet was the best known settler of Virgil Township, although he did not come until about 1844, having lived in Badger (location unknown), and Cedar County. He changed his location frequently, but finally settled on Section 13 and at the Sulphur Springs ... It may be that Dr. Elisha Smith was the first settler in the township. In 1840, he settled on Section 35, near Mulberry Creek. His son, --says that when he first came his father's nearest neighbors were at Caplinger's Mill on Sac River, (Cedar County).
The residence of old "Black Hawk," A. M. Markham, in the township was in the southwest corner, on Section 31 ... In 1850, a store and blacksmith shop were established on Clear Creek, (Section 30). (Note: The Badger referred to above may have been Badger Township.) (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 875, 876, 879.)
[19]
Virgil City
The Village of Virgil City is located in the southeast corner of the township of the same name, on the county line, a part of the village being in Cedar County. That portion of the town in Vernon County was laid out on the land of Andrew Ingraham; in Cedar, on the land of James Henderson. The town was laid out in September, 1866, by Virgil W. Kimball and Andrew Ingraham, and Mr. Kimball, the real founder gave it his Christian name. John S. Lewis, of Cedar County, built the first house which was used for a store building ... Other business houses were built ... Drs. Alfred Baxter and J. W. Cochran were the first physicians. Later, hotels were built ... but the building of the M. K. & T. R. R., and the failure to secure a road of its own, was fatal to the prosperity and almost to the existence of Virgil City ... Many of the business men and some of its other citizens deserted it, and in time many of its buildings were hauled off and used for farm buildings ... Virgil City now (1887) contains two stores, a good hotel, and an inconsiderable number of other buildings ... (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 811, 812.)
It is located at Section 36, Township 35, Range 29 W, on Highways BB & HH.
It was laid off in 1866 by Dr. V. W. Kimball, on the line between Cedar and Vernon Counties, 16 miles east of Nevada. It contains 6 stores, 2 wagon maker's shops, 2 furniture factories, 1 grist-mill, 3 nurseries, and a population of about 300, (1874). (Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Campbell, p. 624b.)
Walker Township
Walker Township comprises congressional Township 37, Range 30 W. The first actual settler within the confines of what is now Walker Township, was Dr. J. N. S. Dodson, who came from Camden County, in 1855 and located near the Dodson Mounds, having entered several tracts of land in Sections 5, 7, 8 and 17. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 496.)
Town of Walker
The little town of Walker is situated in the central portion of the township of the same name (north one-half, southeast quarter, and southeast quarter of northeast quarter of Section 16, and south one-half of northwest quarter, and north one-half of southwest quarter of Section 16, Township 36 N, Range 30) ... The town was laid out in December, 1870, by the Walker Town Co., of which J. R. Barrett, of Sedalia was president ... Hiram F. Walker -- for whom the town was named and Wm. Leslie were the original owners of the land. Major B. J. Clinton, who located here a few years before the Civil War, was perhaps the first settler in the vicinity. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 497.)
[20]
Town of Walker (Cont)
Walker is on the M. K. & T. R. R., 7 miles northeast of Nevada. (--Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, p. 624b.)
It is located at Sections 15 & 16, Township 36 N, Range 30 W, on Highways C & KK, north of 54.
Warwick Post-Office (Dover Township)
At the residence of Henry De Villiers, about the center of Section 20, is the oldest post-office and one of the oldest settled localities in the township, John Prior located near the spring in 1843 ... Captain J. M. Lowe owned the land when the War broke out, and in 1865, when it closed, sold it to Mr. Devilliers, who has resided here ever since, and has been a justice of the peace for more than twenty years. The post-office was established in 1875, with Esq. De Villiers as postmaster, and was named by him for his native shire in England. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 848.)
It is located at Section 20, Township 34 N, Range 30 W, west of Bellamy near Highway DD.
Washington Township
Washington Township comprises Township 36, Range 31 W. Abraham McKnight was probably the first settler ... It is said he opened a farm in the northern part of the township, a little east of the Marmaton, (southwest quarter of Section 4; Section 4, Township 36 N, Range 31 W, near the Missouri-Pacific R. R., and south of Elk's Lake.) Some old peach trees, or the remains of them which he planted are still there, (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, pp. 485, 484.)
Wolfe
Wolfe was three and one-half miles east of Amos, in the northwest corner of the county. (--The State of Missouri, in 1904, p. 531.)
Zodiac (Montevallo Township)
The springs bearing this name are located in the southeast corner of the township, (southwest corner of Section 35) on Horse Creek. There is a hotel here and a good bath-house, and the locality, though not advertised largely, is liberally frequented during the warm season. A town was regularly laid off here in September, 1881, by Moses Isenhower, and there are a few houses built, (1887). (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 860.)
It was located at Section 25, Township 34 N, Range 29 W. Highway B runs along the north side of this section. It is southeast of Ten Mile Corner.
Note: The town is not shown on the Current General Highway Map of Vernon Co., nor does it appear in the Commercial Atlas, Rand, McNally & Co., (1974).
[21]
Chouteau Trading-Point or Post
In about 1834 Auguste Chouteau, Jr., founded a store or trading-post on the north bank of the Marmaton, about two and a half miles from the village of Deerfield ... In about 1840 he sold this establishment to his son, Edward or Edmund of St. Louis, who came on and ran it for a number of years, or until about 1845, when his brother Charles came out and the two brothers formed a partnership, putting in a stock of dry goods, and opening a general country store. (--History of Vernon Co., 1887, p. 165.)