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MILITARY WAR RECORDS MoGenWeb Rosters of Missourians who served in MISSOURI UNITS during the following wars: War of 1812, Black Hawk's War 1832, Heatherly War ca 1836/7, Osage War 1837, Mormon War 1838, Seminole Wars 1836-1837, Iowa War (Honey War) Late 1830s, Mexican War 1846 - 1848, Southwest Expedition 1846-1865, Spanish American War 1898 Cooper County Military Wars Military Records pertaining to Cooper County, Missouri for the following military eras: Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Indian Wars, Civil War, World War II, World war II and beyond can be found. CIVIL WAR ALONG KANSAS/MISSOURI BORDER Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865 Documents related to the hostilities that shook the Missouri-Kansas border region before and during the American Civil War. The collection includes photographs, letters, diaries, maps, and military records from over 25 contributing institutions. ALL WARS UP TO AND INCLUDING WORLD WAR I MISSOURI VETERANS Civil War Soldiers and Veteran’s information (Missouri) Civil War in the Ozarks Missouri Sons of Confederate Veterans National archives Available to request copies of older military records CIVIL WAR, SPANISH AMERICAN WAR, WORLD WAR I AND WORLD WAR II –UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI The Military and Mizzou, 1861-1946 From the archives of the University of Missouri, the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II are covered as well as Lt. Enoch Crowder and the National Defense Act of 1916 and the ROTC. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION While most of their holdings are not online, a variety of military records, from photos to documents to searchable databases are available. WWII Army and Army Air Force Casualties: World War II Casualties Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel: World War II Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 – 1946: WWII Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Reserve Corps Records): World War II Prisoners of the Japanese File, 2007 Update, ca. 1941 - ca. 1945: WWII Naval Group China Muster Roll and Report of Change Punch Cards, 1942 – 1945 WORLD WAR I/NATIONAL VETERANS World War I in Missouri: WWI Military Service Cards: A Brief History Soldiers' Records: War of 1812 - World War I WORLD WAR I/MISSOURIANS KILLED IN THE GREAT WAR Missourians Killed in The Great War Honor States.org HonorStates.org can be used to find killed veterans in WWII, Korea and Vietnam as well. WORLD WAR I/MISSOURI VETERANS Missouri Doughboys Prominently mentions Cpl. Rudolph Forderhase of Howard County The WWI and National Museum Memorial WORLD WAR II/MISSOURI VETERANS WORLD WAR II RESEARCH GUIDE The impact of World War II on Missourians can be seen in the State Historical Society of Missouri's collections of newspapers, letters, diaries, records, photographs, and memoirs written during or about wartime military service. The collections also offer materials pertaining to civilian life during wartime and information on veterans' organizations. These records help us to understand the effects the war had on Missourians fighting overseas as well as those providing strength on the home front. WORLD WAR II/MISSOURI CASUALTIES Missouri Casualties in WWII Honor States.org WWII Army Casualties: Missouri

BOOKS, MAPS AND RESOURCE MATERIALS Cooper and other Counties Town/Area History Books: History of Billingsville, Prairie Lick, and Ston e y Point History of Blackwater Bicentennial Boonslick History A Pictorial History of the Boonslick Area Boonville An Illustrated History Boonville An Historic River Town Bunceton 1868-1988 and 1868 – 1993 History of Clear Creek Recollections of Clifton City Clifton City 1873 – 2019 Our Town Lamine Missouri History of New Lebanon Otterville Sesquicentennial Some Might Good Years – Overton Pilot Grove Centennial 1873 – 1973 A Brief History of Prairie Home Area Books : Green Ridge MO Centennial 1870 – 1970 Jamestown 1837 – 1987 Lupus – Portrait of a River Town History of Martinsville Old Trails of Missouri Once Upon the Past – Mid Missouri Places and People Sedalia MO 100 Years in Pictures Books on History of Cooper County and Other Counties Cooper County : Discover Cooper County by Looking Back – Ann Betteridge History of Cooper County Missouri Volumes I and II – W. F. Johnson History of Cooper County Missouri – Levins and Drake History of Cooper County – Melton Memorabilia of Cooper County – The Sesquicentennial Steering Committee for 150th Birthday of Boonville Other County Histories : History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries, and Osage Counties History of Harrison and Mercer Counties Howard County History and Families History of Moniteau County History of Morgan County History of Saline County OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE AT CCHS Free Cemetery maps and brochures on historical landmarks Books, P amphlets and CD’s for sale Cooper County Plat Maps – 1877, 1897, 1915 Books : Discover Cooper County by Looking Back by Ann Betteridge The “Best” Bustle in Fayette by Mary Louise & Sylvia Forbes This Cruel Unnatural War by James Thoma “Old Pleasant Green Underground” - The Old Cemetery, at the 1825 Pleasant Green Methodist Church Cooper County MO by Florence Friedrichs Old Cooper County Churches (Cooper County Church Sketches) by Florence Friedrichs Recollections of Clifton City Lamine School Book Historically Yours by Elizabeth Davis Pilot Grove Sesquicentennial Arts and Essays by local students CD’s: The Cooper County Missouri History Series Home Town Sketches – by Emile Paillou A History of Cooper County – Levens and Drake The First Hundred Years - Melton History of Cooper County Missouri by W.F. Johnson Volume #1 or Volume #2 Old Nick Abroad Cooper County Cemeteries - James Thoma This Cruel Unnatural War – James Thoma Cooper County, Missouri History Series (Contains all of the above series)

EVENTS & PROGRAMS Our events are always open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Bring a friend or two ORPHAN TRAIN March 9, 2025 Carolyn Aggeler will give a presentation of the Orphan Train at the St. Joseph Catholic Church at 2:00 PM. The church is located at 407 Harris St. in Pilot Grove, Missouri. Carolyn has written a wonderful 43 page book with everything she has found on the subject pertaining to Cooper County. She has included multiple articles of when the children were brought to the area. TBA July 13, 2025 TBA September 14, 2025 TBA November 9, 2025

FORTS ARE BUILT COLE'S FORT Nearly two years passed before the War of 1812 broke out. Before this time, the life of the settler was fairly quiet. Nature supplied them with nearly all that they wished to eat or drink. When a place of shelter for his family had been provided, the settler could spend his time hunting and fishing. These were pleasant pastimes for him and they also provided some of the necessities for life. This life of ease and rest was suddenly changed by the beginning of the war. Great Britain declared war in 1812 against the United States. The Indians wanted to keep their land, and joined the war on the side of Great Britain. The settlers immediately began to build a fort for their protection from potential Indian attacks. The two Cole forts were built under the direction of Stephen Cole. By the fall of 1814, the settlers on the south side of the river had become so concerned for their safety that they gathered at the home of Hannah Cole to fortify and enlarge the original Cole fort. The forts most likely incorporated existing structures. They were family forts, fortified log cabins with loop holes cut so they could fire muskets through them or simple blockhouses to run to when danger was sensed. Cooper’s Fort and Fort Hempstead on the North side of the River are the two that come closest to what most people think of as forts in size and design. Cooper’s Fort held upwards of 20 or so families and over 100 young (unmarried) men. They were purposely built as forts, relatively large to house multiple families. Hannah and Stephen Cole’s forts were relatively small, maybe sufficient for about ten to a dozen families each. Any drawings of the forts at this time are artists conceptions based on what little information we have about forts, and what we know about forts further east in Kentucky, Tennessee etc. We have no period made images of any these Boonslick forts. It is thought that Hannah Cole’s fort was built on a bluff close to the Missouri River. The enlarged Hannah Cole Fort was built between 1812-1814 , and was much larger than the first, and was well fortified. This is an artist’s conception of what the fort looked like. According to an old text, they built a cabin in 1810 then built the fort in 1814. That is a reasonable conclusion although we lack specific dates. The first death among the Boonslick settlers occurred April 26, 1814 when Jonathan Todd and Thomas Smith were killed. Judge Joseph Thorpe lived in Cooper's Fort as a boy and recalled the incident: "At a very early hour next morning the men in our settlement were called together, guns in hand, ready for self-defense... they immediately set to work to build forts for protection, each settlement having its own fortifications, and the result was there were five forts built." Further research and documents reveal that there were actually nine fortifications in the Boonslick Country. Thorpe probably remembered only those closest to Cooper's Fort. The August 13, 1814 edition of the Missouri Gazette reported: "A few days ago, a barge belonging to Messrs. M. Lisa & Co. which was ascending the Missouri to their trading establishment, were induced to stop at Mackay's Saline, (commonly called Boon's Lick) as the country was overrun by the Indians and all the inhabitants were in Forts. The crew which arrived here on Saturday night, last...reports that on the south side of the Missouri, the Indians had taken all the horses and were killing the cattle for food; that on their arrival at the Saline, the people of Coles' fort were interring a man just shot by th e Indians." THE COOPER FAMILY The Cooper family came to Missouri Territory from Culpepper County, Virginia, by way of Madison County, Kentucky. In the spring of 1808 , Colonel Benjamin Cooper came up the Missouri River from the Loutre Island settlement and tried to establish a settlement on the north side of the river which was opposite the present town of Arrow Rock. He built a cabin, cleared a small piece of ground and began the work for a permanent home. However, Indian claims to this land had not yet been settled and Governor Meriwether Lewis issued an order directing him to return to Loutre Island. In February, 1810 , Benjamin and his brother Sarshall Cooper, with several others, returned to what is now Howard County. He settled at the same place and in the same cabin which he had built two years before. He led the settlers in building a fort for protection against the Indians. At that time, about a total of 150 people from both sides of the river made up the Boonslick area settlements. As the settlements were a great distance from St., Louis, the Governor considered them beyond his jurisdiction of government, so they were basically on their own for their defense. Although the Cooper family did not cross the river to live in what is now Cooper County, the County was named after Sarshall Cooper, a frontiersman who was chosen by the 112 rangers under his command to be their Captain. Many of these men from Cooper’s Fort later became famous trappers, politicians and prominent business leaders. The old Cooper's Fort marker is long gone, but in the video you can see part of it Joyce and David Campbell, descendants of Sarshell Cooper, near Cooper's Fort Actual site of the Cooper Fort is unknown, but it is somewhere over Joyce's shoulder, near the Missouri River This is where they placed the Cooper's Fort plaque many years ago. See it in the video above THE HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY FORTS By Wayne Lammers In the expansion in the early 1800’s in America, The Far West received the greatest migration of humanity that our nation has ever known. Families from the east and beyond were drawn like magnets to the western unknown. This magnet pulled at the hearts of people who wanted to improve themselves and their livelihoods. They wanted to be free…free to control their own destiny. The early pioneers that made this journey were, as we say, the “Salt of the Earth.” They marched to their own drum beat, by existing on the vast lands out west, and to be free. They had to be of strong will, and determined to look adversity in the eye and spit. They were hearty and invincible. Many a day goes by when I get up in the morning, look in the mirror and see my face and wonder how the early pioneers would get up in the same morning over 200 years ago. What we have today, the old settlers could never dream of, with all the techno items and gadgets. The cold and the hot weather - all taken in stride, it was never questioned. They did what they had to do to survive the day. In Boonville, just south of the Missouri River, Hannah Cole’s Fort was the beginning of the early white history in our Central Missouri Settlements. The forts were built in the area where the river is straight and the banks are north and south. Johnson’s History of Cooper County – pages 0100 – 0149 Twenty families and a number of young men resided in the fort. McLean’s Fort, afterwards called Fort Hempstead, which was erected on a high hill. It was the most easterly fort of the settlement. These forts were on the north side of the river. All was not ease and comfort within the fort, and the white men were denied the freedom of … of about 400, made their appearance before the fort. At this time there were two hunting parties … Only Savage succeeded in attaining the fort. As soon as Savage … north side. Todd and Smith Are Killed -In the early spring of 1812 prior to the killing of Smith. Click for full version. References : Boonslick Incredible Cooper Family Bicentennial Boonslick History pages 14-15. Settlement in Lamine Township Lamine Township was settled first in 1812. The very first settlers were David Jones, a Revolutionary War soldier; Thomas and James McMahan; Stephen, Samuel and Jesse Turley; and Saunders Townsend. Others came soon afterwards. In 1812 a fort, called McMahan’s Fort, was built in this township. References : (Courtesy of Mike Dickey, Site Administrator, Arrow Rock Historic Site) Google Books – A History of Cooper County Missouri, 1876 Google Books – History of Howard and Cooper Counties, Missouri, 1883 Google Books – History of Cooper County Missouri, 1919 Library of Congress – Illustrated Historical Atlas of Cooper County, 1897 The Tribes of Missouri Part 2 (Things Fall Apart) Full text of "History of Howard and Cooper counties, Missouri" written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, towns, and villages: together with a condensed history of Missouri, a reliable and detailed history of Howard and Cooper counties--its pioneer record, resources, biographical sketches of prominent citizens. History of Howard and Cooper Counties - Volume II - Part D (full version at website) A RELIABLE AND DETAILED HISTORY OF HOWARD AND COOPER COUNTIES – ITS PIONEER RECORD, RESOURCES, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT CITIZENS; GENERAL ... CHAPTER XXI-ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY___ 11 CHAPTER XXII -OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTY Johnson's History of Cooper County - pages 0100 - 0149 (full version at website) Continued) by all the inhabitants of this fort. Twenty families and a number of young men resided in the fort. McLean's Fort, afterwards called Fort Hempstead, was erected on a high hill near Sulphur ... the Spanish Needle Prairie. It was the most easterly fort of the settlement. These forts were on the north side of the river. On ... time all was not ease and comfort within the fort, and the white men were denied the freedom of ... of about 400, made their appearance before the fort. At this time there were two hunting parties ... the ground. Only Savage succeeded in attaining the fort. As soon as Savage ... north side. Todd and Smith Are Killed -In the early spring of 1812 prior to the killing of Smith. History of Howard and Cooper Counties - Volume II - Part B (full version at website) River and numerous smaller streams. EARLY SETTLEMENT Among the early settlers of this township, were James Taylor, who ... law of James Taylor was also one of the early settlers of this township. He was born in North ... Kelly, one of its old and most respected pioneers. EARLY SETTLERS This township, from the best information which can be obtained, was settled early in the spring of 1818. The first settlers ... sides of the township are surrounded by water. EARLY SETTLERS The township was settled first in 1812 ... In the year 1812 or 1813 there was a fort, called “Fort McMahan,” built somewhere in this township, but the exact ... once a place of memorable notoriety. In those early days it was not unfrequently called the Devil. Johnson's History of Cooper County - pages 0050 - 0099 (full version at website) Peck, who in the early days traveled in this section, gives a very ... Eagle's Nest", about one mile southwest of where Fort Kincaid was afterward erected, in what is now Franklin ... this section, committed atrocious deeds, and gave the early pioneer settlers much trouble. But all the tribulations ... mogenweb.org/cooper The Indians with which our early settlers had to contend were idle, shiftless, vicious ... been written regarding the log house of the early pioneer. It furnished an inexpensive and convenient shelter ... side and architecture, the log house of the early pioneer was the greatest democratizing agent of the ... my little old log cabin on the hill." Early Farming Implements -The farming implements of the pioneers Resource: Levens and Drake: A History of Cooper County, Missouri Bottom of Page 50 Governor Howard resigned Oct. 25, 1810, to enter the War of 1812, and died in St. Louis in 1814. ... the mighty Missouri formation has taken place. Cooper County has risen to become one of the ... been eliminated and time conserved. The history of Cooper County, from the time of the red men and ... that be ever resided in the present county of Cooper, yet it is very probable that he ... which settled in the present limits of Cooper County, has been positive in his statement that ... assumed that Boone ever resided permanently in either Howard or Cooper County are in error. However, John W. Peck, who ... tract of land in what is now Howard County. This land was surveyed on Jan. 26. History of Cooper County Missouri by W. F. Johnson, pages 50-99 Johnson's History of Cooper County - pages 0450 - 0499 (full version at website) Howard and Cooper Counties. Joseph Yarnell was an Indian fighter, a ... people remained during the troublesome days of the War of 1812. A traditional story handed down for the past ... attend a party across the Missouri River in Howard County. Bottom of Page 452 there was only one ... Shelby's raiders made their famous trip through Cooper County, during the Civil War, some of Shelby's men welded a broken ... Crews) Pulley, who were pioneer settlers of Cooper County. The children born to this marriage are: ... the best known of the pioneers of Cooper County. Frederick W. Miller served his adopted country ... Bernardine, a teacher in the public schools of Cooper County; Mary, bookkeeper in the Commercial Bank of Boonville.

OTHER AREA HISTORICAL RESEARCH SITES River, Rails & Trails Museum and Visitor's Center 100 East Spring Street Boonville, Missouri, 65233 Phone: 660 882-3967 Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4pm year-round, and 10am - 2pm Saturday and Sundays April through October The Visitor’s Center and Museum is located in the former Hirsch Wholesale Grocery Company warehouse, which was built in 1902 alongside the MKT Railroad tracks. In 2016 the City of Boonville converted the building into the new Visitor’s Center and Museum. The museum houses a half-scale replica of a Lewis and Clark keelboat, a Mitchell wagon, and railroad memorabilia including a model train display. A model steamboat, items from the sunken “Missouri Packet” steamboat and general Boonville history items are on display, as are items from the former Kemper Military School. There is also a children’s fort play area and several interactive displays. It is an excellent stop for information about Boonville and the Boonslick Region. South Howard County Historical Society and Museum 110 E. Broadway New Franklin, Missouri 65274 Phone: n/a Facebook The South Howard County Historical Society was organized in 1989. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of documents, papers, and objects relative to the history of Howard County, MO, and to promote an interest and appreciation for local history. SHCHS meets four times a year on the first Tuesday of the following months: March, June, September, and December. Our 7:00 p.m. meetings consist of a short business meeting and a program devoted to our local history. The public is always invited! Boonslick Historical Soc iety P.O. Box 426, Boonville, MO 65233 Phone Number: n/a Facebook History Focus: All aspects of the Boonslick Region, especially Howard, Cooper and Saline counties from the late 18th through mid-20th century. Funding: Non-profit, memberships and donations. Boone’s Lick Road Association P.O. Box 8076 Columbia, MO 65205 The Boone’s Lick Road Association (BLRA), incorporated in Missouri in 2011, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is twofold: First, we want to preserve and tell the fascinating stories of the first major road into the heart of Missouri. Secondly, we hope to secure federal recognition of this road as a National Historic Trail. We aim to be the most comprehensive and authoritative source for information and research into this historic trail. Arrow Rock State Historic Site 39521 Visitor Center Drive Arrow Rock, MO 6532 Phone: 660-837-3330 Email: ArrowRockStateHistoricSite@dnr.mo.go Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily March through October. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday, November through February. Free admission.

WHAT THEY DID FOR FUN In the early days of Cooper County, communities often shared the workload. Combining work and fun was a welcome and common activity. Barn raisings and barn dancing when the barn was finished were great social events. Another type of work/entertainment would be working together as a team to get major farm crops harvested. In the Fall, neighbors would gather for hog butchering at one farm and work together at what is a chore for one or two people, but not that difficult with many hands. The next week they would gather at another farm and repeat the work. They would do the same thing when it was time to bring in the grain crops at harvest time. Meanwhile, the women would be busy preparing food for the hungry workers. When the work was finished at one farm, the group would then move on to the next farm and repeat the activity until all the area crops were in. This was the “many hands make work light” idea. It was a very successful way of getting things done and enjoying the activity. Today we see farmers doing a similar activity when one of their neighbors is very ill, has been in a serious accident, or the widow needed help because she had no one to bring the crops in. The same process would also take place when it was hog butchering time. Not only was it enjoyable for the men to work together, it was a wonderful learning experience for young men. Women have had a similar type of “many hands make work light” activity. Preparing food together was a wonderful way to learn new techniques of cooking, new recipes, try new dishes and also make new friends "Quilting “Bees” were a similar activity for women. Whether it was creating a quilt for a new baby or for an upcoming wedding, women would work together on the project and have a great time during the discussions that went on. Like the young men, young girls would learn the art of quilt making which they could use in their future lives. Today, women still gather to do Civic projects and spend the day canning food. During WWI and WWII, women in the Cooper County area made quilts to raise money to send supplies to the soldiers. Today, Cooper County women make “Prayer Shawls for women with cancer. “Many hands make work light” is still true today. A Note About Quilt Making Making a quilt today is almost a lost art. Cooper County has been blessed with many current and former quilters. Even though there are many sources for fabric for today's quilters, this wonderful craft is almost unknown to most of today’s young women. If one has the opportunity to examine earlier quits, one is amazed at the variety of stitches used. These quits are truly a work of art! In colonial and later days, a family's only source of heat was the fireplace, and the fire was always "banked" at night for safety reasons. Quilts were invaluable to keep the family warm on cold/freezing nights. Early quilters usually did not have a source for their quilting materials other than their own household. Depending on the weight of the fabric, when a garment became stained, torn or had holes in it, it was not just thrown away, it was used for another purpose. It could be remade into a garment for a child or used for some other household use such as scrub clothes, towels or rag rugs. Small attractive pieces could be saved and used for quilts. Wool from men's trousers or jackets were often used for family winter quilts. For many families, it was the "wear it out, use it up, make do, or do without” policy. To receive a quilt as a wedding gift or a gift for a newborn, was almost a priceless gift. Source: Barbara Dahl Entertainment in Pilot Grove Gem Theater A small town just south of I-70 on M-135, Pilot Grove was once a thriving community. Schools, churches, doctors, and dozens of businesses once catered to the needs of hundreds of people in town as well as hundreds more on nearby farms. Heinrich's Country Store opened for business in October 1915. Later, the top floor of the store housed the town's main entertainment center—the Gem Theater. Admission was 15 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. Air-conditioning consisted of six paddle fans. Heating was done by a huge coal burning stove that was fired up early in the morning for evening shows. “Deep Purple,” a melodrama starring Clara Kimbell Young and John Gilbert, was the attraction on opening night. Unlike today when whole movies are on one DVD, these movies were shown on several reels of actual film. Between reels, slides were flashed on the screen advertising local merchants. And did I mention these were silent movies? The only sound was from a live pianist who was often accompanied by a violin or mandolin. Other great silent movie stars appeared at the Gem. For comedy, there were Abbot and Costello, Our Gang, and Charlie Chaplin. Westerns starring Buck Jones, Tom Mix, Gary Cooper, and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., were always a big hit. The movie house closed with the advent of “talkies.” The Gem continued for a number of years in its new life providing a place for high school plays and commencements. One such play, “The Feast of the Red Corn,” took place on March 4, 1937. On July 1, 1969, Heinrich's Country Store closed its doors for the last time. The building still stands and old-timers often look up at the second floor … but those days are now just a distant memory. Resource: Tales From the Village, by Richard L. Salmon “Deep Purple,” a melodrama starring Clara Kimbell Young and John Gilbert, was the attraction on opening night. Unlike today when whole movies are on one DVD, these movies were shown on several reels of actual film. Between reels, slides were flashed on the screen advertising local merchants. And did I mention these were silent movies? The only sound was from a live pianist who was often accompanied by a violin or mandolin. Other great silent movie stars appeared at the Gem. For comedy, there were Abbot and Costello, Our Gang, and Charlie Chaplin. Westerns starring Buck Jones, Tom Mix, Gary Cooper, and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., were always a big hit. The movie house closed with the advent of “talkies.” The Gem continued for a number of years in its new life providing a place for high school plays and commencements. One such play, “The Feast of the Red Corn,” took place on March 4, 1937. On July 1, 1969, Heinrich's Country Store closed its doors for the last time. The building still stands and old-timers often look up at the second floor...but those days are now just a distant memory. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours" The back of the Gem Theater looking to the left across the back of the theater at the projection room which is at the top of the short stairs The back of the Gem Theater in Pilot Grove during the town's 150th anniversary in Aug. 2023. Notice the stage and doors on each side going behind the actors or the screen Lyceum There was a Lyceum in the early 1900's which hosted local and area educational talks on different subjects. At one time Pilot Grove had two movie theaters. One was in the hall above Pat Conway's store that was also used for roller skating. There was theater at the Mercantile store on the corner of Second and Roe, now the Meisenheimer Funeral Home. Mr. Conway was the first theater operator in Pilot Grove to run a weekly serial for children and parents. Two that were very popular were "Snow White" and "Perils of Pauline." Heinrich's Mercantile on the corner of First and Roe housed the second theater. His theater featured stationary folding chairs, an elevated floor which slanted towards the orchestra pit and a stage that was used for performances and movies. Admission to the theater was an expensive 15 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. Pearlie Dwyer was the first person to sell tickets and Miss Frieda Kistenmacher was the first pianist. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours" The Princess Stock Company The Princess Stock Company presented plays featuring "Toby" and his players. In July of 1944, Toby and his players presented "The Long-Lost Perkins." "Chautauqua’s" were frequently held in Pilot Grove. They were a form of entertainment for adults by the giving of lectures, plays and concerts. They were held for several days, sometimes in tents. Outdoor movies were shown for a short time in the 1920's in a vacant lot where Twenter Lumber Company is now located. Movies were also shown in the Catholic Church Hall and there was a "CCC" or Civilian Conservation Camp located in Pilot Grove where outdoor movies were shown on Sunday evenings. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours" The Pilot Grove Rodeo The Pilot Grove Rodeo, started in 1953, celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023 featuring the Pilot Grove “Range Riders”. In 2023, over 2,000 people attended this event. Entertainment in Bunceton Princess Theater This was a theater, then a funeral home/furniture store in the 1930's, early 40's. Later a laundromat, then a bar, and is now apartments. Entertainment in Boonville Roller Skating Rinks Come to Boonville Boonville’s government and city council has changed over the years. In 1902 for instance, all elected officials were men. While the number of wards has changed occasionally, there have always been two councilmen per ward on the city council. Unlike today where the mayor leads the meetings, one councilman was elected President of the Council and led the meetings. When ordinances were passed by a majority, they were signed by the President, and then presented to the mayor for his approval. If ordinances were returned unsigned there would usually be more discussions and a vote to override the mayor’s objections. In 1902, the council had to decide if baseball could be played on public property on the Sabbath. Less than 40 years later the issue was roller skating rinks. In 1938, Ordinance #1281 was passed prohibiting the operation of skating rinks in Boonville. On November 9, 1938, Mr. Walter Viertel appeared before the Council and presented a petition requesting the city rescind the ordinance and asked for a license to operate a skating rink. Also present at the council meeting was Attorney John H. Windsor who was representing a group of businessmen who opposed rescinding the ordinance. The council voted to go into Executive Session to discuss the matter. After a lengthy discussion, no action was taken, and the regular session resumed. The following month, on December 5, 1938, a bill entitled “An Ordinance repealing Ordinance #1281 prohibiting the operation of roller-skating rinks in the City of Boonville, Mo.” was introduced by Councilman Cleary. The bill was read three times and passed unanimously by the council. The bill was signed by the President of the Council, and then presented to and approved by the mayor. Another bill was introduced to regulate and license the roller rinks. The first reading of the bill said license fees should be $50. A motion was made and seconded before the second reading to make the license fees $100. After a discussion, the bill was rewritten, read three times, and then passed unanimously. Signed by the President, it, too, was presented to and approved by the mayor. Sadly, roller rinks and bowling alleys aren't as popular in Boonville anymore. Missouri State Fair in Boonville The first attempt Within thirty years of statehood, citizens were calling for a state fair, a fair that would showcase the best of the best in the world of agriculture. On February 24, 1853, the Missouri Legislature authorized the incorporation of the Missouri State Agricultural Society. Paragraph 2 of their Charter begins: “In addition to the powers above enumerated, the Society shall, by its name and style aforesaid, have power to purchase and hold any quantity of land not exceeding twenty acres, and may sell and dispose of the same at pleasure. The said real estate shall be held by said Society for the sole purpose of erecting enclosures, buildings, and other improvements calculated and designed for the meeting of the Society, and for an exhibition of various breeds of horses, cattle, mules and other stock, and of agricultural, mechanical and domestic manufactures and productions, and for no other purposes…” Officers were named in Paragraph 5 and were from various counties around the state. M.M. Marmaduke was appointed president. James S. Rollins, Nathaniel Leonard, Dabney C. Garth, Roland Hughes, James C. Anderson, and Camm Seay, were named vice presidents. James L. Minor, Joseph L. Stephens, and William H. Trigg were appointed corresponding secretary, recording secretary, and treasurer, respectively. The Board of Directors held their first meeting in Boonville on June 22, 1853, and the first exhibition/fair was held in Boonville during the first week of October later that same year. As it was decided the Fair should also be educational, an annual address was included and the first speaker was Uriel Wright of St. Louis. The Missouri Legislature appropriated $1,351.50 for the event. The second fair was held the following year and the Missouri Legislature appropriated another $2,652.88. General James L. Minor, the Society’s corresponding secretary, was the speaker. While it has long been assumed that one learned farming and related agricultural skills by doing, Minor said, “The day is fast approaching when we must be educated for our great occupation.” It seems his vision of the future was on the mark. Few farmers today are without at least some college education. The third and last fair in Boonville took place in 1855, but it wasn’t for lack of interest. It was the last year the Missouri Legislature appropriated funds for the event. However, that did not permanently stop the fair. For years, people continued to come and compete just for the ribbons. It wasn’t until 1897 that the next serious attempt at a Missouri State Fair began. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours" In this image we find 6 locals at the 1908 fair on Main Street. To the right you see a ferris wheel. The date is August 10, 1908. From the Wayne Lammers collection Before He ritage Days After the turn of the last century, Boonville’s business leaders came up with the idea to have festivals in order to bring people into downtown. The main event would be a parade of carriages and carts covered in flowers. The Missouri Drummers’ Association (traveling salesmen) held their first annual meeting in Boonville during the 1906 Street Fair and Flower Parade. During the three-day event on July 5-7, over 600 salesmen attended and participated in that year’s festival. Besides the Flower Parade, there were concerts by bands from as far away as Moberly, a shooting tournament, and other athletic events. The ladies were not excluded as they enjoyed rope skipping, potato races, and bowling. And there was a Grand Ball for everyone. No records are available to indicate when the festivals ceased, but by World War I, they were gone. Although Boonville was platted in 1817, the official “Act to Incorporate the City of Boonville” wasn’t approved until February 8, 1839. To celebrate Boonville’s 100th birthday in 1939, the city organized a Daniel Boone Days event to run from September 28 to October 1. The 4-day party must have been a success as it was repeated the following year from September 15-18. Records on display at the Old City Jail on Morgan Street indicate Daniel Boone Days became an annual celebration through most of the 1950s. There is a picture of ladies called the Sunbonnet Belles wearing long dresses that is dated “early 1950s.” These celebrations lasted until at least 1957 because “the 1957 festival also marked the centenary of Thespian Hall.” There were no records indicating additional festivals. Until 1989… As Boonville began to plan for its 150th anniversary, another festival was born—Boonville Heritage Days. Unlike Daniel Boone Days which were celebrated in early fall, Heritage Days take place is early summer. It might have started small but, with each passing year, it continues to grow. This year boasted a parade, high school reunions, a carnival, beer and wine gardens, and enough live entertainment to satisfy the whole family. Happy Birthday, Boonville. Boonville Events and Festivals - Past and Present Boonville is known for its many festivals and special events. It was the site of the first Missouri State Fair. Cooper County Fair Established in 1950’s Daniel Boone Days (1940s – 1950’s) Festival of Lights – (no longer held) Festival of Leaves – (no longer held) Heritage Days -est. 1989 Peddler’s Jamboree – est. 2000’s Big Muddy Folk Festival of the Arts – est. 1990’s Historic Homes Tour – off and on over the years Christmas in Historic Boonville

EARLY SCHOOLS Lamine School Dick's Mill School New Lebanon School Adapted from Discover Cooper County by Looking Back by Ann Betteridge The first children to live in Cooper County were native Americans and lived in villages near the rivers. People are still discovering arrowheads, tools, pottery, and other artifacts near the village sites. Their way of life was passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. The education of a native American child included gardening, hunting, preparing food and gathering nuts. They learned from the older people in the village how to hunt and make and use the tools they needed. Prior to 1839 all schools in Cooper County were private. Before public schools were available, parents could send their children to a local private school or some type of boarding school. Often these early schools were for either girls or boys, but usually not for both. Often these schools had wonderful educational offerings, but some of the headmasters did not have good money management skills and some of the private schools were short lived. However, they did provide the need for “higher” education. SCHOOL LEGISLATION (1820) Missouri’s First Constitution Missouri’s first constitution provided that “one school or more shall be established in each township, as soon as practicable and necessary, where the poor shall be taught gratis”. Even at that early day the framers of the constitution made provisions for at least a primary education for all children. (1835) The Act of 1835 (Courtesy of Missouri Bicentennial Timeline) The Act of 1835 , approved by the Missouri General Assembly and signed by the governor, established a Board of Commissioners, the forerunner of the State Board of Education to provide at least six months of school in each term with the expenses paid from the county school fund. A county by a two-thirds majority could tax itself for school purposes. All schools prior to the year 1839 , when the public-school system was established were private. At this time there was a common school fund, and the county school fund. (1875 ) Following the Civil War, the courts have weighed in on the decision of admission of Black students to receive an equal education as white students. An early case began in 1887 when a Grundy County teacher refused to admit an African-American student to a white school that had previously welcomed all races. While the issue was debated in court, the Missouri legislature passed a law ordering separate schools for children “of African descent.” Missouri schools were officially segregated from 1875 to 1954 , when the US Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Brown v. the Board of Education. The Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling in 1889 stated that segregated schools were not in conflict with the U.S. Constitution. African-American students outside of schools with teacher, 1916 circa, A. T. Peterson, photographer, (C3888) State Historical Society of Missouri. (1889) Missouri's General Assembly passed legislation ordering separate schools for children "of African descent." (Courtesy of Missouri Bicentennial Timeline) Following the Civil War, the courts have weighed in on the decision of admission of Black students to receive an equal education as white students. An early case began in 1887 when a Grundy County teacher refused to admit an African-American student to a white school that had previously welcomed all races. While the issue was debated in court, the Missouri legislature passed a law ordering separate schools for children “of African descent.” The Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling in 1889 stated that segregated schools were not in conflict with the U.S. Constitution. Sumner School was built for the black students in the community. That changed in 1959 when desegregation became law and all students went to the same school. Public schools mostly remained segregated until the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 . (1955 ) In the beginning of the 1955 school year Missouri began to integrate their schools and admitted students on a non-discriminatory basis. When school boards were free to desegregate their schools, a number of districts immediately made plans for mixed schools, and numerous small and medium-sized towns in every section of the state desegregated part or all of their schools when the 1954-55 term began in September. Board of Education (1954 ), Missouri Attorney General announced that Missouri's school segregation laws were void. Court-ordered desegregation began in Missouri, attempting to alleviate the racial isolation of black students. The court determined that the State of Missouri was required to pay half of the cost of school desegregation plans; numerous legal issues arose. Black schools were closed. Some were used for other purposes and some were left vacant. PRIVATE COOPER COUNTY ACADEMIES, INSTITUTES, and SEMINARIES ACADEMIES: Boonville Academy - located at northeast corner of Sixth and Vine, 1880-1895; The Otterville Academy - 1891-1907; Pilot Grove Academy, 1907-? INSTITUTES: Adelphai College, aka Female Collegiate Institute - located at Fourth and Vine, 1841-1864. Was a hospital during the Civil War Kemper Male Collegiate Institute 1844 – 2002 (fix) Cooper County Institute by Rev. Buckner, Baptist Minister 1891-1893 Prairie Home Institute , 1865- 1869 Cully & Simpson’s Institute , 3 miles northeast of Bunceton, 1866-? Hooper Institute , 1876 - 1909, at Clarksburg Cooper Institute - located at Sixth and Locust, 1891-1896 Parrish Institute , Bunceton, first public school, D.R. Cully 1866-?- The Pilot Grove Collegiate College , 1878-1915. Also known later as Eichelberger Academy SEMINARIES: New Lebanon Seminary Boonville Female Seminary aka Pleasant Retreat 1840-1876, Rev. Bell, Presbyterian minister, founded the Seminary, Megquire Seminary for Girls , located at Sixth and Locust, 1892-1905 After the Civil War, public schools started to became available, allowing many more children to acquire a good education. EARLY BOONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS Hannah Cole’s Fort , John Savage taught 15 boys in 1813 Boonville Free White School , 1867 Sumner School for Black children. Located in Boonville at Jackson and Rural Streets, 1868-1956 1878 a large public school, 1 black school, 2 male schools, 2 female schools Today, there are only three of the original one-room schools still in existence. The New Lebanon School in New Lebanon, Dick’s Mill School in Cotton and the Lamine School on the border between Pettis County and Cooper County. By Jeanette Heaton By Linda McCollum PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS St. Joseph Catholic, Pilot Grove 1900 to present Sts. Peter and Paul, Boonville 1910 to present St. Martin’s Catholic School, closed 1967 St. John’s School, Clear Creek, closed 1969 Zion Lutheran School, Lone Elm 1896 to present The first school in Cooper County was taught by John Savage in the year 1813 , about one mile east of Boonville on Lilly’s Branch. There were fifteen boys enrolled. The classes were mostly held outside, with the pupils sitting on logs. The school continued only one month. The fear of an Indian attack caused the settlers to keep their children under the protection of the fort. Some of the earliest schools in Cooper County were taught by: William Anderson , in 1817 , near Concord church; Andrew Reavis, in 1818 , about 1-3/4 miles east of Boonville; James Donaldson , in the southeastern part of the county; Judge L. C. Stephens at “Old Nebo” Church; Dr. William Moore in Palestine township; and Rollins , near Big Lick. Some early schools were held in churches. Early Schoolhouses These schools were held in log school houses. Some did not have any floor but the earth. Others had puncheon floors which were made with rough timber underneath and a flat cut side on top. The windows had no sashes and were made by cutting pieces out of the logs. These openings were closed with a plank at night to keep out the wild animals. Teachers were very strict. They used the principle that “to spare the rod was to spoil the child.” Just as neighbors worked together to build their homes, and churches, they worked together to build the schoolhouse. People would come on a certain day with their cutting axes. The trees were cut, the ends of each log were notched and put in place to form the four walls. Some of the roofs were made of clapboards, which were split logs dressed so one edge was thicker than the other edge. Light from the window came through oiled paper. The chimney was made of small pieces of wood held together with a mortar of sand, limestone, water and clay. This sometimes would dry out, become loose, and fall out of place, letting strong winds pass through, and causing smoke to come into the room. In most cultures, parents want their children to learn basic skills for living, plus hopefully to learn more than their parents to enable them to be successful in life. Many of the early settlers were well educated and felt it important for their children to learn to read and write and to do simple math problem. Those families living in Cole’s Fort certainly though so, and classes were held to teach the children reading, writing and arithmetic. Whether Hannah Cole was a teacher, we have no idea. But at least one person was in charge of educating young people. After the War of 1812 was over several well-educated men served as teachers From 1813 through 1820 , Judge Abiel Leonard, William H. Moore and Dr. Edward Lawton taught the boys and girls of early settlers who lived in Boonville. Missouri’s first constitution provided that “one school or more shall be established in each township, as soon as practiceable and necessary, where the poor shall be taught gratis.” Even at that early day the framers of the constitution made provisions for at least a primary education for all children. Subscription Schools Subscription schools were held until the organization of public schools. A teacher desiring a school to teach at would go to the families in the neighborhood and have the parents subscribe (which means enroll) so many pupils, for a certain term, at so much per month. Schools were then known as subscription schools. All schools prior to the year 1839 , when the public-school system was established, were private. At this time there was a common school fund, the County school fund, and the township school fund. A subscription school was held in the Greenwood district, near Pisgah, in a small house built by Mrs. Guyer for the Methodist Church. It was used both as a school and a church. About 1887 there was an effort made to divide the district. The Pisgah people said that they did not want to send their children to Greenwood, because the children there carried ticks, and the Greenwood neighborhood came back at them with the argument that the Pisgah children had fleas. The disagreement between the two schools became so heated that in the last part of the year the district was divided. Public Schools Most public schools did not begin until sometime after the townships were organized in 1847 . The organization of public schools took place in the county after the Civil War. In 1853 school laws were revised to provide for dividing the school townships into districts, thus bringing the governing of the schools to the people in the districts. In 1855 a course of study for schools was started by the State Superintendent. Other laws through the years helped to determine the progress of Cooper County Schools. It is interesting to look back on the one-room country schools. As the years passed, log school houses became dilapidated. Some were destroyed by fire. The log houses were replaced by frame buildings. The first one-room school buildings were very small. They were about 16 feet square, with only one window on each wall. Students wrote on slates and sat on wood benches. Books were expensive, so students shared them. The buildings eventually became larger and had three or four windows in opposite walls and one or two doors in one end. The windows had eight or twelve panes of glass. The blackboard was part of the wall, painted or made of slate and placed about thirty inches from the floor and about four feet wide along the wall opposite the door. White or colored chalk was used for writing on the blackboard. The students used their wooden slates and slate pencil to work arithmetic problems, to spell words, or to draw pictures, especially of the teacher. Use of slates saved money because paper tablets were scarce and expensive. Damp cloths were used to erase work on the slates. Inside the Schools Inside the schools, chimneys were made of brick and built inside, at the end of the room. A stove that burned either wood or coal heated the room. The desks used in the frame buildings were called double desks because of their width. Two or three students could be seated at one desk. They were usually placed in a row facing the front of the room. The front and back seats had straight backs and seats which were attached with hinges and could be raised for passing or lowered for sitting. The other seats had a shelf fastened to the back of them. Underneath the shelf was a metal box which formed an open compartment in which books, tablets, slates and pencils could be kept. The wooden shelf provided a place for holding books while studying or writing. In the middle or in the upper left-hand corner of the wooden shelf there was often a small round opening into which was placed a small glass container to hold ink, which was called an ink well. In the first schools the teacher’s desk was often a table. Later the desks were like those found in offices today. Kerosene lamps were used for lighting in early schools. The lamps were later replaced with gas lamps which could be hung from the ceiling. Teaching Aids Teaching aids were usually a globe of the world and maps of the countries. There were not very many libraries in the early schools. Books were eventually purchased as the need arose. Missouri began to encourage supplementary reading about 1930 by awarding Reading Circle Certificates to students who read the designated number of prescribed books during the year. The state encouraged a study of famous artists and their works by assigning a special study each month. Many of the districts purchased these as an aid for teaching art. Some schools had sand boxes used to create scenes of different places in the sand box. When music was added to the curriculum, pianos and Victrola’s became a part of the equipment. Some of the schools had rhythm band instruments. Other Important Items Students living a distance from school often rode a horse to school. Two or three children in one family might ride in a one-seat buggy. Sometimes small barns were built by the parents or the school board to shelter the horses. Districts sometimes had small buildings located near the schoolhouse in which wood, coal, or kindling were kept. Two important buildings were the “privies.” They were about four feet by six feet, located in the opposite far corners of the school yard. School Entertainment Before the coming of television or the automobile, the early rural schools had their own form of entertainment. The parents of the district came in buggies, wagons, on horseback and on foot to take part in the school’s activities. Books were pushed back inside desks while parents and students met with nearby districts for an exciting afternoon or evening to display their skills and compete with friends. Some of the special events were: box suppers, ciphering matches, spelling bees, and celebrating the holidays. Besides being a form of entertainment, the pie suppers were fund raisers. At the event, women and girls would bring boxed suppers to the school. They would display them on a table, and an auctioneer would sell them to the men and boys. Besides buying their supper, the buyers had the privilege of eating the meal with the lady who had cooked it. The money would go to the school. Some suppers sold for a good price because two or more bidders wanted to eat with the same cook. School programs were well attended by parents and friends. The Christmas season was a highlight of the rural school. Before the program, the older boys with the help of one of the fathers, found and cut a cedar tree and stood it in one corner of the schoolroom. The wonderful smell of cedar filled the air. It was decorated with strands of popcorn and homemade ornaments. At the close of the much-rehearsed program, Santa made his appearance handing out gifts to the children. The teacher usually gave each child a sack of candy as a treat. In later years of the rural schools, P.T.A. meetings were well attended with students presenting a form of entertainment each month. There was a lot of cooperation and friendliness throughout the district as many of the older citizens took part and all shared in the refreshments at the end of the meeting. The last-day-of-school program was an important event held by the pupils and their teacher. An outside picnic was usually held after the program. School Activities In the early schools of Cooper County, the subjects taught were reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and English grammar. They were listed in order of their importance. One time not mentioned was perhaps the favorite time for students--recess period. Most of the games played in the earlier years were those requiring no equipment. The students were resourceful by bringing some things from home such as a ball made of string, something that served as a bat, and bean bags. In the winter, skates and sleds were put to use. In later years, more playground equipment was provided such as swings, teeter-totters, basketballs and nets, volley balls, and bats and balls. Some of the playground games were: Hide-and-Seek, Anti-Over, Drop the Handkerchief, Kick the Wicket, Flying Dutchman, King of the Mountain, Calico, Keep Away, Circle Ball, Leapfrog, Follow the Leader, Dodge Ball, Run Sheep Run, Ten Steps, Wood Tag, Rope Jumping, Going to Jerusalem, Rotten Egg, Dare Base, Blackman, Crack the Whip, Three Deep, Stink Base, Red Rover, Sheep In My Pen and relay races. Some of the school room games were: Simon Says, Upset the Fruit Basket, Whisper Cross Questions, Clap In and Clap Out, I Say Stoop, Hide the Thimble, Beanbag Toss, Spin the Platter, Tic Tac Toe, Teakettle, Blind Man’s Bluff and Charades. Singing games were: Needle’s Eye, Looby Loo, Farmer in the Dell, Round and Round the Village, Mulberry Bush, Did You Ever See a Lassie? and Sally Saucer. Rural Schools Teaching in a one-room school was hard work. The teacher had to be in good health and physical shape. The teacher’s first job was to build a fire in the stove and sweep the schoolhouse and outhouses. If a student was sick or hurt, the teacher acted as the school nurse. In a country school, the youngest children could be five or six years old and the oldest might be eighteen years old. In order to help everyone, teachers divided their time between groups. Sometimes the busy teacher would ask older children to help the younger students. In some schools, the teacher would teach the “three R’s” to small groups of students with equal ability, but teach other things, like nature study, to all ages. During the late 1940’s and 50’s all of the rural schools were consolidated into larger districts. These rural schools are now past history. Memories still remain by those who were a part of them. School Districts The County now has six school districts. They are: Blackwater R-2 Reorganized School District Boonville R-1 Reorganized School District Bunceton R-4 Reorganized School District Otterville R-6 Reorganized School District Pilot Grove C-4 Consolidated School District Prairie Home R-5 Reorganized School District The three parochial schools in the county are: St. Joseph Catholic School in Pilot Grove Saint Peter and Paul Catholic School in Boonville Zion Lutheran School in Lone Elm BLACKWATER SCHOOLS The first school, according to the John Racy diary, was in an upstairs room about midway down the east side of Main Street. There were 15 pupils and the teacher was Miss Mollie Plummer. The children were fascinated by the trains that passed by on the new shiny tracks. The teacher would allow the pupils to go to the windows and watch the trains as they passed by. Later, a subscription school was started and taught by Mrs. Riley Holman. Parents provided room and board for the teacher with each family taking their turn. A building was moved from the Franklin District, south of town, and it was used as a public school building. As school attendance increased, another building was built and the old building was used for the black pupils until the spring of 1937 , when a new brick building was built for the black children. Blackwater maintained a high school for nearly 30 years. In 1946 the high school was closed and pupils were transported to the school of their choice, in Pilot Grove, Boonville or Nelson. BOONVILLE SCHOOLS In 1817 Hannah Cole’s Fort had a schoolhouse. Before the Civil War there were few public schools. Children received their education in private schools, institutes and academies. Approximately 20 of these began in Boonville. In 1867 , a two-story building located on Sixth Street at the present site of Central School, was purchased. The first public school opened here in September 1867 and Sumner School was opened for Black children. A new high school building was completed in September 1915 . It is now known as Laura Speed Elliott Middle School. When the new high school was completed, Central School became an elementary school, but the high school continued to play basketball in the gymnasium. On March 28, 1938 , the Board of Education decided on a three-point program for building: phase one was to build a 16-room elementary school building; phase two was the building of a combination auditorium-gymnasium just south of the high school building, and to complete some remodeling of the present high school. Phase three was to build a new Sumner School. The new Central School building was completed for the opening of school in the fall of 1939 . The new Sumner School was completed by December 20, 1939 . On December 21, 1954 , the Board of Education decided to end segregation in the high school effective September 1, 1955 . At a board meeting May 15, 1956 , the decision was made to end segregation in the first grade beginning with the 1958-59 school year. The Board made the decision April 3, 1958 , to fully integrate during the 1958-59 school year when David Barton School was completed. At a special election on May 16, 1964 , the Boonville School District and 16 other school districts (Wooldridge, Lone Elm, Clear Springs, Westwood, Hickory Grove, Billingsville, Mount Sinai, Stony Point, Concord, Bluffton, Hail Ridge, Crab Orchard, Fairview, Pleasant Valley, Woodland and Highland) voted to form a reorganized district to be known as Cooper County School District R-1. BUNCETON SCHOOLS The first school in Bunceton was known as Parrish Institute. It was named in honor of Thomas J. Parrish, who donated the land in 1871 . This was a private school taught by D. R. Culley, O. F. Arnold and Mr. Boyer. Boys and girls attending wore a neat and becoming uniform. From the private school came Bunceton Public School. The district was organized in 1885 and divided into two sections. All south of Main Street was known as Franklin and all north of Main Street was known as Dublin Spring. The Dublin school was one mile north of town. The two districts continued until 1903 , when Parrish Institute was purchased by Bunceton and changed to a public school. On May 12, 1903 , a bond was approved to build a brick building for white students and make necessary improvements on the old building for black children. By the fall of 1916 , four years of high school were offered. Students from the rural areas made their own arrangements for transportation to and from school. Some had to move to Bunceton and stay during the winter, or make arrangements to board with someone. In 1937 , the brick building was destroyed by fire. School was carried on in different buildings and homes in town. In 1937 , a new building was built east of town on Highway J and Fairview Street. The first class to graduate from this building was in 1939 . OTTERVILLE SCHOOLS Before 1926 , children attended school in several area one-room schools. These were elementary schools in grades one through eight, with one teacher per building. Children rode to school in a horse-and-buggy, a wagon or walked. As these were only elementary schools, parents who could afford the tuition sent their children to high school at the Otterville College, built in 1885 . Country students who attended the college were boarded with townspeople during the week due to the lack of transportation. Heads of family keeping boarders, were required to cooperate with the faculty in enforcing obedience to all requirements of the school and report behavior. Boys and girls were in separate classes within the two-story building. Each had their own classrooms, entrances and set of stairways. The college was closed in 1910 ; the building is now privately owned. The old building is located across the street from the Otterville Public School. The first public school building was built in 1869 at a cost of $6,000. This building now houses the Masonic Lodge. The property to the north of the Baptist Church and the present American Legion, housed the elementary classes. In 1926, a two-story brick building was built and all the grades were moved to this building. The district was consolidated with rural districts: County Line, Brick, Mt. Etna and Cline. Free tuition in the district was given for the first time in 1931 . PILOT GROVE SCHOOLS The Pilot Grove Collegiate College was first established as a private school by the Rev. George Eichelberger in 1878 . In August 1879 , Professor Charles Newton Johnson organized a company, and the school was bought by H. W. Harris. On July 18, 1881 , Harris deeded the school to the company, then incorporated, and the name was changed to the Pilot Grove Collegiate Institute. After the death of Newton Johnson, the management was taken over by his brother, William F. Johnson. During his management, on January 31, 1885 , the building caught fire due to a defective flue and was completely burned. In 1888 , Professor Charles Foster and D. L. Roe purchased the rebuilt brick school. These two men conducted it for several years. The school was finally sold back to Andrew Eichelberger, father of the founder, and rented to different men. In 1900 , the school closed at the beginning of the second term. In March, 1902 , Mr. C. L. Buckmaster bought the building with the help of the community. He named the school Pilot Grove Academy. The school closed sometime around 1915 . It is interesting to learn of the discipline of the academy. “Students must not, under any circumstances, enter saloons, billiard halls, nor engage in games of chance or practice the use of tobacco. Students are required to attend Sunday School and church every Sunday.” After Pilot Grove became a town in 1873 , the townspeople became interested in starting a school. There was no building, so Professor Tucker, of Boonville, opened a subscription school upstairs in a small room over a drug store. There was a need for a new school in Pilot Grove. The directors for the new school purchased the Methodist Episcopal Church South. After the school burned in 1903 , a brick two-story building was built on the site. Overcrowding was soon a problem. In 1919 , the first and second grades had to be housed in a blacksmith shop. The school kept growing, so grounds were purchased from A. H. Eichelberger. This plot later became the site of the present school buildings. In 1921 , a building was constructed on the present school site. The class of 1921 was the first to graduate from this building. PRAIRIE HOME SCHOOLS People in the Prairie Home area were concerned because there wasn’t a place in the community where the children could receive an education beyond the elementary school level. Because of this concern people in the community, headed by the Reverend A. H. Misseldine, combined their knowledge and hard work to form what was to become known as the Prairie Home Institute in 1865 , north of the present city limits. This Institute made it possible for its students to expand their minds and take subjects that otherwise would have been impossible. The students were taught algebra, science and literature. Later Latin, music and other subjects were added. The Institute was sold to the Public School District in 1869 . The school was sold once more, in May 1871 , to Professor A. Slaughter. Slaughter planned for it to be a boarding school for both boys and girls. The school grew and prospered for three years until it burned in 1874 . The people in the community worked together to build a new school which was completed in April 1875 . The new building had a housing capacity for 75 boarders. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Institute was closed. Prairie Home High School was established in 1913 and was located in the Masonic Temple building. Two students graduated in 1914 . From the time the school was established in 1922 , students graduated from the two-year program, then had to attend the remaining two years of high school in either Boonville or California. In 1922 , the school was accredited as a four-year institution. ST. JOSEPH’S SCHOOL - PILOT GROVE Father Pius made arrangements with several Benedictine Sisters to establish a convent and school, with the approval of Bishop John J. Hogan. In 1900, funds were solicited in all three parishes, Clear Creek, Pilot Grove and Martinsville. The three-story brick building was completed in 1901 and blessed by Bishop J. J. Glennon. The total cost of the building was about $4,000. The transfer of the property and building was for parish school purposes. Thus, came into existence, the first parish school that same year. There were 60 pupils enrolled. In 1915 , Father Hildebrand Roessler, O. S. B., received an appointment to St. Joseph Parrish. At this time the school rooms were inadequate and the need to build a larger school became evident. Despite the high cost of war times, he succeeded in erecting a large four-room school building with modern equipment. Together with the willing help of the parishioners, in 1917 this task was accomplished at a cost of about $12,000, which included the cost of furnishings and equipment. The entire indebtedness was canceled in four years. The school was taught by the Benedictine Sisters of Fort Smith, Arkansas. At that time, it included grades one through eight plus two years of high school. Due to increasing demands for personnel and equipment, the high school closed in 1929 . SAINTS PETER and PAUL CATHOLIC - BOONVILLE The Saints Peter and Paul parish school was established in 1910 , being taught by the Sisters of St. Francis of Milwaukee. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas assumed leadership of the school in 1925 . At this time a new school was built on the site of the old Gantner home, on Seventh Street and an extension of Vine Street. The high school opened in 1925 ; four years later six young people composed the first graduating class from Boonville Catholic High School. Students steadily increased in number and the school grew for 34 years until the high school closed in 1969 . ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL - LONE ELM The Christian Day School was considered an important factor in the religious training of the young people of the congregation. While the church was being built, the congregation bought land and started construction of the school. Work on the church was delayed and the school was completed first. Church was held in the school until the church was completed. Lumber for building the school was hauled by wagon two miles from an abandoned Christian Church that the congregation tore down. There were 97 students who attended the first session of school in 1896 . Charles Dusenberg, a teacher from Sweet Springs, was the first teacher and church organist. Dusenberg taught for five years. Classes were taught in English half the day and in German the rest of the day. Not until World War I when anti-German sentiment swept the nation was German teaching discontinued. Because of such a large enrollment with one teacher, older pupils were assigned to teach classes of younger children under the direction of the teacher. To make it easier for the teacher to keep law and order and to keep his charges a little fearful, one of the parents brought a short stick, with a piece of leather cut in three strips fastened to the end, to be used as a reminder to behave. As the story goes, his own son was the first to feel the strap, and to be persuaded that good conduct in class was important. The children came to school on horseback and in carts and wagons. There were usually from 12 to 20 horses stabled there during the day. The riders had to bring feed for their horses and feed them during the noon hour, as well as bring their own lunch. The school continues to provide a good education to the children in the Lone Elm Community. (1844-2002) KEMPER MILITARY SCHOOL Male Collegiate Institute By Pat Holmes The Kemper Military School, founded by Frederich T. Kemper, in June 1844 in Boonville flourished for many years. It was an important part of the local economy and was highly regarded for its rigorous training that it provided for young men. It was called the West Point of the West. Will Rogers was a student there. Many cadets went on to become leaders in diverse fields of endeavor as well as the military. Professor Frederick Thomas Kemper, born in 1816 , came to Missouri from Madison County, Virginia in 1836 . He graduated from Marian College at Palmyra, Missouri in 1841 , and continued there for three years as a tutor, prior to coming to Boonville and opening his own school, the Kemper Boarding School for boys and young men, opened in 1844 . The school occupied several temporary sites until 1845 when it moved into its new two-story brick building on Third Street. This site became the permanent location of the school throughout its history. As the student body grew, the original building was greatly enlarged until it became a 50,544 square foot structure housing all the functions of a boarding and academic school. The school served a real need in the area for providing a classic, disciplined education for young men, many of whom were the descendants of early settlers. Kemper mentored a young man, Thomas A. Johnston, who came to the school from a farm south of Boonville. Johnston later became the assistant principal of the Kemper School. After Kemper's death in 1881 , Johnston became its leader and was associated with Kemper School for 70 years. It was Johnston who restructured the school into the Kemper Military School. Johnston developed the campus, expanding the original building, adding the attractive “A” Barracks, the large Johnston Field House Gymnasium, the Swimming Pool Annex, the large “D” Barracks,” the Mathematics Building, among other ancillary buildings. His successors added Academic Hall, Science Hall, and the large, and last building, “K” Barracks. Johnston's daughter married A.M. Hitch who was the third president. His son, Harris Johnston, became the fourth president of Kemper Military Academy. The school flourished for many years. It was an important part of the local economy. It was highly regarded. It was called the West Point of the West. Will Rogers was a student there. Many cadets went on to become leaders in diverse fields of endeavor as well as the military. Toward the later years of the Twentieth Century, difficulties arose. The school closed in 2002 . Ownership was transferred to the City of Boonville. Buildings, including the original Kemper School and its additions, the “K” Barracks, and the Mule Barn have been demolished. The Johnston Field House and Gymnasium have become a YMCA. The State Fair Junior College occupies one academic building, and the Boonslick Regional Library, Boonville Branch, is preparing to occupy another. Today, youth of all ages participate in soccer games on the former Athletic Fields. Bicyclists camp there while participating in Katy Trail rides. A beautiful park honoring those who have died from cancer, now appears on the former Parade Grounds with marble benches and softly splashing fountains. Kemper alumni still meet annually and sign the school's Standard of Honor, keeping the spirit of the school alive. There is a Kemper Museum planned for a storefront on Main Street, and a display of Kemper memorabilia in the River, Rails and Trails Museum. Kemper Alumni Association SUCCESSFUL KEMPER GRADS Hugh Charles Krampe, AKA Hugh O’Brian Hugh Charles Krampe was born in Rochester, New York on April 19, 1925. His father was an executive with the Armstrong Cork Company and they moved around a lot. He was five when they moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and it was there that he attended elementary school. Their next move was to Chicago, then to Winnetka, Illinois, where he started high school. From there, Krampe attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri, where he lettered in football, basketball, wrestling, and track. He attempted to continue his education at the University of Cincinnati but dropped out after only for one semester because of World War II. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and became an expert with both rifles and pistols. His military medals included the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. After the war, Krampe found himself in California. He had been accepted at Yale University in the fall of 1947 with plans to become a lawyer. However, he was attending his date’s rehearsals for the Somerset Maugham’s play Home and Beauty when the lead actor failed to show up. The director, Ida Lupino, asked him to read the lines and he got the role. The play received rave reviews and an agent signed him up. It was at this time that Krampe changed his name. The playbill had misspelled his name as “Krape” so he took his mother’s family name and became Hugh “O’Brien.” Again, his name was misspelled. O’Brien was “O’Brian.” This time he just decided to keep it. In 1955, adult westerns hit TV screens and, along with Gunsmoke and Cheyenne, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp starring Hugh O’Brian appeared in living rooms all over the US. O’Brian went the extra mile to develop his character. He bought a copy of Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal by Stuart N. Lake and developed a relationship with Lake who was a consultant on the show for the first couple of years. During the 1950s and 1960s, O’Brian made regular appearances on other shows such as Nat King Cole, Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, and the Dinah Shore Chevy Show. He also was a guest attorney in a 1963 Perry Mason episode when Raymond Burr had emergency surgery. He appeared as a guest celebrity panelist for game shows Password and What’s My Line? O’Brian also appeared in many movies, including The Shootist (1976) with John Wayne. But O’Brian’s life wasn’t limited to TV and the Big Screen. He started the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), a non-profit youth leadership development program for high school scholars, in 1958. HOBY sponsors 10,000 high school sophomores annually through its leadership programs in all 50 states and 20 countries. Hugh O’Brian died at his home in Beverly Hills on September 5, 2016. He was yet another celebrity who once attended Kemper Military School and learned the importance of passing on something to the next generation. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours" George Lindsey 1928-2012 George Smith Lindsey was born on December 17, 1928, in Fairfield, Alabama. Raised by grandparents in Jasper, Alabama, he graduated from Walker County High School in 1946. Lindsey attended Kemper Military School before receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from what is now the University of North Alabama in 1952 where he majored in physical education and biology. He was also quarterback on the football team and acted in college plays. Following college, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico. As a civilian, he taught high school in Hazel Green, Alabama, while waiting to be accepted by the American Theater Wing in New York City in 1956. After graduating from the Wing, he performed in two Broadway plays, “Wonderful Town” and “All American” before moving to Los Angeles in 1962. Over the next two years Lindsey appeared in a number of well-known TV series of the 1960s: Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, The Real McCoy’s, The Twilight Zone, Daniel Boone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Lindsey got his big break in 1964 when he was cast as Goober Beasley on The Andy Griffith Show. His character was renamed Goober Pyle to tie him to his cousin Gomer Pyle. During the series and afterwards Lindsey continued playing minor roles in other shows: The Walter Brennan series, The Tycoon, the 1964 film Ensign Pulver, Disney’s Snowball Express, M*A*S*H, and Hee Haw. Lindsey’s voice was also presented in three Disney animated features: The Aristocrats, Robin Hood, and The Rescuers. While he was known as the slow-witted but kindly Goober, he was anything but in real life. Lindsey raised over $1,000,000 for Alabama Special Olympics through 17 years of the George Lindsey Celebrity Weekend and Golf Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama. He raised another $50,000 for the Alabama Association of Retarded Citizens and participated as Head Coach-Winter Games in the Minneapolis, Minnesota Special Olympics National Competition. Lindsey established and perpetuated the George Lindsey Academic Scholarships at the University of North Alabama. He also established the George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival that takes place at the University of North Alabama annually in the spring. Not everyone who attended Kemper became career military, but Kemper can be proud of being a part of teaching the concept of “giving back”. George Smith Lindsey died in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 6, 2012. Source: "Historically Yours" by Elizabeth Davis From the Revolution to the West Point of the West Thomas Alexander Johnston was born on November 13, 1848, on a farm south of Boonville. He was educated in local schools and then at Kemper School. Johnston joined the Confederate Army in October 1864. After the War Between the States, Col. Johnston attended the State University at Columbia and graduated in 1872 with a Bachelor of Arts and then a Master of Arts. He returned to Boonville and joined the faculty at Kemper School as assistant principal. When Mr. Kemper died in 1881, Johnston was named the next superintendent. Col. Johnston began a series of improvements that increased enrollment and added more buildings. He became known as the “Builder of Kemper.” In 1885, he added the military training program. The school’s name was changed to Kemper Military School in 1899 and it was advertised as the “West Point of the West.” Other changes followed: 1915, the Standard of Honor; 1916, a formal ROTC program; and 1923, a junior college. Johnston retired in 1928, naming his son-in-law Colonel Arthur M. Hitch as his successor, but stayed on as President of Kemper until his death on February 5, 1934. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours" William L. Nelson Kemper Cadets Mr. Kemper Kemper Barracks Early photo of Kemper Kemper at Memorial Statues at Boonville

EARLY TRANSPORTATION Immigration into the county had been halted by the War of 1812 but, by 1815 , there was a steady flow of people coming to the county. Settlers brought with them wagons and horses. Mules were brought in from Santa Fe after the opening of the Santa Fe trail in 1821 . Settlers began to mark out roads and to cut their way through the forest. Oxen were often used for wagon transportation and continued to be used for many years. The prairie presented few obstacles to travel, but to go through a forest was an entirely different matter. A wise selection of a route was needed or there would be lots of labor in cutting trees and fording streams. No public roads were laid out (on paper) until 1819 . But no construction work was done upon the roads nor were they thought necessary for a many years. The first petition for a public road in Cooper County was presented by B.W. Levens. It asked for the location of a road leading from Boonville to the mouth of the Moniteau Creek. The second petition for the location of a public road was by Anderson Reavis, presented on the same day. The road that was petitioned for ran from the mouth of the Grand Moniteau to the Boonville and Potosi road. When Cooper County was officially organized as a county in 1819 , the stream of immigration to the south side of the river was increasing and roads were needed. STAGE COACHES When many of us think of stage coaches we think of them in relation to the “wild west”. But stages coaches were a very important means of travel in Cooper County for many years. A stage coach was a vehicle much like an enclosed wagon with a high roof, wooden sides and doors with windows on both sides. It had an elevated seat in the front where the driver, or “whip,” was seated. Inside were seats for the passengers. The passengers sat with their baggage on their lap and mail bags under their feet. If they wanted to sleep, they had to sleep sitting up. The stage coaches were designed for travel, not comfort! They were safer than traveling alone and were often the only way to travel any distance. Roads at this time were only dirt, often rocky, and muddy after rain or snow. Coaches were pulled by draft horses, many of them Clydesdales, because of their good temperament. Stages were pulled either by two horses or a team of four. The coaches were called “stage” coaches because the travel route was done in “stages.” Stations, or stage stops were usually 10 to 15 miles apart. The horses traveled about 5 miles per hour, and pulled the coach for two to three hours. At the end of the trip between one stop and the next, the horses were replaced by another team and the tired horses rested until the return trip. Some stages traveled 60 -70 miles a day. At some stops a meal or beverages might be available, (at an extra cost) and some had provisions for sleeping. The cost of the journey was usually 10 to 15 cents per mile, which would be quite expensive based in today’s dollars. In the 1830s , a stage coach depot was located along the road between Boonville and Jefferson City. Known as "Midway" the stop was about 1 ½ miles east of the present site of Prairie Home, at Tompkins' Inn. In the mid-century, stagecoaches made regular trips to various towns in Missouri. The Tipton to Boonville Stage Coaches operated in the Cooper County area from 1850 to 1860 . An interesting account of the Tipton-Boonville Stage written by Mrs. L.H. Childs appeared in The Boonville Advertiser - Rural Life Edition, in 1940. Tipton-Boonville Stage Changed Horses at Biler Home Near Speed One and one-half miles east of Speed, in central Cooper County, stands a dilapidated but vivid reminder of the past. On the southwest corner of the crossroads at that point is an old-fashioned log house, and to the rear, only partly standing is an old barn. Up until 1868 this place buzzed with activity. It was the home of Mr. Abram Biler, his wife and two daughters, and the Boonville-Tipton stage coach made a regular stop there to change horses. The horses were cared for until the return trip, when they were changed again. The ladies served meals to the travelers. Mr. William Eller told that when he was a small boy, he would hear old Mike, the driver, come down the road blowing a bugle to let the people know the stage was coming. It is said Mike could crack his whip so loud the sound would travel almost a mile in the clear air as he drove his fine horses. Sometimes the road was hard and dry, and at other times the mud was ankle deep or the snow was drifted high, but the stage went through. The road, which now is of all-weather construction, was little more than a trail at that time. Jr. Irving Harness’ father sold the stage line a number of fine horses, as only the best animals were used to pull the coaches. It was quite a thrill for a number of small boys of the neighborhood when Mike would let them ride the stage to the bottom of the hill to the south. They never seemed to mind the tiresome walk back. Stage coach days carried their humor and tragedy, as all generations do. When Mike would linger to talk to Miss Puss Biler, some of the passengers would grow quite impatient, but that would have no effect on Mike as he would have his little visit out before he would go. During the last years of the Civil War period, an order was issued calling in all guns in an effort to stop guerrilla warfare. One evening, however, the report of a gun was heard and when neighbors investigated, they found M. Biler slain in his cucumber patch. Mr. Biler is buried with many other pioneers in the old Concord cemetery. When the branch railroad was completed between Boonville and Tipton, there was no further need for the stage line and it faded into history. Probably the last visible stage stop in Cooper County is located on the North side of Highway 5 between Boonville and Billingsville. The limestone block building was built by O.H.P. Shoemaker in 1860 and the stone was cut from a nearby quarry. He used smoother stone for the front of the building and rough-cut stone for the sides. The road in front of the house was the stage coach road/mail route to Warsaw. On the lintel above the door of the house is engraved “O.H.P. Shoemaker 1860 ” (see picture). The Shoemakers were Unionist, coming originally from Kentucky and Illinois. A son (or nephew) Horace, became a Captain during the Union occupation of Boonville and organized a voluntary cavalry unit to escort the mail, guard the telegraph wires and escort captured Confederates to Jefferson City. Capt. Shoemaker became a marked man when he took a local man named Spencer from imprisonment at the Boonville courthouse to Harley Park and hanged him without a trial. When General Price and the Confederates took control of Boonville in October 1864, Shoemaker surrendered and was confined with his family to his house in Boonville. In the dark of night, according to Van Ravensway, Spenser’s sons came for Shoemaker pretending to have orders from General Price. They took him away and Horace Shoemaker was never seen again. General Shelby was quoted later that the incident “will remain the most regrettable occurrence during the war”. East of the stone house three serious skirmishes took place that October. General Fagan stood off attacks by Union Generals Eppstein and Sanborn with heavy loss of life at Anderson’s Branch. Mrs. Shoemaker and her family, fearing further retribution fled to Oregon. The property was parceled and sold in 1866 $2,000 to Christian Osten and John Dumolt. In 1868 The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad was completed between Boonville and Tipton and the stone house was convenient to the depot at Billingsville. New immigrants arriving from Germany by steamboat took the train to Billingsville where they found welcome in their native language with the Dumolts who were originally from Alsace Lorraine. Once the railroad came through Cooper County, there was no longer a need for the stage coaches. Interestingly, once trucks and cars became popular, there was little use for trains for transportation and most of them eventually disappeared. The Dumolts and Fredericks lived in the stone house for many years, adding a kitchen and an extension to the living space at the back of the stone building. There were extensive log and frame stables on the property until the present owners, the Burnetts, cleared away the worn wooden structures, but saved the stone cottage and a large chiseled stone horse trough to preserve this part of Cooper County history. Dumolt Stage Stop on Route 5 near Billingsville

EARLY CEMETERIES EARLY CEMETERIES IN COOPER COUNTY Both life and death were serious concerns for the early settlers. Life spans were shorter, and life more perilous than today. Drug stores were nonexistent and doctors were few and far between. Children often died during their first year, and mothers often died in childbirth. It was only natural that churches would want to provide for the passing of their flock by establishing a cemetery near the church. The cemetery was often placed behind the church, but could also be on either side of the church, or across the road, depending on the size and situation of the church property. WHERE ARE THE OLD CEMETERIES? The same fate of old churches has happened to many old cemeteries. When the church and the members were no longer there, the cemeteries become neglected or forgotten. Then, the area where the cemeteries were located was often plowed and planted with crops. Headstones become stepping stones, or were broken up and tossed away. This is a great loss for those who want to preserve history and locate the final resting place of their ancestors. The picture below is the statue of Kate Tracy, a young woman who died in 1854 from cholera at the age of 17. She has a beautiful monument at Walnut Grove cemetery. Someone always puts flowers in her hand which are changed with the seasons. No one knows who does this. This statue was restored to its original beauty by the Hannah Cole Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, in 2019. See the article from the 3/20/2021 “Missouri Life” magazine which tells the story of Kate Tracy and the monument . Early photo of Walnut Grove Cemetery Walnut Grove Cemetery, Oct. 31, 2018 by Wayne Lammers Walnut Grove is the largest cemetery in Boonville and one of, if not the largest, in Cooper County. Some have referred to it as “the biggest city in Cooper County.” It began in the mid 1850’s as a Romantic-style cemetery and expanded in the 1880’s when the cypress trees were planted and the wrought iron fence was installed. Today Walnut Grove is a wildlife and plant sanctuary due to the planning of George Kessler, a famous landscape architect, who laid a master plan for the cemetery. Watch for the horse water troughs and horse rings that are scattered throughout. Walnut Grove has many impressive graves and monuments. A walk through the cemetery will not disappoint you. Walnut Grove was designed to be a prestigious cemetery and that is reflected in the number of wealthy and famous residents who chose it for their final resting place. Some of the famous people buried there include: Civil War Confederate General R. McCullough; Lon Stephens, former Governor of Missouri and his wife; Educator Laura Speed Elliot; Steamboat Captain Joseph Kinney; and many members of the Leonard family who built Ravenswood and are large land holders in Cooper County; and David Barton, the first US Senator from Missouri who also wrote the Missouri State Constitution that allowed Missouri to become a state. DAVID BARTON TOMBSTONE AND LOT RESTORATION WALNUT GROVE CEMETERY, BOONVILLE, MISSOURI By Dr. Maryellen McVicker In 1821 Missouri finally was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. One of the main men involved in this process was David Barton who chaired the Constitutional Convention and who wrote the Constitution which was submitted to Congress for the admission of Missouri. He then became the first Senator and represented the new state in the U.S. Congress. When he died, he was buried in Boonville, Missouri. The restoration of his tombstone, lot, and adjacent horse watering tough was an appropriate Missouri Bicentennial Project and was undertaken by the Walnut Grove Cemetery Board and the Hannah Cole Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Barton died penniless on September 28, 1837 . The Gibson family and the citizens of Boonville held a fund-raising drive to place a suitable tombstone over his grave after his burial in what was then called the City Cemetery. Today the name has been changed to Sunset Hills Cemetery. This was accomplished with the erection of an obelisk embellished with all his accomplishments. In 1853 Boonville citizens established Walnut Grove Cemetery, a privately-owned rural park cemetery located on the east edge of town south of Cole’s Fort where David Barton had held court. The area contained a large grove of walnut trees and local promoters had obtained the ground where Cole’s Fort was located and were turning it into the First State Fair in Missouri. Cemeteries were the largest tourist attractions in the United States at the time and the founders of Walnut Grove realized they could capitalize on the cemetery location and attract large crowds if only they had somebody of national prominence buried on the ground. Thus, the remains of David Barton were moved from Sunset Hills to Walnut Grove Cemetery in March 1853 . The cemetery investors decided a new tombstone was needed and so political strings were pulled. On December 8, 1855 the Missouri legislature authorized $400 to erect a new marble gravestone and build an iron fence around the circular lot. The inscription on this new stone repeated exactly the inscription on the earlier tombstone which was left in place in Sunset Hills Cemetery. The new tombstone was over 20 feet tall and was ornamented by an intricately carved torch shown being extinguished by being turned upside down. The dousing of an eternal flame was intended to symbolize how the death of Barton caused knowledge to be extinguished. The first gravestone remained in Sunset Hills Cemetery until 1899 . The University of Missouri acquired the original Thomas Jefferson Tombstone and displayed it on the Frances Quadrangle near the recently completed Jesse Hall. A member of a MU fraternity was visiting family in Boonville and wondered about the Barton tombstone. When told the details, he determined his fraternity would move the stone to MU and place it near the Jefferson monument as a visible reminder of another person interested in Missouri education. The fraternity raised enough money to accomplish the goal and the tombstone is still on the Francis Quadrangle at the University of Missouri. Original David Barton Tombstone previously located in Sunset Hills Cemetery—photo taken in the 1890’s Earliest known photo of David Barton Tombstone in Walnut Grove Cemetery shows fence posts for the iron fence around the lot and tombstone Original Tombstone now located on the Francis Quadrangle at the University of Missouri in Columbia The State Fair was not a financial success in Boonville, and the honor was soon passed to Sedalia, Missouri. But the David Barton monument, fence, and lot graced by walnut trees remained in place. A horse watering trough was placed immediately to the north of the lot so that the horses pulling hearses in funeral processions could drink. In 1901 nationally known landscape architect, George Kessler, was hired to develop a landscaping scheme for the cemetery. Suddenly it was the 21st century and the Missouri Bicentennial Commemoration was just around the corner. Although the Kessler plan was still in place, inevitable changes had occurred. The walnut trees on the Barton lot had died of old age. The iron fence was removed during a scrap metal drive. Horses no longer pulled hearses to the cemetery so the trough was dry. Not having any descendants, nothing had been done on the Barton lot since he was buried there so long ago. The Hannah Cole Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, wanted to commemorate the Missouri Bicentennial with a project that would have a lasting positive impact in the community. Restoration of the David Barton tombstone, replacement of the fence, repair of the watering trough and replacing walnut trees became the goal. Happily, the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution has a competitive national competition for grants that are used for historic projects. The Hannah Cole Chapter DAR and Cole’s Fort Chapter Children of the American Revolution (CAR) applied for one of these grants. CAR members measured how much fence would be required and decided to undertake the watering trough as their project, intending to plant it with flowers each year. Needless to say, all were thrilled when this project was granted the entire amount of requested funds. Cole’s Fort CAR member Abbie Wax looking at tape measure after measuring the size of a lot foundation stone at the David Barton tombstone (behind her)—Walnut Grove Cemetery, Boonville, Missouri, in November 2019 The watering trough on the north side of the David Barton lot with his tombstone in the background behind CAR member Abbie Wax. Stone, circular foundation blocks are visible. The first thing done was to clean the tombstone with D/2 chemical solution. The entire stone was also checked from top to bottom for cracks and fissures. Amazingly. the stone was still perfectly level after 164 years. The watering trough was also thoroughly cleaned and all cracks were repaired. Refilled with dirt, the trough was turned into a beautiful flower bed. Cole’s Fort members, Children of the American Revolution (CAR) planted the watering trough one Sunday evening just before Memorial Day weekend so it would look nice for that holiday. Originally, the iron fence posts had been set in the circular foundation stones going around the lot. When the replacement fence arrived, the installation crew found the stones to be too fragile to withstand post holes drilled into them. With supervision from the cemetery superintendent, the fence was placed in the grass in the lot in the best position for weed eating, creating a win-win project where the fence was replaced and the original stones were kept. The final phase is to plant walnut trees again on the lot. This was done in Fall 2020 . Hopefully, this lot and the items placed on it will survive and be in good condition when Missouri celebrates its Tricentennial in 2120 . The finished product! August 2020 Cole’s Fort CAR Members plant the watering trough—May 2020 Sunset Hills - If Walnut Grove was the place to be buried for Boonville’s rich and famous, Sunset Hills was the resting place for everyone else. Some of Boonville’s earliest settlers are buried there. The city of Franklin was the starting point of the Santa Fe Trail and travelers who died on their way west often ended up in Sunset Hills. The same held true for criminals – the first stone in Sunset Hills belongs to James West, who was hung for murder. Mrs. George Caleb Bingham, Sarah Elizabeth, is buried in Sunset Hills. Sunset Hills was started by the Methodists as a Methodist church burial ground. Soon, there were too many burials, and the Methodists turned the cemetery over to the city. Many people think that Sunset Hills is the Black cemetery in Boonville, but the segregation was not intentional. After Walnut Grove was built, many of the wealthier families moved their family to Walnut Grove, leaving Sunset Hills de facto segregated. To date, there are no Black people buried in Walnut Grove. There are many African-American Civil War veterans buried in Sunset Hills who fought for the North. Perhaps they are near the mass grave for the Union soldiers. Photos courtesy of Sharon Dyer and Wayne Lammers With permission from Sharon Dyer With permission from Sharon Dyer HANNAH COLE GRAVE SITE Hannah Cole Head Stone Dedication of Hannah Cole Grave Site, October 31, 1932 Hannah Cole, a widow with nine children, is believed to be the first white woman head of household to venture south of the Missouri River within the state of Missouri. Many historians have portrayed Hannah Cole and her family as courageous leaders in the pioneer days of Cooper County, Missouri. She came to what was to become Cooper County along with her sister Phoebe and her brother-in-law Stephen and their children, who were the first white people to settle in the present site of Boonville in early 1810. She has been lauded as “Missouri’s greatest Pioneer Mother.” The Briscoe Cemetery was deeded by William Briscoe to the people of the community in 1867. It was a family burying ground as early as 1825. The cemetery, which is one acre in size, is located on Highway 5 about 15 miles south of Boonville. The burial place of Hannah Cole and many of her family had long lain unattended for many years. Some of the headstones had fallen down and many were sunken into the ground. Hannah’s grave was unmarked until the Pilot Grove Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) decided to mark her burial place in 1932. A huge red Granite boulder from southeast Missouri, was moved to the historical burial site as a gift from the highway Department. Circling the base of the boulder are cemented 13 large stones, each stone from one of the Cooper County townships. The grave was formally dedicated on October 30,1932 with a bronze plaque set into the Granite. The inscription reads: “Cooper County’s first white woman settler, whose unfailing courage in facing the dangers of the wilderness and a cruel Indian War entitles her to be called a Pioneer Mother of early Missouri Civilization 1764-1843 The fenced cemetery is located next to land which is now the Hannah Cole Wayside Park, maintained by the state of Missouri. The Briscoe Cemetery is maintained by the Cole Family Association. This cemetery is a spot of historical interest for all Missourians. Other Cooper County cemeteries on the map that follows are: Saint Joseph , in Pilot Grove (#39) and Saints Peter and Paul (#42) in Boonville, are the two largest Catholic cemeteries in the Boonslick region. Hannah Cole , the founding mother of Boonville, is buried in Briscoe (#6) cemetery. Pleasant Green (#31) features the graves of several Civil War era soldiers. Pisgah (#29) is also notable for Civil War burials, including the grave of one of the two Robert McCulloughs. The Robert McCulloughs were cousins, and both were Confederate soldiers. General McCullough is buried in Walnut Grove. Concord (#10) is one of the oldest cemeteries in Cooper County and it’s the oldest Baptist cemetery in the region. Pleasant Grove Evangelical (#32) is a German cemetery where originally, they buried people in order of the date of death instead of in family groups, an old German custom. Today they are buried in family groupings. Old Lamine (#26) is a typical country church cemetery. At New Lebanon Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery (#23) you will find all styles of graves, including the four wives of Mr. Mahan. Wives number 2, 3 and 4 have identical headstones. Wife #1’s stone has fallen over- perhaps because of too much grave rolling? Perhaps Mr. Mahan got a volume discount on tombstones. As for him, he’s buried on his own lot. Makes you wonder why. Other Cooper County cemeteries on the map that follows are: Saint Joseph , in Pilot Grove (#39) and Saints Peter and Paul (#42) in Boonville, are the two largest Catholic cemeteries in the Boonslick region. Pleasant Green (#31) features the graves of several Civil War era soldiers. Pisgah (#29) is also notable for Civil War burials, including the grave of one of the two Robert McCulloughs. The Robert McCulloughs were cousins, and both were Confederate soldiers. General McCullough is buried in Walnut Grove. Concord (#10) is the oldest cemetery in Cooper County and it’s the oldest Baptist cemetery in the region. Pleasant Grove Evangelical (#32) is a German cemetery where originally, they buried people in order of the date of death instead of in family groups, an old German custom. Today they are buried in family groupings. Old Lamine (#26) is a typical country church cemetery. “Corn” Taylor” moved to Cooper County in about 1817. He brought with him a number of slaves. He asked to be buried in a local cemetery and also have his slaves buried there beside him. When his request was denied, he chose a burial place on his own property, and his slaves were buried there also. It is thought that as many as sixteen or more slaves were buried there. There is one large marker with the Taylor data. About twenty-nine graves were counted here, but unknown, as the only markers are rocks. Missouri Law 214.455 – Destruction or defacing any cemetery property, penalty : Every person who shall knowingly destroy, mutilate, disfigure, deface, injure, or remove any tomb, monument, or gravestone, or other structure placed in such cemetery or burial ground or place of burial of any human being, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. Terms Used in Missouri Laws 214.455 Misdemeanor: Usually a petty offense, a less serious crime than a felony, punishable by less than a year of confinement. Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020 INFORMATION ON COOPER COUNTY CEMETERIES The first two sites will help you locate the cemeteries and those who are buried there. The Website “Find A Grave ” is very helpful to find graves anywhere in the US. North American obituaries Secretary of State - To request an appointment email archives@sos.mo.gov or call (573) 751-3280. Cooper County MO Cemetery Records - LDS Genealogy Biographical Memorabilia for Cooper County Taylor Springs Burial Ground Cemetery References at CCHS : Pleasant Green Underground by Florence Friedrichs – booklet detailing a brief history of the town of Pleasant Green and those who are buried there. For sale at CCHS - price $9 Cemetery Records and file information for Cooper, Moniteau and Morgan Counties. Card File with Individual Burial Records Cemetery Record Books with burials listed Cemetery Locations – see end of Early Churches , listing churches by Township Notebooks listing burials by cemetery Cemetery map brochure with 52 cemeteries– free Large cemetery wall map of 186 cemetery locations Church Records in File Drawer 104 different churches some with a great deal of information See last portion of Church section for listing of some cemeteries by Township Cooper County Missouri Genealogy good source of cemetery information Cooper County Cemetery Records Map of majority of the old Cooper County Cemeteries

ORPHAN TRAINS Wayne Lammers Collection Orphan trains operated in the US from the mid-1880s to about 1929. These trains were a way that social services agencies, one of the first being the Children’s Aid Society, would gather children together and then put them aboard trains destined for the Midwest where people would meet the children at train depots and decide which child they wanted. This was brought about by the horrendous conditions that many children were living under in New York and surrounding areas, where there was no system of foster care or other alternative care systems as we have today. Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 200,000 or more homeless and orphaned children were sent west from eastern cities, accompanied by agents. The purpose was to find families that would take in children in a “free-home-placing-out” program instituted by the Children’s Aid Society of New York City, New York. The children were sent in groups of twenty-five to 100 on trains, making stops along the way where they might be chosen by some family who wanted a child or needed extra help. Here are the pictures of three children from Orphan Trains that found homes in the Pilot Grove area. Photos and text from the Carolyn Aggelar Collection. Joseph Hastely Born: 1892 Baptized March 16 1892 in NYFH Chapel Arrived on the orphan train in 1887 in Pilot Grove, Mo. 65348 Anton Gerke Family “Lucy” adopted May 24, 1892. Joseph John Lammers Birth April 30 1892 New York, USA Death July 29 1983 at the age of 91 Bakersfield, Kern County, California, USA Buried Union Cemetery Bakersfield, Kern County, California, USA This young man is JOSEPH JOHN KRAMER LAMMERS (1892-1983). He was one of 23 orphans on the Orphan Train that stopped in Pilot Grove, Missouri. He was from the Sisters of Misericordia (Quebec) Catholic Orphanage in New York City. His biological father was Joseph Kramer (23 yrs. old) and his mother was Lina Leyheim (20 yrs. old), both of Germany/New York City. He was placed in the orphanage when he was only 3 days old on May 3, 1892. He was adopted by Henry and Wilhelmina (Von der Haar) Lammers of Chouteau Springs in 1894. His surname then changed to Lammers sometime after 1900. In those early days, known as John Joseph (Kramer) Lammers. In addition, mentioned, in the Last Will and Testament of Henry Lammers, 21 Feb 1914. (Missouri, Cooper County Record of Wills, Vol E, 1910-1918) He worked on the railroad in Sedalia, Missouri; Flathead, Montana, and San Bernardino, California. He raised his family in Bakersfield, California. He had two sons, Paul and Fred and one daughter Joanne who was born in 1957 when he was age 64. He served his country in WW1 in the Navy and was awarded The Purple Heart for his service. His adopted siblings were: Clemens Augustine Lammers (Alice Lammers Schupp’s dad); Fredrick John Lammers; Henry George Lammers; John H. Lammers; Christina Mary Lammers Bradshaw; Frank Peter Lammers Carl E. Nelson, age 10, got off the Orphan Train in Pilot Grove in 1900 and was adopted into the family of Abraham Brownfield. His mother had left him with the Orphan Asylum Society of Brooklyn at just a few years of age. He attended the funeral of his father, who died September 14, 1900, and not long after that his mother inquired at the Society to take him back. But Carl had boarded the Orphan Train on September 21. Ten years later Carl began a two-year series of correspondence in search of his family through the Orphan Society and the New York Department of Health, writing in pencil on a lined pad asking, “And haven’t you got no record of Mr. Nelson’s childrens? Send me their addresses, for I would like to find them so bad, and my mother, too.” His father was identified but his mother had moved. In 1912 he made a personal plea to the president of the Borough of Brooklyn, and a notice was placed in a local newspaper, which was seen by his mother. Carl returned to New York where he was reunited with his mother and siblings, living there for four years and serving in the Coast Guard. He moved back to Pilot Grove and in 1917 married his local sweetheart, Geneva Martin, and they raised a family of three children in his adopted home town. Carl Nelson is my adopted great-uncle. (Bert McClary) The following account covers the reason for the trains and how the process worked. Wien, Missouri is in Chariton County. By Denis Fessler November 10, 2004 The community of Wien, Missouri was settled in the latter part of the 19th century, primarily by individuals of German heritage. Early residents left their families in Germany, Indiana, and other states, and made their way to the fertile fields of north-central Missouri to establish new lives. But some arrived as children with no families other than perhaps a sibling or two. They came from New York City by way of what we call now the Orphan Trains. The Beginning New York City in the 19th century suffered from the same problems as many large urban areas, then as now – overpopulation, unemployment, poverty, prejudice, drugs, crime. Also at that time hundreds of thousands of immigrants were pouring into New York City each year, often penniless upon their arrival. The Statue of Liberty proclaimed: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses”. And so they came. This exacerbated the already significant problem of homeless children – orphans, runaways, or abandoned. Even some caring parents left their infants on the doorsteps of the wealthy, hospitals, and the churches, hoping they might find better lives. An estimated 30,000 children were abandoned on the streets in New York City in 1854. To help remedy this situation, Charles Loring Brace, a 26-year-old Congregational Minister, founded the Children’s Aid Society in 1853. Children were taken off the street, cared for, educated, and taught a trade. But the need soon outgrew the means. So he took up the plan that Boston had tried ten years earlier – sending orphans “West” on trains to families at the various stops along the way who were willing to adopt them. The first train was sent out on September 20, 1854 with 46 ten-to-twelve-year-old boys and girls. Their destination was Dowagiac, Michigan. All 46 children were successfully placed in new homes. This system endured for 77 years, from 1854 to 1930. By the 1870’s the New York Foundling Hospital, run by the Catholic Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, began sending orphans to Catholic families. Together, an estimated 150,000-400,000 children were sent West on the trains - from Indiana to Kansas, Minnesota to Texas. As many as 100,000 orphans were placed in Missouri. Some 50 became members of the Wien community. The Process The Children’s Aid Society would send notices to local postmasters along the train’s route announcing the time and date a trainload of orphans would arrive in each community. Those notices would be posted in post offices, stores, churches, and newspapers. Typically 25-35 children were placed on a train under the supervision of only 1 or 2 adults (usually a man and a woman), called “agents” (note the railroad term). Initially the children’s ages ranged from 3 to 17, although later this was narrowed to 5 to 12. Sometimes agents preceded the train by several weeks to organize a selection committee and to screen prospective foster parents. Shortly before the day of departure (oftentimes just the night before) the children would be told that they were going on the train, and they would be bathed, their hair tended to, and given new clean clothing. Then they would board the train, and off they went to their new destiny. It was a long trip from New York, but many of the children were able to see for the first-time fields of crops and animals, orchards, forests and large open areas. Upon arrival in one of the projected towns, they would disembark and go to a meeting place such as a church, hotel, courthouse, opera house, or the train depot, and be lined up on a stage or platform at the front of the room. Usually, a local town “committee” had been at work prior to the arrival of the train, trying to line up good potential families for the expected children. At this time, members of the community would be allowed to visit with (and inspect) the children. If a match-up was made between adult and child, and the local committee and placing agents approved, a written agreement was signed. Then the child would leave the group and go on to his/her “new home”. Contact continued thereafter by semi-annual letters and occasional visits by representatives of the Children’s Aid Society. Overall the system worked very well. The orphans had a better chance at life with placement in a new home “out West”, than they did remaining in New York. Thousands of children were removed from lives on the street or in orphanages and placed in loving families. A 1910 report of the Children’s Aid Society gave the final destinations of the children they had sent out on the Orphan Trains. It listed all 48 States plus the District of Columbia and Canada, with the majority going to the Midwest. There were some problems, but these should not detract from the successes of the Orphan Trains. Children were shipped with no certainty that they would be adopted. Some were not, and returned on the train to New York and the orphanage. The children had to face the ordeal of separation from home, leaving familiar surroundings and perhaps parents, brothers and sisters. Some left New York with siblings but were separated upon selection, often to never see their brothers and sisters again. English-speaking children were placed with foster parents who spoke another language (e.g., German), and vice-versa. Sometimes children went from one family to another, to another. Foster parents were also allowed to return children who did not “work out”. Not all orphans were treated well. A record of the Children’s Aid Society noted that in 1871 more than 3,000 orphans were transported at an expense of $31,638, which included train tickets, food and the agent’s salaries – approximately $10 per child! The New York Foundling Hospital Charles Brace required that the adopting home be Christian. However, there were complaints that Catholic children did not always go to Catholic families. This, in part, led the Catholic New York Foundling Hospital to begin sending children on their own version -- the Mercy Trains. Sister Irene Fitzgerald, a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, opened the New York Foundling Hospital to help address the monumental problem of homeless and unwanted children. It was incorporated on October 8, 1869. Three days later on October 11th, the Feast of the Maternity of Our Lady, Sister Irene and her two companions, Sister Teresa Vincent and Sister Ann Aloysia, moved into a small house at 17 East 12th Street. Although they expected to spend three months preparing for the opening of the institutions, an infant was laid on the door-step that very first night. Before January 1, 1870, the proposed opening date, they had received 123 babies. When they finally opened the doors formally, a white cradle was placed in the foyer of their building where mothers could anonymously leave their children to be cared for by the sisters. The story of Sister Irene and The New York Foundling Hospital runs parallel with that of Rev. Brace and the Children’s Aid Society. However, there were a few key differences. The Sisters worked in conjunction with Priests throughout the Midwest and South in an effort to place these children in Catholic families, whereas the Children’s Aid Society requested that the children they placed be given spiritual training but left the choice of religion up to the “adoptive” family. Also, the children from the Foundling Hospital tended to be younger than those from the Children’s Aid Society. Probably the largest difference in how the Foundling Hospital placed their children is that the children were not sent out to be “randomly” adopted, but were “requested” ahead of time by families who wanted a child. Requests would be sent to the New York Foundling Home for a child (for example: a 2-year-old, blue eyed, blond haired girl), and then the Sisters would do their best to find a “matching” child. They would then send the requesting family a “receipt” for the child telling when and where the child would arrive by train. This notice requested that the family be at the station ahead of time so as not to miss the train. For each child, the sisters of the hospital made a suit or dress with his or her name and the name of the new parents pinned on the inside of the back collar. When the train arrived, the new parents were to have their “notice of arrival” with them which they were to present to the Sisters. This notice had a number on it that would match up with a child on the train. Once the match was made, the parents would sign the “receipt” for the child, and they were free to leave with their new child. Not everyone embraced the concept of the Orphan Trains. As noted earlier, there were several problems. In Missouri, a law was passed in 1901 forbidding the orphan trains, purportedly because the Children’s Aid Society “is pouring carloads of children into the state without properly supervising them”. Apparently the law was never enforced because it did not stop the trains. The last of the orphan trains came to Missouri in 1929 . By then most states had passed stricter adoption laws and policies. Many Eastern states and cities assumed more responsibility in caring for orphans, and so the trains were no longer needed. Also, the onset of the Depression made it more difficult for families to take on the responsibilities of additional children. But the Orphan Trains left a lasting legacy. Thousands of children left the streets and orphanages of New York, and other large Eastern cities, to find homes with loving families. It was an inexpensive way out of solving juvenile crime. But its greatest triumph was proving the value of foster families, and for that millions of children have benefited since the last train headed west out of New York City carrying homeless children to a new life of hope. This article is written in memory of my great-great-aunt Christine Harmon, who came to Wien on the orphan train in the 1890 ’s and was adopted by my great-great-grandmother Therese Biegel. THE RAILROADS THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE The first railroad line across Missouri was built in 1859 from Hannibal to St. Joseph. This is known today as the Burlington-Northern line that still runs through New Cambria and Bucklin – most likely the final stop for the orphans who were adopted by families around Wien. It was not until 1868 that the first train bridge across the Mississippi River from Illinois to Missouri was built at Quincy. The other railroad line in the area of Wien, known today as the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, came down out of Southeast Iowa, crossed the Burlington-Northern at Bucklin and went through Marceline on its way southwest. Stations were ultimately built in New Cambria, Bucklin, and Marceline, but a station was not required for the Orphan Train. The trains made “whistle stops” between stations to pick up and drop off passengers, mail – and orphans. Not everyone embraced the concept of the Orphan Trains. As noted earlier, there were several problems. In Missouri, a law was passed in 1901 forbidding the orphan trains, purportedly because the Children’s Aid Society “is pouring carloads of children into the state without properly supervising them”. Apparently the law was never enforced because it did not stop the trains. The last of the orphan trains came to Missouri in 1929. By then most states had passed stricter adoption laws and policies. Many Eastern states and cities assumed more responsibility in caring for orphans, and so the trains were no longer needed. Also, the onset of the Depression made it more difficult for families to take on the responsibilities of additional children. But the Orphan Trains left a lasting legacy. Thousands of children left the streets and orphanages of New York, and other large Eastern cities, to find homes with loving families. It was an inexpensive way out of solving juvenile crime. But its greatest triumph was proving the value of foster families, and for that millions of children have benefited since the last train headed west out of New York City carrying homeless children to a new life of hope. This article is written in memory of my great-great-aunt Christine Harmon, who came to Wien on the orphan train in the 1890’s and was adopted by my great-great-grandmother Therese Biegel. For More Information : An excellent site that covers these trains is found at Social Welfare Orphan Trains. Many books and articles have been written about the Orphan Trains. One of the best, and a source of much of the information in this article, is Orphan Trains to Missouri, by Michael D. Patrick and Evelyn Goodrich Trickel, published in 1997. It is available in libraries and can be purchased on the Internet. Articles on the Internet that I found particularly good, include: A History of the Orphan Trains by Connie DiPasquale The New York Foundling Hospital Orphan Train Heritage Society of America : The Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc. (OTHSA)—founded in 1986 in Springdale (Washington and Benton counties)—preserves the history of the orphan train era, a period when thousands of children were relocated across the country. 614 East Emma Avenue, No. 115, Springdale, AR 72764 501-756-2780 National Orphan Center Complex : There is a museum and research center dedicated to the preservation of the stories of Orphan Train riders and how they lived once they were placed in their adoptive homes. 300 Washington St., P.O. Box 322, Concordia, KS 66901 Email: info@orphantraindepot.org PBS website with links to Orphan Train information

DEDICATION This website is dedicated to Ann Betteridge. Ann was one of the original Founders of the Cooper County Historical Society in 1990. Ann loved children, teaching, and history. She wrote a book of almost 300 pages named “Discover Cooper County by Looking Back.” For 25 years, Ann personally presented this book, free of charge, to every 4th grader in Cooper County, and her book is the inspiration and backbone of this website. Florence (Winky) Friedrichs, another Founding member of the CCHS, drew all of the lovely illustrations in the book, and some of those are used on this website. We owe both these ladies a debt of gratitude for preserving so much of Cooper County history.

MILLS Upon arrival in a new area, settlers would look for a mill site. Going to the mill in the early days of the county was difficult, because there were no roads, no bridges, and hardly any conveniences for traveling. It was difficult to cross the rivers and streams. The trip to the mill was also a time to visit the trade center and replenish supplies. In the mid to late 1800's, mills were a place where farmers could meet and discuss various topics of common interest much like they do in local restaurants today. Mills were also a place where locally produced items could be purchased or traded. There were different types of mills. Mills could be powered by water wheels, steam power or oil- (kerosene or gasoline) powered engines. At one time, there were 22 mills in Cooper county. Most of the old mills in the county are listed and described in the next paragraphs. Rankin’s Mill (Boonville Township) on the Petite Saline operated until 1912 . It is the oldest mill established and operated in Cooper County. Matthew Rankin bought the Old Boyd water-powered mill in 1838 and his son William Rankin built a new and larger mill on the site in 1840 . It was water-powered until 1854 when it was changed to steam power. It had capacity for 800 bushels of grain per day. Silas L. and Robert S. Rankin, sons of William A., tore down the old mill in 1893 and built a more modern structure, which is now in ruins and inaccessible. Gooch’s Mill/Big Lick (Saline Township) on the Petite Saline ceased operation in the 1930 's. Little of this mill is still standing. William Dixon Gooch purchased land in 1839 and built a mill, which he ran until he died in 1856. Lewis Edgar, his son-in-law, ran it until 1868 . Diedrich Molan ran it from 1868-1871 . Many people owned and operated it from then until 1950 (seldom did any one person longer than three years at a time). C.M. Lacy operated it from 1905 until 1910 . Walter Niederweimer operated it from 1912-1921 . Henry Warmbrodt was the last person to operate it until it ceased operation in the 1930 's. The area of Gooch Mill was also known for its salt lick nearby and was sometimes referred to as Big Lick. It was also the site of the famous Indian fight in 1812 in which two Indians were killed by local residents. Interesting quotes from Dave Braun, a former resident of the town, about the Gooch Mill are: “Gooch and his wife, Matilda, built the grain mill down on the creek. Folks started coming from nearby to get their corn and wheat ground into flour so they could sell it. They came to Gooch Mill ‘cause it was a lot easier than lugging a wagon-load or two up to Boonville on those old dirt wagon paths they called roads’. Almost all of Gooch Mill is gone now. The third mill is in ruins down on the creek, as the first two burned. They’d been everything from water to steam. But the ‘guts’ of the last mill are just about gone. The big Howe scale, just inside the door, still works and the weights are still there, though.” Story Courtesy of Sharon Dyer Connor’s Mill (Force’s Mill, in Saline Township) on the Petite Saline was still there in 1897 , but not by 1915 . This mill was built by Charles Force and was originally water-powered. When James F. Connor purchased it, he changed it to a steam-powered mill. Kiln-dried flour was made there and this fact was widely advertised in 1849 . Connor employed 23 assistants at one time at this mill. Oscar F. Case was a blacksmith there from 1867-1879 until he moved to Gooch Mill. Cranmer’s (Glasgow’s/Corum’s) Mill , in Otterville Township) was located on the Lamine River. George Cranmer came to Cooper County from Kentucky in 1832 and settled near what is now Clifton City. He and James H. Glasgow built what was known as Cranmer’s Mill, afterwards known as Corum’s Mill, exactly where MKT crossed the Lamine River; Cranmer named the place Clifton. Jewett’s Mill (Davis and Barker Mill, in Clark’s Fork Township) was located on Clark’s Fork on the Petite Saline. Samuel L. Jewett, born in 1834 , came to Missouri in 1840 with William Cropper (after both parents died). In 1851 , he began working in Connor’s Mill. He was there two years, then he went to college in Illinois. He spent several years there learning the milling trade. During 1854-1860 he was mining and milling in California. Jewett bought the Davis and Barker Mill property and farm in 1860 , and operated the mill from 1860-1865 . He left for a year, returned and bought back the mill land and stayed there until his death in 1917 . The mill ceased operation in 1916 . The mill had a capacity for nearly 1,500 bushels of grain per day. Jolly’s Mill (Palestine Township) was operated by Joseph Jolly who settled in Saline Township in 1812 . He moved to Palestine Township in 1826 (to the “Stephen’s Neighborhood”) and built a horse-powered mill. Hughes’ Mill (Pilot Grove Township) was located on a branch of the Petite Saline. It was the first mill built in Pilot Grove Township. It was gone by 1883 . Weeden Spenny’s Mill - (Kelly Township) was located near Bunceton. Friese’s Mill (Pilot Grove Township) was located on the Lamine. Ernest Louis Moehle traded for the mill in 1885 and operated it as a flour and saw mill until 1890 . Ennor’s Mill - Blazius Efinger worked at Ennor’s Mill in Cooper County between 1885 and 1893 . Zimmerman and Neeson Mill was on the map at the corner of Otterville, Lebanon, and Clear Creek Townships on the Lamine in 1874 . Bale’s Mill is shown at the corner of Clear Creek and Blackwater Township on the Lamine in 1874 . There was a mill shown on William Roberts’ and John Taveness’ land in Palestine Township. The date was 1874 . There was a mill shown on J.S. Talbot land in 1874 on the Lamine, in Lamine Township. New Lebanon Mill was operated by a succession of men, most of whose names cannot be obtained. In 1900 , it was managed by Thomas R. Kemp, and in 1915 , it was owned and operated by J.E. Potter. In addition to all kinds of ground feed, it produced two grades of flour: “Liberty Bell” (first grade) and “Honey Creek” (second grade). It was powered by a steam engine which required “mountains” of wood for fuel. It operated off and on after 1910 and was town down in the 1930 's. Photos courtesy of Jeannette Heaton McCulloch’s Mill was in Kelly Township on a branch of Moniteau Creek. Howard’s Mill known as Old Round Mill was in Kelly Township. The Bunceton Roller Mill was built in 1871-1872 by Miller Rogers, and Company at a cost of $15,000. At its time of highest production, 200 barrels of flour were produced every twenty-four hours. One of the most destructive fires of Bunceton was on the night of February 25, 1899 , when the Roller Mill was destroyed. The cause of the fire was unknown but it was believed to have started from the office stove. There were 15,000 pounds of flour and between 1,500 and 2,000 bushels of wheat in the mill that night. The A.E. Doll Mill was built in 1900 near the Speed road. The mill was sold to Dr. J. Lawson of Sedalia. Later, Leo Felton bought the mill and tore it down. Wilkins’ Mill was on the Petite Saline near the old George Geiger farm. It was a water-powered grist and saw mill. There was also a covered bridge near the mill on the Petite Saline. The Tipton/Boonville Stage coach crossed the creek at the bridge. The bridge fell down in 1909 after almost 75 years of service. Wilkins also had an orchard planted in 1835 . Dick’s Mill is located in the Cotton community, which is in South Moniteau Township. in 1826 , a water-powered mill was built by Edward Embry on a piece of property a quarter of a mile above the present site of Dick’s Mill. The mill was closed during the Civil War when Mr. Embry went to join the Confederacy. When he came home after the war, the mill had been destroyed, “probably by soldiers.” The area residents missed the mill and hoped that it could be rebuilt. In 1869 , the present site of the mill, was bought by John M. Burris from John Quarles for $100. His brother, Valentine Burris, installed a sawmill propelled by a steam engine in an open shed. It is thought that the brothers sawed the lumber to build Dick’s Mill in 1868-69 . The new mill was a 25 x 35-foot grist mill with a limestone foundation and a wooden water wheel. The mill is just 25 feet from the banks of the Moniteau Creek. The Dick's Mill was run by the Burris brothers for a year, then In August of 1869 it was sold to Adolph and Peter Dick, who immigrated to America with their parents in 1852 . It was while under the ownership of the Dicks, that the mill and the Cotton community flourished and became a center of trade. The mill is an example of a steam-powered grist mill that was commonly used during the last half of the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth century. It is the only intact grist mill with the machinery of its type, left in the county. A steam engine for the mill was purchased from a ferry boat that had operated on the Missouri River. The engine was shipped by rail to Tipton, Missouri, where it was brought by wagon to the site in Cotton. The steam engine was later replaced by a 25-horsepower Bouser engine, which was powered by gasoline. There were two runs of millstones used to grind corn and flour until 1892 . Then, a new roller mill system was installed at Dick's Mill. After a short time, Peter discontinued working at the mill with Adolph. Adolph worked at the mill until he sold the business to John Hall in 1903 . John Hall continued to use the gasoline engine and operated Dick's Mill and actively ground corn and wheat until 1945 . The mill was closed permanently during World War II because of the shortage of equipment and a lack of business. Burl and Maye Long of the Cotton community inherited the mill from John Hall. James Martin and Paul Bloch were interested in saving the historic mill building. In 1976 they approached the Longs asking to purchase the mill. An agreement was made and papers were signed October 16, 1976 . James and Nancy Martin purchased the mill and hoped to restore it to a condition that would closely resemble its state during the peak operating years of 1880 to 1900 . Much of the original equipment is still in the mill. Dick's Mill is the last existing intact grist mill in Cooper County. Dick's Mill before restoration Restored Dick's Mill W.P. Harriman Flour and Grist Mill was built in the late 1860s by Anthony Johnston. Mr. Johnston was a millwright and a stone mason from Kentucky. After building the Harriman Mill, he built several other mills in Cooper County. Doc Harriman was a successful doctor and spent most of his time with the sick, which left the management of his mill, and the raising of his horses to his very capable wife, Eliza. One of Mrs. Williams’ female workers led the horses to turn the sweeps in a never-ending circle. The mill was a very important business in the 1800s to the Pilot Grove Community. It was in operation from May to November with a work day of 10 or more hours. The wage at the time for a skilled mechanic was $1.00 per day. The average wage for a laborer was $.75 per day. The estimated output in a day was 100 bushels of ground flour. The flour produced was known as the White Rose flour. The grain was brought by wagon to the Harriman elevator in Pilot Grove where it was sold. In 1918, Doc Harriman sold his interest in the mill to his son, who later sold it to an Albert Adair and his two nephews. It was then converted into a steam-powered mill and called the Pilot Grove Mill . Logs for firewood to power the mill were brought in from the Pilot Grove area. The mill was sold to Herman Rethemeyer and operated for an indefinite time. Jim Huckaby was employed at the mill for 25 years. The mill was torn down in the spring of 1935. The grindstone is on display at Pilot Grove’s town park. All other traces of the mill are gone. The Sombart Mill was located on the south bank of the Missouri River in Boonville. It was started in 1852 by two brothers, and named the CW&J Sombart Milling Company. It became a very extensive business and was renamed in 1879 as the Sombart Milling and Mercantile Company. At one time it was the most valuable milling property in central Missouri. Located in the area of the Route 40 Boonville Bridge, the property became the local M.F. A. Elevator in 1989. Sombart Mill, Flood of 1903 MFA Elevator, 2019 (Former Sombart Mill)