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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.

EARLY CHURCHES Very early church. Notice two entrance doors – one for men, one for women. Segregated seating divided by a wall. Drawing by Florence "Winky" Friedrichs Adapted from “Discover Cooper County” by Ann Betteridge ​ The settlement of the County and the organization of the first churches took place at the same time. Throughout the centuries, missionaries often accompanied the first advance of civilization, and such was their coming in Cooper County. The first Americans who rushed into the Boonslick area were predominantly Protestant, and it was a race between the Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians. Later, by steamboat, came the Episcopalians, the German Catholics and Evangelicals. By arriving in family or neighborhood groups from various “Old Countries,” they continued their old community in the new. The pioneer considered his church to be of primary importance. When a new settlement was established, a church would usually be organized. The pioneers lived humble lives and many practiced their faith each day. The early churches were held in the people’s homes, which were log cabins and huts. The early preachers preached the same gospel that is preached today in huge magnificent buildings. They had a faith that was earnest and simple like that of the early Christians. An interesting story about an early minister named Reverend Pennywell Peter Woods, who was one of the first ministers of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, organized in 1820 just north of Bunceton. He grew up as a Presbyterian, believing Baptists were unworthy of respect from honorable and high-minded persons. His brother joined the Baptists, disgracing the family. Peter read the New Testament to learn about the true church and the true baptism, placing a red string at each mention of sprinkling and a blue string for each mention of immersion in the Bible. All the strings were blue and he threw his Bible down in disgust. But soon he was a pioneer itinerant Baptist preacher. It is not known when Peter first visited the Boonslick. Samuel Cole, the youngest son of Hannah Cole, stated the first preacher in the area was Peter Woods, and the Cole family history states that Peter Woods conducted the first worship service on the south side of the river in Hannah Cole’s cabin in 1811 . ​ THE FIRST ORDAINED BAPTIST MINISTER IN COOPER COUNTY Luke Williams was the first ordained Baptist minister in Cooper County. He preached without fee or reward as the early settlers had nothing with which to pay him. Cooper County was little more than a wild territory. He used to say, “I need no money to travel among brethren and friends.” He traveled on foot over a large part of the territory when visiting the members. When he was not engaged in preaching, he supported himself and his family by working on his farm. ​ An early settler recalled a church meeting he had attended before statehood, at which Luke Williams was the minister. Luke Williams was dressed in a complete set of buckskin clothes. Many of the worshipers were likewise attired. The lady was new to the area, having just moved there from North Carolina. The appearance of the congregation so upset her that she cried during the entire service. Also, at the service, grease from bear meat stored in the loft of the house where they were worshiping, dripped down and spoiled her shawl. At that time, in the wilderness, the shawl could not be replaced. ​ ​ THE FIRST CHURCHES IN COOPER COUNTY In 1817 , the first church building in the County was built. It was named Concord Church, and was located about six miles south of Boonville near Bunceton. It was a Baptist Church and the first minister to preach there was Luke Williams. Later, Luke Williams was pastor of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church from 1820-1823 . When he died, the church members gratefully provided for his widow. About the same time, in the same area, a small group of Baptists were meeting in various homes. Eventually, in 1837 , the Vine Church was constructed across the road from the Concord Church. ​ The Concord Church and the Vine Church merged in 1847 . The Church celebrated their Centennial anniversary in 1917 , and disbanded in 1919 . The cemetery is still there, but no trace of either church remains. Other early church congregations that were founded were: 1818 Nelson Memorial United Methodist – Boonville 1819 Pisgah Baptist – Pisgah 1820 Cumberland Presbyterian – New Lebanon 1820 Mt. Nebo Baptist – Pilot Grove 1821 First Presbyterian – Boonville 1821 Otterville Presbyterian Church – Otterville The Nelson Memorial Church was the first Methodist Church in the Western Conference in Missouri, and held the very first religious service in Boonville in 1817 . It built its third church at the same location in 1915 . Early churches were held in homes until sufficient funds were raised and the actual church could be built. Most of the early churches were built from logs, similar to the way early homes were built. Later, many churches were also built from wood, but the logs still had to be cut, sawed into planks and smoothed with planes - all by hand. Some were built using bricks that were usually made on site. Building a church without modern tools was a true labor of love. Often, churches also served as early schools until rural one-room schools became available. Sadly, many of the early churches are gone without a trace of where they had once been. Some were torn down and a new one built, and if the congregation dwindled down in size, or a new church, closer to town claimed the congregation, the original church was abandoned or used for another purpose. A few churches were damaged or destroyed during the Civil War. Abandoned churches were often torn down and the materials used elsewhere by thrifty settlers, leaving no trace as to where the church had been. Some churches were destroyed by tornadoes or lightning, and others by fires. Churches then and now were not without serious disagreements between the members. ​ The Mt. Nebo church was very prosperous until about 1826 , when there arose a division due to a difference of opinion on the question of paying ministers and sending missionaries among the “heathen” nations. After considerable excitement, and several stormy meetings, the two factions separated. John B. Longan, who was leader of the faction who favored paying the ministers and sending abroad missionaries, drew off a large majority of the members of the congregation, and built a church at Henry Woolery's mill, which was called "New Nebo” Church. The opposing faction continued in possession of "Old Nebo” Church," and still holds services. There seems to be no record of what happened to the “New Nebo” Church. ​ The Civil War caused divisions within the churches. Many of the early parishioners were originally from the South and favored secession, while others strongly favored staying with the Union. Many churches did not hold services during the Civil War as members feared for their safety. Small towns flourished during the heyday of railroads, but once the railroads left the area or bypassed the towns, businesses closed, populations moved and the membership of churches suffered a reduced number of parishioners. ​ Several of the early churches in Cooper County were founded by German immigrants. It was very common for these immigrants to conduct their services and teach their schools in German only. This changed quickly once World War I started. It is wonderful that so many of the early County churches are still in existence, and that they are still ministering to the needs of their parishioners. (See chart below for church name, date of founding, when the latest church was built, if it is still active, the location, plus if a church is associated with a cemetery (If the congregation built more than one church, the most recent date is listed.) Unfortunately, dates of the construction of a 2nd or third church seem to vary, depending upon which early history book you read. Founding dates are believed to be fairly accurate. Also, many of the records of the early churches, and some not so early, are cannot be found. If a church no longer exists, it is not listed. LISTING OF ALL PAST AND PRESENT CHURCHES & Their History Name, location, date established and cemetery, church information and records: Cooper County Churches General Information on Townships and Old Cooper County Churches BLACKWATER TOWNSHIP Town Blackwater Churches Blackwater Church of Christ - 307 Scott Ave. 660-846-2821 Blackwater United Methodist Church - Established 1887, Not Active BOONVILLE TOWNSHIP Towns Boonville Windsor Place Unincorporated town: Billingsville ​ Churches Christ Episcopal Church – Established 1835, Active, No cemetery First Baptist Church – Established 1843, Active, No cemetery First Christian Church D.O.C. – Established 1887, Active, No cemetery First Presbyterian Church – Established 1821, Active, No cemetery Morgan Street Baptist – Established 1865, Active, No cemetery Mt. Hermon Baptist Church – Established 1868, 13394 B Hwy. Active, Cemetery Nelson Memorial Methodist Church – Established 1817 Active, No cemetery St. Johns United Church of Christ Billingsville – Established 1855, Active, Cemetery St. Mathew AME Church – Established, Active, No cemetery Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church – Established 1851, Active, Cemetery West Boonville Evangelical Church – Established 1893, Not Active, Cemetery CLARK’S FORK TOWNSHIP Unincorporated towns: Clark’s Fork and Lone Elm Churches Zion Lutheran Church – Lone Elm. Established 1896, Active, Has Cemetery Trinity Lutheran Church – Clark’s Fork. Established 1863, Active, Has Cemetery CLEAR CREEK Unincorporated Towns C lear Creek Pleasant Green Churches Pleasant Green Methodist Church – Established 1825, Active; Cemetery St John’s Catholic Church Clear Creek – Established 1850, Active; Cemetery KELLY TOWNSHIP Town Bunceton Link to general information Churches Federated Church of Bunceton – Established 1871, Active, No Cemetery Bunceton Baptist Church – Established 1887, Active, No Cemetery Bunceton United Presbyterian Church – Established 1860, Active, No Cemetery 5 additional cemeteries listed – Chilton, Hopewell, Howard, Masonic and Woods. LAMINE TOWNSHIP Unincorporated Town Lamine Churches Old Lamine Church of Christ – Established 1843, Active, Large cemetery Douglas Weekley-660-621-1167 Peninsula Baptist Church – Established 1873, Active, Large Cemetery ​ Other Cemeteries William Henry Ashley – Burial Site (where the Lamine and Missouri rivers meet) ; Herndon Family Cemetery , Higgerson Family Cemetery , Hoke Family Cemetery , Samuel McMahan Family Cemetery , Thomas McMahan, Jr. Family Cemetery , Thomas McMahan, Sr. Family Cemetery Schuster Family Cemetery , Turley Family Cemetery ​ LEBANON TOWNSHIP Unincorporated Town New Lebanon ​ Churches New Lebanon Cumberland Presbyterian Church – Established in 1820. Stopped holding services in 1968. A cemetery is associated with this church Cemeteries New Lebanon Cemetery ​ Additional Information Cooper County MoGenWeb Cooper County MoGenWeb Chapter 4 NORTH MONITEAU TOWNSHIP Unincorporated town Pisgah No map exists, but Pisgah is on Missouri Route O, 8 miles east of Bunceton ​ Churches Pisgah Baptist Church – organized June 19, 1818, present building erected 1926 – Active membership Pisgah Baptist Cemetery nearby South Moniteau Township Overview MoGenWeb Pisgah Baptist Church Missouri Gravestones SOUTH MONITEAU TOWNSHIP No towns No churches ​ Cemeteries Renshaw Smiley OTTERVILLE TOWNSHIP Town Otterville-First called Elkton, organized in 1836 Unincorporated town Clifton City Churches Otterville Methodist Episcopal Church South – organized in 1869 Active; No Cemetery First Baptist Church of Otterville – organized in 1866 , Active, No cemetery Otterville Presbyterian Church – organized in 1882 , Active, No cemetery St. Joseph’s Catholic Church – Clifton City – established in 1882 , Active, Cemetery More information about Otterville Presbyterian Church ​ Other cemetery Shackleford PALESTINE TOWNSHIP Unincorporated Towns Speed Bellair Churches Bellair Methodist Church – established 1860, Not Active, No cemetery Speed Bethel A.M.E. Church – organized 1887, Not active, No cemetery Speed Union Church – organized 1891, Active, No cemetery Concord Baptist Church – established 1817, Disbanded 1919 – demolished. Earliest church in Cooper County – Large Cemetery ​ Other Cemeteries Briscoe Cemetery on Highway 5 – Monument to Hannah Cole, first woman settler in Cooper County Tuscumbia Free Will Baptist Cemetery – located near Ravenswood on a locked property – Charlie Leonard has to unlock it. Other Family cemeteries: Eweing Family, Lowery Family, Charlie Leonard has to unlock the gate. Waller Family Cemetery PILOT GROVE TOWNSHIP Towns Pilot Grove Chouteau Springs – extinct town Churches Mt. Nebo Baptist Church – established 1820. Located 3 miles northeast of New Lebanon Active; Cemetery associated with this church Pilot Grove Baptist Church – organized in 1876, Not Active, No Cemetery Saint Joseph Catholic Church – organized in 1883, Active, Cemetery associated with this church Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church – organized 1866, Active, Cemetery is associated with this church One church with 4 name changes: St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church – 1873 St. Paul Evangelical and Reformed Church St. Paul United Church of Christ : Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage and Death records located at this site ​ Pilot Grove Community Church – Active, Cemetery associated with this church Other Cemeteries – Mount Vernon, Pleasant Hill, Saint Joseph, Saint Martin’s in Chouteau Springs PRAIRIE HOME TOWNSHIP Town Prairie Home Churches Prairie Home United Methodist 544 Hwy. – Dr. 660-841-5226 Unincorporated towns organized 1881, Active, Cemetery associated with this church Prairie Home Baptist Church – organized 1890s, Active, No Cemetery St. Peter’s United Church of Christ – organized 1877, Active, Cemetery associated with this church Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church – year established, unknown. Disbanded 2019, still standing. Cemetery is associated with this church 5 Additional Cemeteries – Ellis, Harris, New Salem, Providence and Robison SALINE TOWNSHIP Towns Wooldridge Overton Pleasant Grove Churches Wooldridge Baptist Church – organized 1900, Active, Cemetery associated with this church Pleasant Grove Lutheran church – was organized 1855, Active, Cemetery associated with this church St. Peters Pleasant Grove – organized 1848 Active, Cemetery associated with this church ​ REFERENCES: Church Histories TRAVELING MISSIONARIES AND CIRCUIT RIDERS Before there were churches and ministers, and when weather permitted, a traveling missionary would preach to the settlements. People would come in wagons or by foot to hear the message of God. This would also be a time to exchange the news and visit with others. “Brush arbors,” where protracted meetings would be held, were assembled from branches of trees for shade from the hot sun. The meetings would sometimes last for hours and lead to the organization of a permanent church. Later, when funds were available, churches would be built. Revivals would be held in the summer, fall, or spring. At this time many new members were added to the church. The Revivals sometimes lasted for several days. The traveling missionaries, often called “Circuit Riders” would travel on foot or on horseback, stopping at homes as they went. This was a very strenuous and hard life and many of the circuit riders died in their 30’s or early 40’s. They were dependent on food and shelter at the homes that welcomed them, and in the early days of Cooper County, homes were few and far between. They were subject to bad weather, getting lost on the open prairie and had no protection from those who would cause them harm or rob them. In later years, Revivals or Camp Meetings were held in tents, but the goal was always bringing folks back to or into the church. Pilot Grove Township was distinguished in the early years by the number and variety of camp meetings which were held there. The Presbyterians and Methodists were rivals for the honor of conducting the biggest and best camp meeting each year. People attended from great distances, as it was a social event as well as a religious one. ​ ​ Methodist Circuit Riders Methodism became prominent in Missouri in the early 1800’s through “circuit riders” who were lone preachers on horseback who spread the Word of God to rural settlers, and relied on these same settlers for food and shelter. These early preachers had no church or congregation of their own, as all preachers were itinerants. Their circuits were of varied sizes, depending on the number of settlers in their circuit area. In the new Territory of Missouri, on the south side of the Missouri River, their circuits were very large, and it usually took the preacher about six weeks to complete. The circuits varied from 200 to 600 miles. Circuit Riders were usually young, single men with an agricultural or artisan background. They could read and write, but were normally not well educated. However, when they felt called to preach, they received a course of study in the Bible, the Methodist Hymnal, and were well versed in the theology of John Wesley. They were paid a salary of $80 per year. They had to supply their own horse, saddle and bridle and all their clothing. Some complained that the food they received was poor and they often had to sleep on the floor of a shed. But, homes at that time were very small and already crowded. In 1816 there were only eight preachers to cover the entire area that was to later become the state of Missouri. They ministered to those who lived on scattered farms or in small villages that would be unable to support a full-time minister. If possible, the circuit rider preached every day in what ever building was large enough – barns, taverns, homes, under trees or in “brush arbors. They often started as early as 5 AM in the summer so that farmers could get out to the fields to work, or were done in the evening after farming work was done. Wherever there were enough people in an area, the preacher would start a class and appoint a lay person to conduct classes in order to keep the people together until the circuit rider made his rounds and returned. These classes became a basis for a new church to be established. The preacher was not looking for Methodists, he was looking for anyone who wanted to hear the word of God and eventually become a Methodist. Camp meetings and revivals were held at least once each year and often lasted for week. People would come from miles away for these revivals and a for a chance to meet friends they had not seen for a year or more. Many new members to the church would be added at this time, plus weddings and baptisms performed. “Sermons were practical, moral, and dramatic. Methodist doctrine fit well with the spirit of the frontier. The emphasis of free will, and grace, unlike to the limited grace and predestination preached by the Presbyterians and Baptists appealed to those independent souls who had moved to the frontier and who felt They were in control of their destiny”. (1) Boonville was incorporated into a circuit in 1818 by a local preacher, Justinian Williams, and by 1840 became a station and became the second largest in the state of Missouri. Stops for the early circuit riders included Boonville, Pilot Grove and a German settlement 12 miles south of Boonville. Reference: Circuit Riders to Crusades by John O. Gooch, Ph.D. Circuit Riders to Crusades pages 10, 11 ​ Baptists During the first five years of settlement in this area most services were held in homes by a passing missionary or circuit rider. In 1815 , Luke Williams, who later preached at Concord and Mt. Nebo, held services at Hannah Cole’s Fort. He was born in Virginia, in 1776 , and settled in Cooper County in 1816 . The other missionary who preached in the Fort was James Savage. Both of these men were of the Baptist denomination, which was the prevailing one in early Cooper County. ​ In early Boonville, Missouri, there was no "German Church" where first- and second-generation immigrants could worship in the custom familiar to the then fewer than forty families who had migrated Westward during the early 1800's. ​ In 1849 two German circuit riders, the Reverends Rauschenbach and Kroenke, were in Boonville on a regular but infrequent basis for the Evangelical United Church of Christ. Then, in 1850 , the Rev. Hoffmeister, an Evangelical minister serving Moniteau County, agreed to conduct services twice a month at Boonville. His ministry at Boonville was brought about as a result of the amount of $250 annually provided by the Presbyterian Church Mission Board's decision to support a church for their German friends. New Lebanon The Cumberland Presbyterian Church of New Lebanon established a seminary in that trained young men to become circuit riders and ministers ​ ​ EARLY CHURCH DISCIPLINE The discipline of the early church was strict. Instances of discipline involved: card playing, drinking liquors in excess, fights between members (pulling off their coats in an “affray”), marriage troubles, dishonesty in horse trading, making false statements against the pastor and non-attendance at church. No servant or servants were allowed to sell beer, cakes, cider, melons, or anything of that kind within one mile of the church. Churches were affected by the Civil War. Some churches were destroyed or burned, and congregations had to work together to heal the wounds of war. The healing in most cases came slowly. Black members, who had before worshiped with the white members (blacks were forced to sit in the back of the church building), formed their own churches and cemeteries. Some of the early churches had two entrance doors. Some also had a partition through the center section of the building separating the men and women so there would be no “distractions” during worship. ​ BAPTISMS Some of the churches conducted baptismal services at a nearby creek. After the Sunday morning service, the congregation would go to a nearby creek and after a service of prayer and singing at the water’s edge, the pastor immersed the candidate for baptism. An amusing incident was told in connection with an early baptismal service. A crowd of people had gathered on the banks of the stream where the baptism was to take place. Simons climbed up a small sapling which stood on the edge of the creek. John Hutchison, thinking that this would be a fine opportunity to have some fun, took out his pocket knife and began cutting away on the little tree where it was bent over by the viewer’s weight. Lower and lower bent the tree but the victim was so interested in the baptism he did not notice what was happening. At last the tree was cut in two and Simons fell into the water with a loud splash. The crowd laughed so long and loud that the minister almost dismissed the crowd, but finally they became quiet and the service was finished. Although the church was noted for its strictness, this illustration shows the members could also enjoy a good laugh. The grasshopper invasion of 1875 caused much concern. Tuesday, May 18th, of that year was set aside as a day of prayer to God for his blessings upon the local churches and the nation in the removing of the insects that were devastating the land. People from different churches met together on that day to pray. ​ CHURCH PROGRAMS WERE SUCCESSFUL Churches began to have Sunday Schools in the early 1900 ’s. At this time the women of the churches were forming missionary and prayer societies and they began to become active in their churches’ programs. Vacation Bible School started in the 1930 ’s and 1940 ’s. Many people in the county reflect with happiness upon their experiences at Bible School. Many of the churches in the County continue to have Bible Schools each summer. Some of the churches have a day each week set aside for church instruction. Three churches in Cooper County have their own church school. A history of these schools can be found in the website section on schools. RESOURCES: LISTING OF ALL PAST AND PRESENT CHURCHES in Cooper County Name, location, date established and church information and records: A list of churches will come up. Click on the one you wish to read about and watch for a blue arrow in the upper right had corner. If you do not see the arrow, click again. If you wish to study several churches, close the one you were just looking at and click on a new name. Resources at the CCHS Research Center – (listed in genealogy section of this website) List of all Cooper County Churches we have information on in our files list of all church history books at the Center List of all church Centennial books “Cooper County Church Sketches” by Florence Chesnutt available at CCHS Research Center for only $9 Map of Churches in Church Sketches At one time there were three Black churches in Boonville: Sixth Street Church, which has been razed, Saint Mathew’s A.M.E. Church (1881 ) and Morgan Street Baptist (1865 ). Pisgah also had a Black church which was formed after the Civil War. Prior to the war Blacks and Whites worshiped together. There is a small Black Church near Prairie Home (Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church) which was disbanded in 2019 . ​ Resources : LISTING OF ALL PAST AND PRESENT CHURCHES in Cooper County Name, location, date established and church information and records: Missouri Genealogical Website Church Records in Cooper County A list of churches will come up. Click on the one you wish to read about and watch for a blue arrow in the upper right had corner. If you do not see the arrow, click again. If you wish to study several churches, close the one you were just looking at and click on a new name. ​ Resources at the CCHS Research Center – (listed in genealogy section of this website): List of all Cooper County Churches we have information on in our files: List of all church history books at the CCHS Center List of all church Centennial books “Cooper County Church Sketches” by Florence Chesnutt available CCHS Research Center $9 See below – History of some of the oldest Cooper County churches and a Tour Map Winki Book.pdf ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

AGRICULTURE Adapted from Discover Cooper County by Ann Betteridge ​ The first settlements in the county were made during the period between 1810 and 1820. However, it was not until the 1830s that any widespread farming began to take place. Before the 1830s, settlers relied on the trade center in Boonville to provide most of their needs. Early settlers avoided bottomlands and prairies. Because of the supply of wood for fuel and building purposes, the presence of good springs, and the good supply of game (which was the main food source at the time), settlers built their homes in the high-timbered area of the county. ​ ​ CENTURY FARMS Since the “Century Farm” program began in 1976, more than 8,000 Missouri farms have received the Century Farm designation. To qualify, the same family must have owned the farm for 100 consecutive years. The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through related family members or spouses. The farm must be at least 40 acres of the original land acquisition and make a financial contribution to the overall farm income. ​ ​ LIVESTOCK In the 1830s, settlers began to recognize the value of the prairie lands for grazing livestock and growing crops. The native prairie grasses provided excellent grazing, and their extensive root systems helped develop and retain a deep topsoil layer that was very helpful in raising agricultural crops. A substantial amount of central and southern Cooper County was native prairie. ​ By the 1840s, many farmers were raising livestock, a trend that continues today. Early settlers who came to Missouri from the southern states brought a few head of livestock with them. Raising of livestock became the basis of early Cooper County agriculture. ​ ​ EARLY OUTSTA NDING FARMERS Some of the people who contributed to the field of agriculture in the county were: ​ The first purebred hogs, Duroc Jerseys, were the first west of the Mississippi, and owned by S.Y. Thornton. Ravenswood, located south of Boonville, was the site of the first purebred cattle in Missouri. These Shorthorns were the oldest herd west of the Mississippi River. Fairfield, located near Boonville, was the home of Walter B. Windsor, world-record early corn grower (1880s-1920s). Chris T. Smith, gold-medal winner for corn sample (Carter corn) at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, lived at “Walnut Dale Farm” in Cooper County. James Chambers owned the first nursery in Cooper County and grew cherry and apple trees. It was established in 1817. The first imported sheep of the Cotswold breed to Missouri were owned by Samuel H. Groves, of Cooper County. Mr. And Mrs. Thomas Nelson owned “Eminence Stock Farm” south of Boonville, near Bunceton. Mrs. Sarah Nelson was the first woman to make a specialty of producing poultry of the better breeds and of pure strain, Barred Rocks poultry. Thomas J. Wallace was known for buying, breeding, and developing saddle stock. He and his son, A.A. Wallace, owned four of the finest stallions in the country: Denmark Chief, Crigler’s Denmark, Blackbird, and King Chester 294. ​ MULES IN COOPER COUNTY The mule has played an important part in helping people in Cooper County achieve their goals and farm their land. Besides being a power source for farmers, mules were a good cash crop. Mules have often been a supplemental source of power to the horse. However, when the going was hard, the heat intense, and the food and water scarce, the mule out-performed his horse half-brother. The Missouri Mule industry was born at the turn of the 19th century when the Santa Fe Trail opened. People returning from the Spanish town of Santa Fe, Mexico, brought gold, silver, furs, and mules with them. By 1820, Franklin, across the river from present day Boonville, was at the end of river transportation. Trappers, explorers, and other travelers rode upriver from St. Louis by boat as far as Franklin and outfitted themselves at Franklin before heading for the western world. William Becknell, explorer, returned from a trip to Santa Fe in 1822 with mules he had purchased. This was the first record of mules in Missouri. Mule power was used heavily in the Civil War and were saluted by Civil War soldiers in the song Selby’s Mule. Over 350,000 mules were sent to the British military during World War I. They were also used in World War II. During the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, a Missouri man drove his six-mule team past all the other competition and permanently placed the phrase “Missouri Mule” in the global vocabulary. By 1870, Missouri was the major mule producing state in the nation. Many mules were bought and sold in Cooper County. During the next 30 years, mule production was the highest. In the summer of 1995, the mule was recognized by the Missouri Legislature as the official state animal. The mule is an offspring of the male donkey (Jack) and the female horse (mare). ​ FARMING The county was also well adapted to crop farming. It was not long before raising crops also became an important part of the farming in the county. Initially, the main crop was corn. Other crops raised were wheat, oats, and barley. Many German immigrants came in the 1850s, and raised grapes and planted fruit orchards. ​ MISSOURI STATE FAIR The major business in Cooper County in the 1850s was agriculture. The first official state fair in Missouri was held October 3-7, 1853, near the site of the old St. Joseph’s Hospital building in Boonville. The state fair was a way for farmers to get together and trade information about agriculture practices, as well as to see the finest livestock and produce raised in the state. The next two state fairs were also in Boonville. The state legislature didn’t appropriate any funds for the fair after that, although there were many county fairs throughout the state. The next official state fair was in 1901 and at that time it was moved to Sedalia, where it has remained. ​ THE GRANGE New Lebanon had an active Grange organization in the 1870s which was an organization of farmers, established in 1867. It was officially titled “Order of Patrons of Husbandry.” The farmers were concerned with the practice of the railroads and grain elevators. By 1875, Missouri led all states in membership, but it soon began to decline. The year 1890 marked a turning point in county history because, in this year, total county population reached an all-time high. For the next 90 years the general tendency in county population was downward and people moved from farm to town. ​ ​ FRUIT GROWING IN COOPER COUNTY Colonel Charles Bell founded the International Apple Shippers Association. He experimented with and developed the “Lady Apple” tree in the Bell Apple Orchard located about six miles east of Boonville. For years each pupil in the Boonville Schools found a “Lady Apple” on their desk the first day of school. Apples being delivered to Boonville merchants Bell Orchard Apples being delivered. Notice the bronze dogs which are now above the entry doors at Laura Speed Elliott school. Workers at Bell Orchard Photos from Wayne Lammers Collection THE CIVIL WAR AND W WII AND AGRICULTURE During the Civil War, agriculture in the county was brought nearly to a stop. The most severe effect of the war was the drastic reduction in livestock. Crops were burned, farmers were terrorized and sometimes killed, barns and houses were burned and ransacked. Cattle and other livestock were stolen or slaughtered for food for soldiers. It wasn’t until the 1870s that farmers were able to rebuild their herds and begin farming again. ​ ​ WORLD II Farming began to show a slow recovery by the end of the 1930s, and then came the outbreak of World War II. Many young farmers went off to war and never came back. Those who stayed behind to farm their land were given extra support to increase their productivity, and soil conservation work began with terracing, soil liming, contour plowing, and pond building. It was about this time that the government started its “Balanced Farming” educational programs to area farmers. In 1940, Cooper County led all counties in Missouri in the number of farms on which terraces had been constructed. On December 1, 1940, the number was 207. A total of 70,000 trees were planted in gullies and eroded areas in the spring of 1940. ​ FARMING AFTER WWII After World War II, a new era in agriculture began. In 1949, Edgar Nelson made the following observations: Tractors are fast replacing horses and mules. There is much more farm machinery used meaning more acres farmed by fewer persons. This means fewer people on the farms and a tendency toward larger farms. Practically everyone is growing hybrid corn. Lespedeza has proved a lifesaver for poor soil. There has been an increase in dairying as well as in the development of herds of beef-type cattle. Mr. Nelson’s comments were mostly good; however, at this time there was also concern that while many farmers had improved their soil, the majority of them had allowed their soil to become overworked because of the demand for crops at high prices. Due to the negligence of the soil, there has been a general loss of topsoil and soil fertility. Farmers currently rely on big applications of fertilizers to keep high yields. Farmers began to use chemical insecticides and herbicides in the early 1950's. ​ ​ COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE New Lebanon Home Improvement Club Since the colonists first landed on the shores of North America, men and women have been joining together for survival and social activities. Granted, many social gatherings revolved around barn raisings and quilting bees, but any excuse to get together was welcome. Years passed and times changed, but the need to socialize never went away. In June 1937, Miss Margaret Van Orsdol came to Cooper County as the new County Home Agent. Barely two weeks later, she was at the little country school house in New Lebanon explaining to a group of busy rural ladies how to organize an extension club. The New Lebanon Home Improvement Club was founded that same day with 11 charter members and officers were elected. The group decided to meet in members' homes on the fourth Thursday of each month. Dues were one cent a month. By 1970, they had risen to $1.25/year. Membership reached 19 by the end of the year. Six more extension clubs were organized that year. With the three that had been formed in 1936 (Lone Elm Lively Ladies, County Line Homemakers, and Brick Extension Club), the county now had ten such clubs. By the end of 1942, Cooper County could boast 23 extension clubs. Like their ancestors, these get-togethers were more than social events. The ladies learned cooking, canning, food preservation, gardening, dress making, aluminum etching, glass etching, textile painting, yard improvement, remodeled kitchens, and community improvements. They learned about health, first-aid, and other interesting, beneficial and educational topics. While social events included bridal and baby showers, they were not limited to the ladies. There were annual family Thanksgiving suppers, ice cream socials, picnics, trips and tours. According to the “History of New Lebanon, Cooper County, Mo” which was published in 1976, the organization's 35th Anniversary was observed on June 22, 1972, at the home of Mrs. Clarence Brumback.

THE MEXICAN WAR In May, 1846 , a call was made for one company from Cooper County to join troops already in Mexico. Sixty-one men volunteered. The company was organized and assembled in Boonville, where they were trained in military duty by their Captain, John C. Stephens. They departed May 28, 1846 , on the steamer L. F. Linn, for St. Louis, where they were to be armed and equipped. When they arrived in St. Louis, they were ordered to report to Jefferson City. When they got to Jefferson City, they were told to be in readiness and were then allowed to return home. Even though they never saw any battle, the volunteers were welcomed home by large, cheering crowds. The 1865 Missouri Constitution bans the practice of slavery. ​ Missouri was still very much a divided state over the issue of slavery at the end of the Civil War. Many citizens, including Radical Republicans led by Charles Drake, fiercely opposed the institution of slavery and pushed for a new constitution. Among the amendments were the emancipation of slaves and determining voting privileges for loyal citizens to the Union. The ordinance introduced at the constitution convention in St. Louis to abolish slavery in the state passed overwhelmingly with only four delegates voting against it. Missouri’s document that made slavery unlawful came three weeks before the U.S. Congress proposed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery in the country. The loyalty oath, which also was adopted by the 1865 Missouri Constitution would exclude all but pro-Unionists from public life, including the fields of teaching, law and politics, also went into effect until the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Missouri’s loyalty oath two years later. ​ ​ Daniel Boone Camp No 42 "In the Name and by Authority of the United Spanish War Veterans …" These are the first words on a Charter that hangs on the northwest wall of the first floor lobby of the Cooper County Courthouse. Americans have fought in many wars since winning their independence in the Revolutionary War in 1775-1783. The War Between the States (or the American Civil War as many call it), World War I, and World War II are the ones that most often come to mind. But there have been others. The Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and the China Relief Expedition are three others. Like veterans of other wars before and since, veterans of the Spanish American War, which officially ended in early 1899, formed organizations to keep in touch with those they fought with, and to remember those who didn't come home. The three largest of these organizations (the Spanish War Veterans, the Spanish-American War Veterans, and the Servicemen of the Spanish War) merged in 1904, becoming the United Spanish War Veterans. By 1906, all the other organizations had merged with them as well. Although the organization existed primarily in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, there were other "camps" across the country. On May 20, 1928, the Daniel Boone Camp No. 42 in Boonville, Missouri, was chartered by the United Spanish War Veterans. Signed in the organization's national headquarters in Washington, D.C., on June 28, 1928, there were 20 members at the time Camp No. 42 was created and each veteran's name is written on the charter. The United Spanish War Veterans ceased to exist in 1992 with the death of its last surviving member, Nathan E. Cook. Often referred to as a Spanish-American War veteran, Cook, was actually a veteran of the Philippine Insurrection. He had lied about his age and enlisted at the age of 16. Cook died just before his 107th birthday at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

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

RAILROADS IN COOPER COUNTY SOME INTERESTING BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT RAILROADS IN COOPER COUNTY ​ In the mid 1800’s, railroads became very important for the economic growth of many communities. The people in Cooper County knew they needed railroads to grow and prosper. They eagerly voted bonds to aid in constructing railroads, and land was purchased for four main railroad lines. ​ If a railroad went through a town, the town usually gained population and businesses. The trains were fast and comfortable, making stage coaches unnecessary and soon after trains arrived in the County, stagecoaches ceased to be needed. There have been two major railroads that have traveled through Cooper County through the years. The major, longest lived and last railroad, was the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, also called the MKT, and the more minor railroad was the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad. ​ The MKT, first known as the southern branch of the Union Pacific, was organized at Emporia in 1867. Work was begun on the road at Junction City, Kansas, in the summer of 1869, and in November the line was completed to Council Grove, Kansas, a distance of 37 miles; in December it was finished to Emporia, Kansas, 24 miles farther; in Feb., 1870, it was completed to Burlington, Kansas, 30 miles farther down the Neosho valley; in April another 30 miles took the road to Humboldt, Kansas, and on June 6 the line entered the Indian Territory, (present day Oklahoma), thus securing the sole right of way, with a land grant, through that territory. ​ The Osage Division of the MKT Railroad began as a railroad known as the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad, Missouri Division which was incorporated on April 20th, 1869. Completed in 1871, the railroad was a single-track, standard gauge steam railroad that ran approximately 38 miles from Holden, Missouri (in Johnson County) to the Missouri/Kansas state line. As the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad, Missouri Division quickly went bankrupt; the Katy Railroad officially completed the purchase of the charter on May 29th, 1872. ​ However, involvement may have dated back to 1870 (at the inception of the line) when Levi Parson and Francis Skiddy set into motion their plan to see that the Katy Railroad would be the first to reach Indian Territory, and the only one allowed to tap the riches of Texas and the Southwest. To this end, Parson and Skiddy set into motion a much larger plan that included the chartering of the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad in Kansas. The charter for the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad in Kansas was issued on May 7th, 1870. On the same day, the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad entered into an agreement allowing for the merger and consolidation of the company with the KATY Railroad. The Neosho Valley and Holden Railway Company was effectively a paper railroad and did not construct any railroad. The original plan of the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad was to connect in the east with the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad, Missouri Division, and continue west To Emporia. However, the rail line never reached Emporia; it only reached Paola, Kansas (where it connected with the Missouri Pacific Railroad). This created an orphan line with no connection to the main lines at either Emporia, Kansas or Sedalia, Missouri. ​ Research by: Harold Kerr II ​ THE MKT COMES TO COOPER COUNTY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Katy Engine exiting the Boonville Katy Bridge circa 1980. From the Wayne Lammers collection. ​ As for development in Cooper County Missouri, on January 1, 1872 a contract was awarded for building the Northeastern Extension— under the name of the Tebo Neosho Railway—to Boonville in Cooper County, to Fayette in Howard County, and on to a junction with the North Missouri (Wabash) at Moberly, in Randolph County, Missouri. The MKT track reached Pl easant Green in Cooper County on April 24, 1873 and by May 18 it reached Pilot Grove. The end-of-track reached Boonville on May 31, 1873. A celebration to mark the completion of the Northeastern Extension was held in Boonville on July 4, 1873, after the rail reached Fayette, Missouri on June 20, 1873. United States Congressman John Cosgrove was on hand for this celebration. Before 1870, between Sedalia and Boonville, a span of thirty-four miles, there was hardly a house to be seen. Pilot Grove was laid out very soon after the railroad arrived, on May 30, 1873. Pleasant Green came into being on June 28. Clifton City, on September 29, 1873. These three towns became busy major centers of commerce for several years until the railroad was disbanded. Once the railroad no longer came through the towns, population dropped and businesses closed. One interesting spot along the rail was south of Boonville, a place called “Lard Hill.” Old timers in the area described how this came to be known by this colorful name: an old Irish lady who was untidy in appearance, had a shack full of children and no husband. Allegedly, a KATY train killed the family pig one day, and, since the pig was in an area where it had no business being, and was a terrible looking thing, the claims agent valued the loss at $5.00. The woman was extremely upset about this and went about to get revenge. She rendered the fat from the pig and every time she heard the train whistle for the Boonville train, she would send her children out to put lard on the tracks. After several times of the train slipping and sliding to make its way, the railroad gave the woman more money for her loss. Yet, nothing appears in the records to validate this story. Another story holds that disgruntled farmers in the area larded the rails as they were unhappy with the rail coming through their land. The MKT ran until 1989 when it was succeeded by the Missouri Pacific Railroad (a.k.a MoPac). In 1997 the MoPac became the Union Pacific. Sources: https://legendsofkansas.com/railroads3.html http://genealogytrails.com/mo/bates/railroad.html https://www.abandonedrails.com/bryson-to-paola THE KATY RAILROAND AND THE LAST FRONTIER, V. V. MASTERSON, © 1978 UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS, pp 150, 193-194, 198, 209-210 Katy Railroad Historical Society - There is a Katy Railroad Historical Society Museum located in Denison, Texas. They are a 501c3 organization. Memberships are available on the website. Their webpage: https://katyrailroad.org/ Their phone number: 903-327-5966 ​ Boonville Katy Depot & Caboose #134. By Wayne Lammers on January 14, 2019. Caboose painting by volunteers on Sept. 14, 2017 by Wayne Lammers. OTHER RAILROADS IN COOPER COUNTY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Map from 1877. MKT and river bridge (started 1873) top left, and Osage Valley and Southern Railroad (started 1865-68) shown in the middle of the map coming out of Boonville. Rails along the Missouri River had not started by 1877. ​ The other line that came to Cooper County was the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad. ​ The Southern Kansas was one of five railroads to receive their charter from the first legislature in Kansas in 1855. The capital stock of the Southern Kansas was fixed at $3,000,000, and the company was given a franchise to build a road "from the Missouri state line due west of Springfield to the west line of Kansas Territory." A. J. Dorn, William J. Godfroy, James M. Linn, Joseph C. Anderson and others were named as the incorporators, and the act stipulated that work was to begin on the road within nine years. ​ On October 17, 1860 a convention met at Topeka with about 125 delegates present, representing 20 counties of the territory. The principal work of the convention was the adoption of a resolution to the effect that a petition be presented to Congress asking an appropriation of public lands to aid in the construction of railroads in Kansas as follows: A railroad from the western boundary of the State of Missouri, where the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas railroad terminates, westwardly via Emporia, Fremont and Council Grove, to the Fort Riley Military Reservation, among other issues. ​ In 1867 a company was organized under the name of the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas Railroad Company, proposing to construct a railroad from Boonville on the Missouri river to Fort Scott and $100,000 in bonds was asked of Bates County with a donation of the right of way. Chicago was to be the northern terminus, an "air line" to "just where you like it." The county officials did not seem to catch onto this scheme and no action of the bond question was taken. The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad was chartered in 1857 by the Missouri Legislature to run from a point on the Pacific Railroad near present day Tipton, Missouri, to Emporia, Kansas. The charter was modified in 1858 to include an extension north to Boonville, Missouri. Grading on the line was completed to Versailles, Missouri, in 1861, but was halted due to the American Civil War. After the war the Boonville to Tipton portion was completed in 1868 and leased to the Pacific Railroad. In 1870, portions of the line were graded from Warsaw, Missouri, north to Cole Camp, Missouri. ​ Construction ended in 1872, when the line defaulted on bond payments. The Warsaw portion became the property of Benton County, Missouri, and was later used, in 1880, as the roadbed for the narrow-gauge Sedalia, Warsaw and Southern Railway between Sedalia and Warsaw. The line between Tipton and Versailles, Missouri, was reorganized in 1880 and 1881, as the Boonville, St. Louis and Southern Railway, and was then leased to Jay Gould's Missouri Pacific Railway. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Boonville to Versailles RR, brakeman Earl Hays, on October 21, 1911. Two engines hit head on at 7:10 AM From the Wayne Lammers collection ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ From the Wayne Lammers collection ​ On January 13, 1880, a train wreck occurred on the Boonville Branch. The wreck occurred at 4:30 in the afternoon about three miles north of Tipton. Five box cars next to the engine jumped the track, tearing up the rails for about a hundred yards. There were passengers and baggage, as well as empty cars on the train, but these did not come off the track. No one was injured. The engineer, named Rosenhahn, gave the engine full steam when he saw that the head box car was trying to come onto his tender. This caused the coupling to break and the car broke away. Four of the broken cars were empty and one was full of merchandise headed to Boonville. No passenger or merchandise was late to arrive, due to good management of the situation. ​ The line operated until June 1935, when successor Missouri Pacific Railroad asked permission of the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line. The last train operated was to Versailles on April 30, 1936, and the entire property was torn up except for a bit at the Boonville end, which followed 2nd Street. ​ This line came up from Moniteau County through Kelly Township, where there was a station called Vermont Station. The name “Vermont” may have come from the fact that Nathaniel Leonard, a large property owner in southern Cooper County (over 1,500 acres in 1877) was born in the State of Vermont. The line went up through present-day Bunceton, Speed, and into Boonville. The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas was succeeded by the Boonville, St Louis and Southern Railway in 1881. This railroad was then succeeded by the MoPac in 1956, which was then succeeded by the Union Pacific in 1997. ​ Sources: Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad Legends of Kansas Genealogy Trails ​ ​ The Tipton (MO) Times, January 15, 1880: ​ The Missouri Pacific built a route from St. Louis to Kansas City, which came through the southern part of Cooper County. The line was completed through Otterville in 1860. ​ The second railroad to come through Cooper County was the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad, a branch line of the Missouri Pacific. It ran from Boonville to Versailles, with stops at Billingsville, Jo Town, New Palestine, Petersburg, Bunceton and Vermont. It was completed in 1868. This line was abandoned in 1937. The third railroad was originally called the Tebo and Neosho, and later the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (shortened to “KATY” or “MKT”). It was built through Cooper County in the early 1870s and crossed the Missouri River at Boonville going through Prairie Lick, Pilot Grove, Harriston, Pleasant Green, and Clifton City. It ceased operation in 1986. The tracks have been removed and it has been converted to a recreation bike trail and is now called the Katy Trail. Prairie Lick and Harriston are now extinct, and Pleasant Green and Clifton City are now just settlements with a few homes. Pilot Grove, although not the large thriving city it once was, is now the second largest town in Cooper County. ​ The fourth railroad to come through Cooper County was called the River Route because it followed along the Missouri River. It was built by the Missouri Pacific and is now the Union Pacific. It was completed as far as Boonville in the early 1890s and then extended downriver to St. Louis in the early 1900s. It goes through Overton, Wooldridge, Boonville, Lamine, and Blackwater, but does not stop. All the above towns became prosperous while the trains regularly stopped there, but once the railroads left, so did business and the population. Today, Overton, Wooldridge, Lamine and Speed have no businesses, but there are still a few homes there. The Union Pacific railroad still carries coal and other freight, especially coal, on a regular basis as it travels past Boonville. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Here is a 1897 railroad map showing the rails in both counties. The only one not showing is the Missouri Pacific or later the Union Pacific that goes from Boonville down the river route to Jefferson City which started in 1899. The railroad going from Sedalia to Boonville and then to New Franklin is the MK&T RR or the Katy. The railroad from Boonville south to Versailles is the Southern Branch of the Missouri Pacific which ended in 1938. The Missouri Pacific RR at the bottom of Cooper County had a short rail that ran through Otterville from Sedalia to St. Louis. OTHER NOTABLE TRAIN WRECKS Pilot Grove train wreck World War II was brought to a close for the Citizens of Pilot Grove on May 6, 1945, when a train carrying ammunition wrecked about a half mile north of town. The fire and smoke caused by the derailment of twenty cars of oil, three cars of artillery shells, and part on the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, was visible for 35 miles, and it attracted hundreds of people to the scene. Flames and smoke leaped 400 feet into the air almost immediately; about 2 hours after the wreck the shells began to explode, and continued to explode for two hours. Shell fragments, casings, bags of powder, and some unexploded shells were scattered over the area. One shell landed near the depot, about a half mile away. Two crewmen were injured. It appeared that a brake beam on one of the cars had broken and was dragged along the track until it caught in a switch from a siding in town. ​ Source: Pilot Grove Centennial book The Otterville 1948 collision of two Missouri Pacific trains left 12 passages and 2 Pullman employees dead, and 32 passengers and six crewmen injured. One train was creeping through a blinding snowstorm, at about 20 mile an hour, when the second train rammed into it. The trains were bound from Saint Louis to Kansas City. The accident happened two miles west of Syracuse, MO. Film Director Frank Ryan, his wife and three children died, as did the Ambassador to Spain and Argentina, Alexander Weddell and his wife also lost their lives. Source: Carolyn Aggelar THE RAILROADS BROUGHT PEOPLE TO COOPER COUNTY, AND ALSO MAY HAVE HELPED THEM MOVE AWAY Railroads have been credited with helping towns prosper and grow, and also may have led to the eventual demise of many Cooper County towns. Trains were especially helpful in moving animals and grain to major markets like St. Louis and Kansas City, plus allowing passengers to comfortably travel to where they wanted to go. Trains were a major travel improvement over stage coaches, wagons, or a horse and buggy. The change from rail travel to gasoline vehicles, started the decline of railroads. By the early 1920’s, transportation by train was being replaced by trucks and cars, which were faster and provided a more convenient, comfortable, and a direct way to travel. This change from rail travel to gasoline vehicles, plus the depression, caused area populations to dramatically decrease, as people moved closer to towns that were larger, had more shopping opportunities, still had trains, and/or offered more job opportunities with higher pay. Once cars and trucks became popular in the 1920’s, most trains were rerouted from going through the center of towns, to either bypass the towns, or were eliminated altogether. This was a big blow to farmers who depended on trains to haul their grain and cattle to major shipping points, such as At. Louis or Kansas City, and also eliminated passengers who had no other means of traveling from one city to another. The railroad business declined dramatically by the mid-1930’s. This led to the closing of Boonville’s Tipton-Versailles Branch line, and the Katy continued to cut back service despite the building of the new lift span bridge over the Missouri River in 1932. The hope that the lift span bridge would bring more business to Cooper County did not become a reality. ​ Towns once serviced by trains that have almost, or totally disappeared, are: Petersburg, Vermont, Prairie Lick, Harriston, and Pleasant Green. It is interesting to see how the population of Cooper County increased and decreased with the advent of the railroads which covered much of the County. The railroads have been credited with helping towns prosper and grow, and also may have led to their eventual demise. When populations declined, the number of post offices did too. You will notice that many of the early, small Cooper County towns were named after a local grain mill, many of which were located on the Petite Saline River. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Red = Missouri Pacific Orange = Osage Valley Green = Tebo/Neosho Blue = River Route This is the Union Pacific coal train #6040 going east through Boonville from the west on Feb. 5th, 2015 at 9:50 AM. It came from the coal fields in Colorado. We don't see as many of them here these days. They are using other sources of fuel nowadays in the power plants. This train does not stop in Boonville A hobo heating up his lunch on the MK&T Railroad. Circa 1890's by Max Schmidt Old Team Track unloading wheat in box car on 2nd street Boonville circa 1920's. From the Wayne Lammers collection. Union Pacific RR spur at Boonville, August 1998, long before the existence of the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel. By Wayne Lammers Union Pacific siding at Boonville circa 1978. Photo by Wayne Lammers. RAILROAD BRIDGES OVER THE MISSOURI RIVER In 1869, people began talking about building a railroad bridge over the Missouri River at Boonville, but it was not until 1870 that steps were taken to build one. Once the Tebo and Neosho railroad was turned over to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, a charter was obtained for the building of the bridge, plus with an act of Congress, the building began is 1872. The bridge was completed in January, 1874. The first bridge was a swing-span bridge which was replaced a few years later by a lift-span bridge, which is the type that still stands. First image of the Boonville MK&T RR Bridge from the 1870's. From the Wayne Lammers collection Third Katy Bridge in 1880 First Katy Bridge Katy Bridge 1950's Todd Baslee climbing the Katy South Tower of the Boonville Katy Bridge. Photo by Wayne Lammers October 14, 2004 View from under the Katy Bridge View from on the river, looking west The bridges of Boonville Hot air balloon over Boonville Katy Railroad bridge circa 1980s. Photo by Wayne Lammers. Katy Railroad Bridge at sunset by Wayne Lammers, March 20 2014, at 5:58 pm. This is the Rocheport Bridge in Boone County with the Katy railroad below. Photographer unknown, October 8, 1960. Source: Farm Alarm REMEMBERING KATY CROSSINGS Kids from the west side of town crossed the Katy Railroad tracks on an unprotected path from Haller Street to Kemper, and on Spring and Morgan Streets, near the Katy Depot, at crossings protected by bright flashing red lights and loud warning bells, sometimes we counted 100 cars as we waited. Even though tragedy struck at Morgan Street in 1953, some still caught a short ride from Spring to Haller on the ladder of a slow-moving boxcar as a long train lumbered southwest up Lard Hill. The busy Katy bridge across the Missouri River provided crossings for Katy trains carrying freight from near St. Louis to Galveston, and for boys from Boonville carrying .22 rifles to the sloughs and sand bars along the north shore to shoot cans and bottles. Crossings by the latter were sometimes sanctioned and sometimes stealthy, depending on the operator on duty in the shanty on the Boonville side. There was no walkway, and if you were caught on the bridge by a train, it was loud and shaky holding onto a beam as the train roared past. My friend Kenny and I tried another crossing method, riding his motorcycle across from the north approach. Bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump across the ties. No trains came. The operator in the shanty just shook his head as we passed. He didn’t need to tell us not to do it again. ​ By: Wayne Lammers ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Last train to cross the Boonville KATY bridge. Video by Wayne Lammers KATY BRIDGE DEDICATION Visitors' side of Katy Bridge Gov. Jay Nixon came to Boonville to help save The Katy Railroad Bridge. From the Wayne Lammers collection Old MKT Caboose Ribbon Cutting of the Katy Bridge on April 2, 2016 Governor Jay Nixon and Ann Betteridge Katy Trail Bikers crossing the USA on Trails. June 23, 2012. Photo by Wayne Lammers K A TY BRIDGE REOPENING CELEBRATED DURING BOONVILLE CEREMONY ​ By Rudi Keller / rjkeller@columbiatribune.com | 815-1709 Posted Apr 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM ​ BOONVILLE -- When the last train crossed the MKT Railroad bridge at Boonville in May 1986, Dennis Huff was the engineer and he called his friend Wayne Lammers to record it. ​ The five-minute video explores the 1932 bridge and shows the 408-foot lift span in the up position, then cuts to the locomotive, with Huff hanging his arm out the window, as it approaches and passes. The 16 tanker, gondola and hopper cars pass within a few inches of the camera lens. ​ On Saturday, Huff, Lammers and hundreds of others from Boonville and beyond returned to the bridge to celebrate its resurrection as part of the Katy Trail State Park. ​ “It is nice to see a piece of history be preserved and put to some useful purpose,” Huff said before the festivities began. ​ During the short ceremony, Gov. Jay Nixon was praised as the savior of the bridge by former Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman, who in turn was dubbed Mayor of the Katy Trail by Boonville Mayor Julie Thacher. ​ Nixon was attorney general in 2005 when then-Gov. Matt Blunt approved plans for the Union Pacific Railroad to dismantle the bridge for use as a second span at the Osage River for its line south of the Missouri River. Nixon took “the unusual and extremely brave step of suing the governor to set aside the decision,” Hindman told the gathering. ​ Nixon argued the bridge was part of the deal that transferred the rail line to the state for trail use in 1990. The lawsuit ultimately was unsuccessful, but it delayed demolition until after Nixon became governor in 2009. Union Pacific’s second span at the Osage River was built with federal stimulus funds, and the Boonville bridge was deeded to the state . ​ “This is really a fun day for me,” Nixon said before crossing the bridge with his wife Georgeanne Nixon. ​ “I am not as excited about suing governors as I used to be,” he joked. ​ Saturday’s ceremony celebrated the first phase of the bridge rehabilitation, costing about $900,000 and financed with a combination of private donations, city revenue and federal block grant funds. Visitors can walk about a third of the way across the river for views up- and downstream and a close-up look at the lift span. ​ The next two phases are to complete a similar walkway on the Howard County side and, eventually, finish the crossing by putting the lift span into regular operation, said Paula Shannon, executive director of the Katy Bridge Coalition. The project cost is estimated to be $3.4 million. ​ The ceremony brought many former residents back to Boonville to be part of the crowd of about 400 who attended the ceremony. “It is like going to a class reunion, almost,” Shannon said. ​ The MKT’s days were numbered when Huff guided his locomotive over the river on May 23, 1986. The railroad had been in on-and-off merger negotiations with the Union Pacific for several years. A flood in October 1986 knocked the line north of the Missouri River out of commission. it was abandoned after the merger was approved by federal regulators. ​ The state acquired the line under federal rail banking laws, and the trail now extends for 240 miles from Machens in St. Charles County to Clinton in Henry County. Because the bridge was left in the up position after it ceased being used, trail traffic goes over the river on a walkway attached to the Highway 40 bridge. ​ The completion of the first phase is the realization of a dream, Lammers said. ​ “It is a glorious day,” Lammers said. “It is one we have been working toward for years and years.” COOPER COUNTY’S LESSER-KNOWN CABOOSE ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Most of us have seen the beautifully restored KATY caboose which is parked on the short rails in front of the Chamber of Commerce building in Boonville. It is a beautifully-preserved reminder of the days when trains were the best way to travel and move agricultural goods to market. However, there is another caboose in Cooper County that represents the small town of Bunceton, that was once a very busy stop on the Osage Valley Railroad. It stands on a short railroad track next to the Kelly Township building, which was built to look like a train Depot. Inside the caboose is a museum. Here is a brief history of this caboose, shared by Gerald Ulrich, who was the Mayor of Bunceton from 1980 until 2006. The Cooper County Sheriff, Harvey Bunce, learned that a railroad would be built between Boonville and Versailles. He immediately purchased the land where the planned railroad would run. The town that received the train route was later named Bunceton, after Mr. Bunce. Many years later the Osage Valley Railroad was sold to the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Mr. Ulrich thought that if a caboose could be placed in Bunceton, it could be used as a museum. He contacted the Missouri Pacific Railroad to see if a caboose could be acquired. Missouri Pacific agreed to donate a caboose and donate it to the Chamber of Commerce. After making many connections with area groups the deal was done. Several area groups started working to get donations to pay for the concrete slab, and two trucks to haul the caboose. Riley Rock Quarries donated the trucks and trailers, and two giant cranes to lift the caboose onto the concrete slab. They also donated the fuel used for the haul and the drivers donated their time. It was a dangerous trip as there were several high wires that the caboose had to pass under. However, everything went without a hitch! The trickiest part was to haul all that weight over an old bridge, but that too worked perfectly. The city is proud of the fact that they raised the funds needed for this project and did not go into debt for moving the caboose, or for the new city hall. This was a wonderful community project. ​ WHAT IS A CABOOSE? Although rarely seen on a train today, a caboose was always the last car on a train. The caboose served as a trainman’s “home away from home”. Since most trains ran on 12-hour shifts, the caboose was where the men ate their meals (brought from home) and slept. At one time it also served as the Engineer’s office. It is interesting to note that a caboose is an American invention, and never really caught on in Europe. On the top of the caboose was a cupula. This was a raised box surrounded by windows so that the tracks could be observed in all directions by looking through the windows above the roof of the train. ​ As trains became more mechanically controlled, the need for the cupula to see the tracks hazards was replaced by a strange word for a strange railroad car, that somehow survived for more than a hundred years, from the days of oil burning lamps into the computer age. The origins of both the car and the word, are surrounded as much by legend as by fact. One popular version dates the word back to a derivation of the Dutch word "kombuis," which referred to a ship's galley. Use of cabooses began in the 1830s, when railroads housed trainmen in shanties built onto boxcars or flatcars. Even in the United States, technological change began eliminating the need for cabooses before the turn of the century. ​ The spread in the 1880s of the automatic air brake system invented by George Westinghouse, eliminated the need for brakemen to manually set brakes. The air brakes soon were followed by the use of electric track circuits to activate signals, providing protection for trains and eliminating the need for flagmen. Friction bearings were replaced by roller bearings, reducing overheated journals and making visual detection by smoke an unlikely event. ​ Trains became longer, making it difficult for the conductor to see the entire train from the caboose, and freight cars became so high that they blocked the view from the traditional cupola. The increasing heaviness and speed of the trains made on-board cooking hazardous and unnecessary. New labor agreements reduced the hours of service required for train crews and eliminated the need for cabooses as lodging. Cabooses, when used at all, were drawn from "pools" and no longer assigned to individual conductors. ​ Eventually, electronic "hotbox" and dragging equipment detectors, which would check moving trains more efficiently and reliably than men in cabooses, were installed along main lines, and computers eliminated the conductors' need to store and track paperwork in the car. ​ Source: Union Pacific A Brief History of the Caboose

20TH CENTURY WARS PARTIAL TIMELINE 1938 : The (U.S.) Naval Reserve Act permitted the enlistment of qualified women as nurses. 1942 : The Women's Reserve of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve program (officially nicknamed the "SPARs"), was first established in 1942. 1942 : YN3 Dorothy Tuttle became the first SPAR enlistee when she enlisted in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve on the 7th of December, 1942. 1942 : The Marine Corps Women's Reserve (MCWR) was authorized by the U.S Congress in July 1942 to relieve male Marines for combat duty in World War II. 1942 : U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Public Law 689 creating the Navy’s women reserve program on 30 July 1942. 1942 : The U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was founded. 1942 : The name of the U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was officially changed to Women's Army Corps (WAC). 1943 : The U.S. Women's Army Corps recruited a unit of Chinese-American women to serve with the Army Air Forces as "Air WACs." 1944 : Public Law 238 granted full military rank to members of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps , who were then all women. Source: Wikipedia MEXICAN EXPOSITION In 1916 , Pancho Villa, a Mexican bandit, made a raid into New Mexico. General John J. Pershing, of the United States Army, led a force to capture him. Troops from the U.S. tried to find him but failed. Company B, 3rd Infantry of the National Guard from Cooper County went to help in the capture of Villa. This included 67 men under the leadership of Capt. R A. Johnston. They were called to Federal service June 18, 1916. Because of the outbreak of World War I, they had to return. Pancho Villa was never captured. THE KOREAN WAR (1950 ) The Korean War was the first war in history when troops of a world organization, the United Nations, acted as “police” to fight a nation who was attacking another nation. The war began on June 25, 1950 , when troops of Communist-ruled North Korea attacked South Korea in an attempt to unify the country by force. The United Nation Charter had outlawed all aggression so the United Nations asked member countries to aid South Korea. Sixteen countries, who were members of the U.N., sent troops and aid to South Korea. Russia aided the North Koreans by supplying guns, ammunition, planes, and equipment. Communist Chinese forces also entered the war on the side of North Korea. The war ended on July 27, 1953 , when both sides agreed to settle the problems of Korea at an international conference. Several Cooper County men served in the Korean War. KOREAN WAR WEBPAGES HISTORY CHANNEL BRITTANICA IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS UNITED STATES ARMY DIGITAL HISTORY NATIONAL ARCHIVES THE ATLANTIC KOREAN WAR PROJECT EISENHOWER LIBRARY TRUMAN LIRARY NAVY HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND PRESERVING THEIR STORIES: INTERVIEWS WITH WWII, KOREAN, VIETNAM AND IRAQ WAR VETERANS ​ ​ VIETNAM CONFLICT North Vietnam wanted to conquer South Vietnam. Again, Cooper County men served their country. ​ VIETNAM WAR WEBPAGES PRESERVING THEIR STORIES: INTERVIEWS WITH WWII, KOREAN, VIETNAM AND IRAQ WAR VETERANS ​ ​ ​ GULF WAR Iraq took over Kuwait. Kuwait was a major oil supplier to the United States. The war was mainly fought to protect the Persian oil fields. Troops from Cooper County served in the Gulf. ​ GULF WAR WEBPAGES PRESERVING THEIR STORIES: INTERVIEWS WITH WWII, KOREAN, VIETNAM AND IRAQ WAR VETERANS Central Missouri Honor Flights The Central Missouri Honor Flight is a non-profit 501c (3) organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. The group transports our heroes from throughout Central Missouri to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials at no cost to them. Since their inception in 2009 , they have transported thousands of veterans to Washington on 61 flights. Top priority is given to senior veterans – WWII survivors, along with other veterans of Korea and Vietnam who may be terminally ill. They are a totally volunteer organization and are funded by donations from individuals, organizations and businesses who wish to see our aging veterans honored before it is too late. Of all the wars in recent memory, it was WWII that truly threatened our very existence as a nation and free society. Now, with more than 640 WWII veterans dying each day, time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out. The picture is of Kathy Wilkerson, a registered nurse from Pilot Grove, who has volunteered for 19 Honor Flights. She is serving here as a Guardian for Kathy Griggs who served as a Marine in the Viet Nam War. The last Honor Flight out of Columbia was in November of 2019 . They did no Honor Flights in 2020 due to COVID, and flights are currently suspended for 2021 . WOMEN IN THE MILITARY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Over the years, women have served their country in various ways in the military. Many were nurses, some were doctors, and some were spies, but until the beginning of the Second World War women were rarely active in the military and were not considered to be enlisted, so they were not eligible for any military benefits. But, during the early days of World War II, with many men being called into the Armed Services, women who had never worked before went to work taking men’s places in factories and business, and some into the actual armed services in minor roles. Wikipedia has excellent information on how each military branch accepted women and the various jobs that they did. Especially interesting is information on women pilots who flew the new planes to the airports where they would be then flown into battle by Navy and Airforce pilots. The women had excellent safety records. Unfortunately, women pilots and other women in the Armed Services did not receive the same benefits of the enlisted men, but this has now been changed. ​ ​ “ Hello Girls ” 8 female soldiers who changed the course of US ... - Army Times ​ Partial timeline from Wikipedia 1938 : The (U.S.) Naval Reserve Act permitted the enlistment of qualified women as nurses. 1942 : The Women's Reserve of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve program (officially nicknamed the "SPARs"), was first established in 1942. 1942 : YN3 Dorothy Tuttle became the first SPAR enlistee when she enlisted in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve on the 7th of December, 1942. 1942 : The Marine Corps Women's Reserve (MCWR) was authorized by the U.S Congress in July 1942 to relieve male Marines for combat duty in World War II. 1942 : U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Public Law 689 creating the Navy’s women reserve program on 30 July 1942. 1942 : The U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was founded. 1942 : The name of the U.S. Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was officially changed to Women's Army Corps (WAC). 1943 : The U.S. Women's Army Corps recruited a unit of Chinese-American women to serve with the Army Air Forces as "Air WACs." 1944 : Public Law 238 granted full military rank to members of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps , who were then all women. Information for each Branch of the Military that women have been, and are now members of: WAC - Woman’s Army Core WAVES - Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service WASP - Women’s Air Force Service Pilots SPARS - United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve ​ ​ MILITARY MUSEUMS If you have an ancestor who was in a military unit, there are over 250 military museums in the US that you can access online, or in person, to learn more about the unit and possibly even your ancestor(s). There are probably more military museums in the US than you can visit in a lifetime. Just google the branch of service and the state, and you will find tons of information. Below are the military museums in Missouri. Also check all of the military resources under the genealogy section at the beginning of the research section on this website. ​ MISSOURI MILITARY MUSEUMS Jefferson Barracks - 345 North Road, St. Louis, MO 63125 Phone: 314-615-8800 Soldiers Memorial Museum - 5700 Lindell Blvd., St Louis, MO 63112 Phone: 314-746-4599 Soldier’s Memorial Military Museum -1315 Chestnut St., Saint Louis, MO Phone: 314-818-6780 Museum of Missouri Military History - 2405 Logistics Road, Jefferson City, MO, 65101 Phone: 573-638-9603 John Mahaffey Museum Complex - 495 S. Dakota Ave., Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473 Phone: 573-596-6780 Fort Leonard Wood Driving Tour - 316 Missouri Ave BLDG 100, Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473 Phone: 573-336-6355 Branson Veterans Memorial Museum - 1250 W Hwy 76 Country Blvd., Branson, MO 65616 Phone: 417-336-2300 Air & Military Museum of the Ozarks - 2305 E. Kearney St., Springfield, MO Phone (417) 864-7997 Battleship Missouri in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii : The USS Missouri Memorial Association is dedicated to preserving the Battleship Missouri and sharing her story and place in history. The Battleship Missouri Memorial is an American icon that stands in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Battleship welcomes visitors from around the world and is conveniently located less than three miles from the Honolulu International Airport and just eleven miles from Waikiki.

FRIENDS OF HISTORIC BOONVILLE Contact Information Located in the Old County Jail 614 E Morgan St. Boonville, MO 65233 Hours of Operation: Weekdays 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Phone: (660) 882-7977 Website: friendsofhistoricboonvillemo.org The mission of the Friends of Historic Boonville is to plan, promote, expand, and celebrate the cultural life of Boonville, MO through the arts, history, and historic preservation for the betterment of the community. ​ The Friends’ organization was established in 1971 by a small group of local citizens dedicated to restoring the Old Cooper County Hanging Barn which hosted the last public hanging in the state of Missouri. Since 1971 our organization has steady grown and today, we have over 350 members from all over the country. ​ In addition to preserving three historic properties – Old Cooper County Jail & Hanging Barn (view more ); Thespian Hall (view more ); and Hain House & Memorial Gardens (view more ); we serve as the community arts organization for Boonville (view Events/Festivals); and maintain an extensive archives library of local items significant to our history. ​ The operations of our organization are largely supported by annual membership dues, grant funding from Missouri Arts Council and City of Boonville, private donations and sponsorship’s from local businesses. The Board of Directors is comprised of individuals in the community who are interested in preserving our local history. ​ The Friends of Historic Boonville has only one staff person, who at times must attend off-site meetings during business hours. For that reason, if you are traveling to Boonville for a tour, we suggest you contact us in advance and let us know the date and time. We will insure that someone is available to give your tour. ​ Collections below are available at Friends of Historic Boonville Collection #1—Directories—includes telephone directories for Boonville and other Cooper County towns, 1869-2018. Highlights are: Boonville City Directory, 1869/1870 Boonville City Directory, 1876/1877 Maloney’s Cooper County Directory, 1912/1913 Farmers and Merchants Hand Book of Cooper County, 1916 ​ Collection #3—Small Collections—Collections only one or two folders in size: Folder #36 Cooper County Extension Homemakers, 1988-1991 Enrollment forms, County Council records Folder #54, Cooper County, Plat Book, 1897, 2000 Folder #93, Cooper County Area Retired Teacher Association, Papers, 1995-2011 Handbooks which include directory of members and dates of meetings, and minutes, 1997-2003 Folder #120, Cooper County Public Schools, 1914 Names of district clerks, presidents of boards, and teachers, with salaries paid Folder #125, Cooper County Sunday School Association, Papers, 1918 Sixth annual convention program Folder #142, American Revolution Bicentennial Commission of Cooper County, Map, 1970's Historic sites map of Cooper County Folder #228, Cooper County Bicentennial Commission, 1976 Bicentennial Pageant program, written by Uncas McGuire, directed by Dennis Smith (3 copies); and schedule of summer celebrations Folder #250, Cooper County, Superintendent of Schools, 1945 County School Directory, includes school districts on map, rosters of teachers, school district statistics, Folder #379, Cooper County, Plat book, 1960's Folder #434, Cooper County Record, Ledger, 1955-1964 Expenses of the paper Folder #442, Guide to Boonville and Cooper County, 2011 Published by the Boonville Publishing Company, Boonville Daily News, includes local information and local advertisements Folder #465, Cooper County Court House, Cornerstone Centenary, 2012 Program for the ceremony and two cups used at the ice cream social after the ceremony. Folder #469, Cooper County Court House, 1912 Copies of articles from Boonville papers concerning the building of the court house (used for presentation during centenary of court house Folder #478, Cooper County Law Enforcement and Communications Center, 1999 Dedication ceremony program (2 copies) Folder #492, Cooper County Farm Directory, 1928 Alphabetical listing of farmers by township and advertisements Folder #493, Cooper County, Plat Book, 1925 Folder #529, Cooper County Public Schools, 1910's-1959 Cooper County School Directory, 1943/1944; Sixth, Seventh and Fourteenth Annual Report of the County Schools, 1958, 1959 and 1967; and miscellaneous clippings about consolidation in 1949 and lists of graduates from county schools in the 1910's. Folder #565, Cooper County Jail, 1970's News clippings about the need to close the old jail and build a new one. Folder #593, Cooper County Court House, 1930's Hand drawn plan of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the building Folder #599, Cooper County Counseling Center, 2004 Brief history of the center presented to the Cooper County Human Services Council by Timothy Von Engeln Folder #604, Cooper County Missouri Plat Book, 1987 Folder #605, Cooper County Missouri Plat Book, 1991 Folder #606, Cooper County Missouri Plat Book, 1978 Folder #626, Cooper County Historical Society, 1993 Cooper County Church Sketches by Florence Chesnutt Folder #662, Cooper County Historical Society, 2007 Old Pleasant Green "Underground" list of burials at the cemetery Folder #663, Cooper County, 1995, 2017 Financial statement--included in the Boonville Daily News ​ Collection #5—Illustrated Atlas Map of Cooper County, 1877—more easily accessed through the State Historical Society of Missouri website ​ Collection #6—Illustrated Atlas Map of cooper County, 1897—more easily accessed through the State Historical Society of Missouri website ​ Collection #7—Standard Atlas of Cooper county, 1915—more easily accessed through the State Historic Society of Missouri website ​ Collection #9—Photographs—donated over the years from many donors Image #59 Groundbreaking, possibly at Cooper County Memorial Hospital, 1960's Image #83 Soldiers and band standing in front of Cooper County Court House, 1920's Image #347 Cooper County Memorial Hospital--dedication, 1971 Image #348 Cooper County Memorial Hospital--dedication, 1972 Image #468 Daughters of the American Revolution standing on the Cooper County Court house steps, 1921 Image #472 Missouri Drummer's Association with band standing in front of Cooper County Court house, 1917 Image #502 Cooper County Memorial Hospital, 1973 Image #794 Cooper County Home, 1960's Image #802 Drawing of Cooper County jail, n.d. Image #803 Cooper County jail, man standing by screen door, sign to right of door "Visitors, Hours 2-4, Wednesday Only", 1940's Image #804 Cooper County jail, after closed, 1970's Image #1328 Arthur Bradley, Sheriff of Cooper County, and Daniel Walters, deputy standing in front of entrance to sheriff's house, 1936 Image #1412 Full view of Daniel Walters on front porch of Cooper County Jail, 1936 Image #1889 and #2099 Statue of Liberty in front of Cooper County Court House, 1984 Image #1944 Putnam Family of Cooper County standing outside of their house, 1917ca Image #2092 Cooper County Court House, 1980's Image #2093 Cooper County Court House, 1963 Image #2094, #2095, #2096 #2097 Cooper County Court House, 1980's Image #2100 Cooper County Court House, 1980's ​ Collection #20—Cooper County Agricultural Extension Records, 1930's-1980's--Annual reports, 4-H membership records, and other miscellaneous records ​ Collection #25—Brochures—Many from the Boonville Chamber of Commerce, primarily to promote the area and businesses Item #8, Cooper County Memorial Hospital, Skilled Nursing Facility, An Extension of Care, n.d.; produced by Cooper County Memorial Hospital Item #9, We keep your heart in tune, Cooper County Hospital Cardiac Rehab, 1990's Produced by Cooper County Memorial Hospital Item #14, Tour of Homes, Historic Cooper County, Missouri, n.d. Produced by unknown Item #36, Cooper County, Missouri, Community Shelter Plan, 1968 Produced by Cooper County Civil Defense Agency Item #57, City of Boonville and Cooper County Map, 1985 Produced by Chamber of Commerce Item #74, City of Boonville and Cooper County Map, 1995 Produced by Chamber of Commerce Item #83, Cooper County, Missouri, A Gas Tank Tour of Living History, n.d. Produced by Chamber of Commerce, Cooper County Hist. Soc. Item #84, City of Boonville and Cooper County Map, 2001 Produced by Chamber of Commerce Item #100, Cooper County, Missouri, Living History Tour, 1994 Produced by Cooper County Historical Society Item #108, Cooper County Memorial Hospital, what you're looking for, 1980ca Item #109, Cooper County Memorial Hospital, 1970's Produced by Cooper County Memorial Hospital Item #110, Dedication of Cooper County Memorial Hospital, 1973 Produced by Cooper County Memorial Hospital Item #134, 2014 Guide to Boonville and Cooper County, 2014 Produced by Boonville Daily News ​ Collection #34—Cooper County Marriages Records, 1870-1912--Marriage licenses giving bride and groom names, date of marriage, location of wedding—these were the records that were used to enter the information into the official records of the county ​ Collection # 38—Mt. Sinai School Records, 1904-1964—board minutes, enumerations, and attendance records. Also includes a scrapbook of the PTA ​ Collection #55—Cooper County Historic Buildings Survey, 1970's-1980's—a survey undertaken by the Friends of Historic Boonville, includes photographs of the buildings, mostly houses ​ Collection #63—Bluffton School Scrapbooks, 1930's--One scrapbook showing 1939 Homecoming, including pictures of former students, local farms; the other a social studies project ​ Collection #75—Cooper County Records, 1818-1959—primarily volumes from various county offices including the assessor’s office, 1842-1867; circuit court, 1841-1948; county court minute books and other records, 1822-1935; justice of the peace dockets and other records, 1818-1942; probate court, 1821-1959 Collection #97—Maps and Plans, 1874-2000—maps of Cooper County Collection #98—Newspapers, 1844-1996—includes Cooper County Record, 1939-1987—more easily accessed through the State Historical Society of Missouri newspaper library Collection #104—Cooper County Bicentennial Commission Papers, 1970's--commission that planned activities for the Bicentenary in the county