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EVENTS & PROGRAMS No scheduled events Christmas Program at Pleasant Green Methodist Church at 2 P.M. * Christmas Program 2:00

COMMUNITIES THAT NEVER HAD TRAINS BELLAIR Bellair was an unincorporated community on Route 5, approximately 10 miles south-southwest of Boonville. It was founded in the 1840's by T.P. Bell and was named for him. A post office called Bellair was established in 1864, and was closed in 1906. At one time Bellaire was a busy, thriving town with a school, a lovely Methodist Church (which is still standing), and many small businesses. It is the home of the historic “Ravenswood” mansion owned by the Leonard family. ​ BROWNTOWN Browntown was a community on Mr. Brown’s property and the only residents were Black families. Nothing is visible there today. ​ BUFFALO PRAIRIE Buffalo Prairie has some Indian mounds, fertile ground and once was a home to many buffalo. The remains of the buffalo wallows can still be seen today. An early settler, in the 1860's, was Dr. William Harriman who built a home for his family where he practiced medicine and lived the rest of his life. At one time the small town had a post office and a school and was noted for its agricultural products. ​ CHOUTEAU SPRINGS or Sulphur Springs This area near Pilot Grove was a busy mineral bath and resort that operated on and off from the 1840's until 1962, when it closed. The 40 acres of land includes three Sulphur, and two clear water springs. It was part of a grant of over 28,000 acres made to Pierre Chouteau in 1792 by the Osage Indians. The resort was opened in 1846. Much of the resort was destroyed during the Civil War. After the War was over, people sold the spring water to make money on the supposed health properties from the mineral springs. After the railroad came to the area in 1873, people could take the train to Chouteau, get off the train at St. Martin's and take a "hack" to the hotel and resort. In 1900 the park was purchased by Eugene Windsor, who added new cottages, a swimming pool and other improvements. This was a very popular resort until the 1950's when it became badly in need of repair and was closed to the pubic in 1962. The springs still continue to flow to this day. ​ CLEAR CREEK Clear Creek is named after the clear water that runs through the area. The land in this area is believed to be some of the most productive in the County. It is located within walking distance of Pilot Grove. Philip Meisenheimer ran an early general store and his wife had a variety store. Theodore Twenter made wooden coffins for local people. A church was built on land donated by Lawrence Sommers. In 1884 another church was built in the same area. Bertram Felten, the first teacher in the area, taught school in the log cabin of Father Mears. In 1893, a frame school building was built. The next school was completed in 1918. Today only a few homes and a church remain. ​ JOLLY’S BOTTOM Jolly's Bottom was settled in 1812 by Joseph Jolly. He started the first apple orchard in the County and built a horse-mill that would grind a bushel of corn in one hour. He was a gunsmith, wheelwright, cooper, miller, distiller, preacher, doctor and farmer. He served in the War of 1812 and made gunpowder for the settlers. He had a ferry crossing the Lamine River bottoms, and later one that crossed the Missouri River. He weighed about 450 pounds but was known as a “jolly” man. ​ OVERTON Overton is opposite Rocheport on the Missouri River. After the loss of the steamboat trade in the 1880’s and 90’s, the town moved to its present location near the base of the bluffs near the railroad tracks. It is named after the Overton family who operated an early ferry there. Overton was eventually flooded by the Missouri River and is now a wildlife preserve. ​ PRARIE HOME Prairie Home started as a small store on the prairie on the stage coach line from Boonville to Jefferson City. A town was formed around it and it is still a busy little community. NOTE: There were many very small settlements that existed for a short time, but later died out. Their names will be found on the list of towns that had a post office for a very short time, or a list of towns that NEVER had a post office. Information about these towns seems to be nonexistent except for their names.

RECORDS AT RECORDER OF DEEDS OFFICE ​For more recent Cooper County documents please contact: Cooper County Recorder of Deeds - Georgia Esser 200 Main Street - Rm 26, Boonville, MO 65233 660-882-2161 or recorder@coopercountymo.gov General recorded information and other resources available ​ ​ Genealogy research is welcome at Recorder of Deeds Office under the following guidelines: Appointments are preferred, especially for lengthy research. COVID precautions limit our office customers to three in main office, and two genealogy researchers in the vault area. Staff assistance to researchers may be limited due to recording workload at the time of visit. Temperature checks may be given upon arrival. No food or drink is allowed in the vault. Masks are required to enter search areas and vault. Title searchers and marriage license applicants take priority in line. Office staff does not perform genealogy research or title searching. ​ ​ General recorded information and other resources available Recorded and indexed Plats and Surveys (both paper and digital copies on site) Recorded marriage licenses issued in Cooper County (1819 - present) Marriage applications are not public record, only the completed licenses. Original and reproductions of Cooper County plat books and Atlas books Historical maps of the county, towns, and some cemeteries Cooper County publications, compiled & written by local historians Recorded and indexed land transfer deeds, mortgages, assignments, modifications, subordinations, foreclosures, state and federal tax liens/releases, mechanics liens, power of attorneys, brands, etc. We do not have any bound “Abstracts” on property. Other miscellaneous documentation including but not limited to agreements, easements, leases, contracts, wills, UCCs, subdivision covenants and restrictions may also be found in the records. OLD wills and estates are in the records of the Circuit Clerk (660-882-2232) Death certificates (if recorded for land transfer purposes, 2010 - present) No birth certificates Military discharge papers (1918 - present, if recorded by service member) This documentation is not public record and can only be accessed by the member, funeral director, or immediate family member, being validated by a signed, notarized, and approved request document. Naturalization records (limited access due to age of documentation)

EARLY BUSINESSES Lone Rider on muddy Main Street Hill looking north. Circa 1870's Downtown Boonville in the 1930's Boonville Female Seminary 1870's by James Macurdy. Corner of Sixth and Locust St. A fire destroyed most of the building but it still stands today. You can find the story about this in Wayne's book. From the Wayne Lammers collection Main and Chestnut streets circa 1880's, looking north Harvesting Ice on the Missouri River. Photo by Max Schmidt. Circa 1900's Hotel Frederick, Main St. circa 1930 Ferd E. Arn seen behind the boy with the striped shirt in front of his Sporting Goods Store on Main St. circa 1890's. The pelican was killed by someone off the Missouri River here at Boonville. Photo by SHSMO This is inside the Ferd Arn Sporting Store where Maggie's Bar & Grill is today. Ferd is the man on the right in center in black Ferd E. Arn sold the first car in Boonville. From the Wayne Lammers collection Man biking on Main and Morgan Streets. circa 1890's. Ferd E. Arn also sold bikes in Boonville. Photo by SHSMO Gmelich Schmidt Jewelry Store Group circa 1890's. Maximilian Schmidt 2nd from left Inside Holt's cafe circa 1930/40 From the Wayne Lammers collection Garthoffner Cigar Store located where Knights of Pythias Building is today. Notice the Indian Cigarman behind the third and forth men on the right. circa 1880's. Photo by SHSMO Crowd at Zuzaks Wonder Store circa 1920. From the Wayne Lammers collection Morgan and Main Street southwest. The Senate Saloon on the corner with the James Macurdy. Photography Studio to the right. Circa 1880's. 1867 From the Wayne Lammers collection Inside Craig's Dairy on Main Street. Circa 1930/40's A.M. Koontz at 217 Main St . had a shipment of 333 wooden boxes, circa mid 1880's, of Chase & Sanborn Coffee & Tea from Boston Mass delivered via steamboat here to Boonville. This location is where Ann Harman and The Celestial Body is located today. From the Wayne Lammers collection Chief Red Fox stayed at Pete's Cafe for years telling about his life. He was a nephew of Chief Crazy Horse, the famous Sioux who fought General Custer at the Little BigHorn. Pete's Cafe has served the Boonslick area since 1920 The story of Chief Red Fox This is a broken glass plate negative taken by Max Schmidt in front of his jewelry store Gmilick & Schmidt on Main, looking toward Morgan St. Circa 1890s From the Wayne Lammers collection Beautiful home built by riverboat Captain John Porter at 312 Center Street . Circa 1890's Painting owned by the Dick Blanck Family Pottery in Boonville. Dick Blanck collection. This 9 inch jug was built by The Vollrath or Blanck Pottery Co. on Locust Street. My friend Sam Jewett dug it out of a ditch where broken pieces were discarded. The back side had a chip broken off. I repaired it and love it in my collection. Photo by Wayne Lammers Oct. 23, 2022. Walz Family Serves Boonville Grocery Store and Jewelry Born in Germany on July 29, 1838, Nicholas Waltz immigrated to the US with his family in 1846. They settled in Chicago, Illinois, where Nicholas finished growing up and received the rest of his education. When Nicholas was 19, he followed his father to Boonville where he worked as a clerk in his brother-in-law’s store. Three years later, Nicholas bought the business that he ran so well until his retirement in 1884. Nicholas grew his store to be the largest grocery store in Central Missouri and, for a number of years, could boast the largest volume of business in this part of the state. Nicholas Walz didn’t confine his interests to his business. He also devoted a good deal of his time to his community and his family. Walz served three terms on the Boonville City Council. Nicholas Walz and Julia Brenneisen, who was also born in Germany, were joined in Holy Matrimony in 1845 and the union was blessed with five sons and three daughters: Leopold C., John E., Herman G., Louise, Charles A., Julia, Laura, and Henry G. John Walz was born on November 3, 1864. He received his education in Boonville and then, in 1880, began learning the trade of watchmaker and jeweler from the firm of Hannacke and Kauffman. After four years, Walz joined the firm of Gmelich and Huber where he continued to learn the business for another ten years. In 1894, two years after his father died, Walz established his own jewelry business. A younger brother, Charles A., became his assistant. Like his father, John Walz was active in community affairs. He served as director of the Boonville Commercial Club. John was also responsible for Boonville’s “White Way” project. The plan was to light Main Street in downtown Boonville. He originated the plan, promoted it, solicited contributions, secured sufficient funds to place eight standards, and persuaded the Sombart family, who owned the electric company, to donate the power. Later, when the company was sold, he got the new owners to extend the contract for free power. For all his work on this project, Walz became known as the “Father of the White Way.” He was so well thought of that the Republican Party twice asked him to run for Mayor. Both times Walz declined saying he had no desire or preference for political honors. David Andrews, another community leader When David Andrews arrived in Old Franklin and Boonville, he was 19 and so poor he had only the shirt on his back which he washed in the Missouri River. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1809, and would work hard using his financial and management gifts to eventually become one of the wealthiest men of Boonville. Andrews started out in Boonville as a tanner. Once established he went back to St. Louis for Margaret Baird whom he married. Life wasn't easy for Andrews. Twice he lost his shop by fire, but each time he rebuilt and his business continued to grow. In 1839 Boonville was incorporated into a city by the state of Missouri and Andrews was elected one of Boonville's first city councilmen. The other six were William Shields, J. L. Collins, Jacob Wyan, Charles Smith, J. S. McFarland, and J. H. Malone. Marcus Williams, Jr. was elected the first mayor and J. Rice the president of the board. Andrews didn't fair too well during the Civil War. Making canteens for Southern soldiers caused him a great deal of grief with the Union. He was attacked, beaten, and left for dead. Only by the hand of his loving wife was he found and nursed back to health. Andrews was then arrested and imprisoned in Jefferson City where General Lyons wanted him shot as a rebel sympathizer. Mrs. Andrews went to the capital determined to get him freed and did manage to secure his release. After the war, Andrews opened the first hardware store in Boonville and grew his assets to $300,000. He also took an active role in local government for a number of years by serving on the city council and becoming mayor. David Andrews died in Boonville on April 30, 1893, and is buried at Walnut Grove cemetery.

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

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

WELCOME! This website has been newly expanded by volunteers from the Cooper County Historical Society, county residents, and volunteers from other historical groups from the Boonslick area. O ur goal is to preserve as much of Cooper County’s early history as possible - online, in one place, for future generations to come! Other Historical groups that have contributed to this website are: Friends of Historic Boonville, River, Rails & Trails Museum, South Howard County Historical Society, Boonslick Historical Society, Arrow Rock State Historic Site, and the Boonslick Road Association. ​ Each of these groups share the same goal of preserving the area’s history, but each has a different focus on what is collected – yet each group preserves several different areas of information. We complement each other’s historical research and resources beautifully. Click here for more information about our volunteers and developers. A FEW ICONIC MONUMENTS Katy Depot Roslyn Heights Hannah Cole Statue Barn Quilt Katy Bridge Thespian Hall Photos from the collections of Wayne Lammers and Edward Lang THANK YOU, HANNAH COLE ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Picture of the Hannah Cole statue ​ ​ Prior to the coming of the Cole families, what would someday become Cooper County was explored by several early explorers starting with Charles Ravensway in 1658, Daniel Boone in 1799 and later Lewis and Clark in 1803-1804 after Missouri became a state. The area was already well known to fur traders. Hannah Allison Cole must have been a very adventuresome, determined, courageous and hardy woman. She was a widow, and almost 50, when she crossed the Missouri River in something similar to a large canoe, called a “dugout” or “pirogue.” She was accompanied by her nine children, her beloved slave Lucy, her sister Phoebe, and Stephan, her husband, and their five children. That’s 18 people in a hollowed-out log, which was usually 15 to 18 feet long. The pirogue or dugout would usually be maneuvered through the water by men using long poles. Although explorers and trappers visited what was to become Missouri in the 1600’s and later, the Coles were the first white families to settle on the South side of the Missouri River. When the family crossed the Missouri River, just before Christmas in 1810, the river was swift and full of ice. Evidently, the men made two trips across the river, the first to carry the women and children to their planned destination, plus swim their stock across the river. The second, to retrieve supplies and provisions that could not fit in the boat on the first trip across the river. That second trip also included dismantling their wagon and bringing it, and probably tools and seeds to the other side of the river. However, the day after they made their initial trip across the river, there was an violent storm. Due to the raging river and ice, the men had to wait eleven days before they could retrieve their wagon and supplies. As the family probably had no little or food with them in the dugout, all they had to eat were acorns, slippery elm bark and one wild turkey. Due to the bad weather, game would have been hard to find, and since it was December, most of the acorns would be gone. That must have been very disheartening for the 18 members of the family. Yet, they all survived! Hannah’s family constructed a small cabin near the river’s edge just up from where Boonville is located today. They lived peacefully for a year or so until there was an Indian uprising, encouraged by the British, known today as the War of 1812 (Yes, the same war when we fought the British and they burned Washington). By this time there were other hardy souls who had crossed the river for a new life in the newly opened territory. Later, for protection, a fort was built on a rocky, very steep bluff that jutted out almost to the river. Looking at the property today, which is still very heavily wooded, you will wonder “how in the world, did they get up there,” as the location had to be reached by climbing through the dense, almost vertical virgin forest and then down a very steep forested hill. Hannah must have been a very giving person who really loved people. During the Indian uprising she invited other families to stay in her fort, providing them a safe place to live. She eventually found teachers to provide education for the children, and preachers to provide hope and inspiration to everyone. The fort had many other uses after the War. Click here for more information. ​ By Barbara Dahl, Editor

TELEPHONES Today, we live in a world of websites and smart phones. Early in the 20th century, less than half the businesses listed a phone number in their business ads. Here is a list of businesses and their phone numbers as found in Kemper's 1901 Haversack yearbook. A. K. Mills, Jr., Undertaker & Embalmer, office #250, residence #173 A. M. Koontz, Good Things to Eat, phone #18 Chas. Heiberger, Bakery and Confectionery, phone #111 D. S. Koontz & Son, phone #3 Thiessen & Warnhoff's, phone #286 No, these are not typos. They are actual phone numbers of the day. They are also the only businesses that listed phone numbers. ​ Source: Elizabeth Davis of "Historically Yours " ​ ​ The first regular telephone exchange was in New Haven, CT. The phones were leased and the owner had to put up his own lines to connect with another phone. The first rotary dial phone was invented in 1896. In 1889 the coin-operated pay phone was patented. It is interesting that the customer paid for the call after it was made. By the time the first pay phones were installed in 1905, there were about 2.2 million phones. Rotary Dial Phones were introduced in 1954. Touch-Tone Phones were introduced in the 1940’s, but by 1990 the push button phones were more common than the rotary-dial phone. Cordless Phones were introduced in the 1970’s. In 1994, digital cordless phones were introduced, which were more secure than a landline phone. Cell Phones – an early mobile phone was a radio-controlled unit designed for vehicles. They had a short range and were clumsy to work with, and they were expensive. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Two 17 year old’s try to use a rotary dial telephone ​ ​ Additional information can be found at: Bellis, Mary. "How the Telephone Was Invented ." ThoughtCo, May. 22, 2021, ​ ​ Telephone Companies that Currently Service Cooper County Gonetspeed servicing the following Cooper County Towns: Blackwater Bellair Boonville Bunceton Clifton City Lamine Lone Elm New Lebanon Otterville Pilot Grove Prairie Home Speed Wooldridge Co-Mo servicing the following Cooper County Towns: Blackwater Boonville Bunceton Otterville Pilot Grove Prairie Home Wooldridge ​ For more than a century, the Otelco family of communication companies has been providing rural communities with cutting age technology, first with the telephone in the late 1800's and today with traditional and digital technology and high-speed internet. The original part of OTELCO in Missouri, the Gilliam Telephone Company, was formed May 18, 1903 and the Marshal Junction Telephone Company was formed in 1928. These two companies merged in November 1932 and became the Mid-Missouri Telephone Company, owned and managed by Harold Jones and family. In 1946, Mid-Missouri bought Telephone Company the Blackwater-Arrow Rock Telephone Company, adding the Blackwater and Arrow Rock exchanges. With the vision of serving rural communities where telephone service needed upgrading, Mid-Missouri Telephone Company grew, acquiring Nelson, Pilot Grove and Bunceton exchanges from United Telephone. Then, Speed, Latham, High Point and Miami completed the current 12 exchanges extending 100 miles from north to south. Internet service was added in March 1995, and in 2002 I-Land internet Services was acquired. On December 21, 2004, Mid-Missouri Telephone Company became a division of OTELCO, with the name officially changing to Otelco Mid-Missouri LLC on January 1, 2012. In 2018, all companies started using the OTELCO name. The company is now active in seven states. Many other neighboring exchanges were added, thus expanding their boundaries 100 miles north to south. On December 21, 2004, Mid-Missouri Telephone became a division of Otelco. Otelco acquired Gonetspeed in May of 2022. There are currently 10 employees at the Pilot Grove location. ​ Co-Mo’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the region we serve. We continually evaluate neighboring communities that are not served, or are underserved, in relation to broadband services. We have expanded into city areas such as Boonville that we do not serve electrically, but have been able to bring broadband service to residents of those towns and others. Co-Mo Connect, a subsidiary of Co-Mo Electric, began a pilot program in 2010 to determine if it could bring all of the cooperative’s members a state-of-the-art fiber-to the home communications network. In June of 2012, the Co-Mo Comm Board of Directors announced it would expand the pilot program to the entire Co-Mo Electric service territory through a four-phase plan over the next four years. In addition to telephone and internet services, the communications network, dubbed Co-Mo Connect, would offer television packages over the revolutionary fiber system. As of 2023, Co-Mo Connect serves 30,00 members in rural Missouri. ​ ​ Do-it-Yourself Telephone Service The people of Clear Creek wanted to modernize their community, so in 1907 they set up their own telephone system. They set up poles and lines, and the system was used by seven families. The system was housed in a Clear Creek home, and members of that family were the operators. In 1913-1914 they consolidated their system with Pilot Grove. ​ Source: Pilot Grove Centennial Book Visit the Telephone Pioneers Museum in Blackwater next to Mary Ann Schuster's insurance office. The city hall clerk is in charge of locking/unlocking the Museum. The Museum has a lot of the old switchboards, phones, and lineman tools. There are a couple framed articles about the history of Mid-Missouri Telephone company.

THE BEEKEEPER'S BEEKEEPER Mr. Brengarth Brengarth Honey Label Brengarth Family Beekeeping was unknown in the Western Hemisphere until after the first European settlers arrived. Bees were imported from England and Germany to the colonies where beekeeping became an important home industry. In 1641, bee colonies in New England were sold for 5 pounds apiece, the equivalent of 15-days labor by a skilled craftsman. By the end of the 18th century, bees were fairly common throughout the eastern half of the continent. Often bees would swarm and form a colony in a hollow tree. As bees slowly moved westward, they would swarm and often form a colony in a hollow tree. Early settlers were always on the lookout for a “bee tree” to provide sweetening for their food, as sugar was not readily available in early central Missouri. The Missouri Indians were very familiar with “bee trees by the time the early settlers arrived. Native Americans referred to honey bees as “the white man’s fly, and regarded their presence as indicating the coming of white settlers.” (source USDA Agriculture Handbook number 335) Eventually, some who had become successful working with bees, became backyard or commercial beekeepers. The central Midwest now has modest honey production. However, the increased use of chemicals used in farming has been very detrimental to honey bee colonies. In the last 15 years bee diseases seem to have become much more prevalent and the use of neonicotinoids has been fatal to honey bees and many other insects such as bumble bees and butterflies. ​ ​ Colony Collapse Disorder in the U.S. The number of managed colonies in the United States for honey production has been in decline since the 1940s and these losses have increased since the early 2000s. Colony losses during winter are normal within beekeeping, however the rate of honeybee colony deaths, higher losses during the summer, as well as the inability to find a determinate cause of these deaths has caused alarm. In 2006, some beekeepers reported losing 30-90% of their hives. Total colony loss reached 45% between 2012 and 2013, up from 28.9% and 36.4% in previous years. While annual losses above 30% are not out of the ordinary, the symptoms of these colony losses do not all match with those normally produced by known pests and pathogens. The amount of loss experienced as well as uncertainty around the cause of the loss lead to the coining of the term Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) by the beekeeping community. ​ Source: Wikipedia Musings of a Lady Beekeeper In 1970, before we had children, we decided to try beekeeping as a hobby. We lived on 10 rented acres near Waukegan, Illinois. I had grown up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, so country living was new to me. We had a small garden and also raised chickens, rabbits, peacocks, dogs, cats and two baby raccoons. But our favorite pastime was "working" our bees. We started with two hives and 15 later years we were up to 45 hives. Some of the hives were the result of swarms caught from our own bees. Many came from removing bees from live and dead trees, inside and outside of buildings, and a few strange places. One of the strangest places was on the roof of a local one-story bank where the bees were draped over the front door. At the time, I was working as an Extension Agent. The office occasionally got calls from people who needed to have bees removed, and we, or two others in the area, would hurry to help when a call came in. One day a call came and no one was available to help. As my husband was an excavator with his own business, I volunteered, and dashed home, got my "bee shirt," veiled hat and gloves, plus a hive body and cover, my smoker and a bee brush, and hurried to the bank. They provided the ladder and I was able to capture the bees by gently brushing them into the hive body with a frame of sealed honey inside. (They only stayed in the box because I was fortunate to capture the queen. The hardest part was getting the box, bottom board and cover down from the roof intact.) My bee recovery made the front page of the Grayslake paper. We never charged for our service, although some were very time consuming, because we felt that the bees were our reward. In 1992 we made a huge mistake, which we still regret. We had run out of hive bodies for our bees. We answered an ad in the paper from someone who was "getting out of the bee business". This very pious man sold us enough hive bodies for 8 more hives of bees, assuring us that his bees had been healthy, but that he was just "too old" to keep bees and wanted to sell his equipment. We added swarms to the new "used" boxes in our largest bee yard which had about 25 hives. Up until this time, our hives had all be very healthy and we had never lost a hive. Soon, we discovered that these hive bodies were not "disease free" and our bees started to diminish in population. The state bee inspector checked the hives and said that they must be destroyed - bees and all, that nothing could be done to save them. We learned that the disease that they had contracted, was “foul brood, ”but we did what we were told to do. We had to burn the hives with the bees in them. I want to cry, even now, when I remember what we had to do. Our enthusiasm for beekeeping diminished greatly after that. When we moved to Missouri in 2006, we again wanted to try beekeeping. The kids were grown and gone, we were retired, and we had 11 acres in the country. What could go wrong? Well, farming practices had changed a great deal since 1992. Many more dangerous chemicals are being used now than we had experienced in Illinois. Using pre-emergent or post-emergent chemicals, spraying by plane, and nicotinoids (chemicals with nicotine in them that protect the plants, but confuse the bees when they collect the nectar, so they cannot find their way home). This is believed to be the major cause of “colony collapse”. We bought two "boxes" of bees after my husband constructed two new hive bodies. I think we paid about $60 for each two-pound box of bees with a queen. (Since bees are almost an endangered species today, the same 2-pound box today would probably be closer to $200.) We caught two swarms and added them to the new hives. The first winter we lost one hive, but do not know why. That Spring we added two new hives from our swarms. The hives that summer were loaded with honey and we took off half of it in mid-July. A week after extracting the honey I went to do a weekly check on the bees and found that all the bees were GONE, and so was the rest of the honey. The hives were empty except for a few sealed egg cells. Evidently three things might have happened: 1) the bees ingested the nicotine from the nectar of the crops that surround us on three sides, or 2) they were caught gathering nectar when the crops were sprayed so they could not find their way home and died 3) "robber" bees cleaned out what was left of the honey and took it their hives located elsewhere. Since bees can travel as far as two miles in search of nectar and honey, this seems a reasonable conclusion. After three years of trying our hobby of beekeeping for the second time it was time to call it quits. What I miss most about beekeeping, beside working with the bees, and working as a team with my husband, is the wonderful aroma that greets you when you open a healthy hive to inspect it or to gather honey. It is hard to describe - wonderfully fruity, sweet, fragrant and clean. Impossible to describe perfectly, but I really miss the joy of being greeted by it. ​ By: Barbara Dahl, Editor

FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN COOPER COUNTY There are 18 fire departments in Cooper County, Missouri, serving a population of 17,620 people in an area of 565 square miles. There is one fire department per 978 people, and one fire department per 31 square miles. ​ In Missouri, Cooper County is ranked 26th of 115 counties in Fire Departments per capita, and 27th of 115 counties in Fire Departments per square mile. ​ ​ List of Cooper County Fire Departments Today Find Cooper County, Missouri fire departments, city fire stations, firefighters, brigades, chiefs, inspectors, marshals, and local volunteers. ​ Blackwater Fire Department 301 Trigg Street Blackwater, MO Blackwater Rural Fire Department 301 Trigg Avenue Blackwater, MO Boonville Fire Department 500 Bingham Road Boonville, MO Boonville Fire Department - Substation 6th Street Boonville, MO Bunceton City Fire Department 115 East Main Street Bunceton, MO City Of Pilot Grove Fire Department 109 Main Street Pilot Grove, MO Clifton City Fire Department State Highway BB Otterville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District 17010 Highway 87 Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 1 16994 Missouri 87 Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 2 11500 Santa Fe Road Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 3 25201 Missouri 179 Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 4 14847 Missouri 5 Boonville, MO Otterville Fire Protection District 321 State Highway BB Otterville, MO Otterville Fire Protection District 3530 Old Route 50 Otterville, MO Pilot Grove Rural Fire Department 209 Main Street Pilot Grove, MO Prairie Home Rural Fire Association 480 Main Street Prairie Home, MO Prairie Home Rural Fire Protection District 466 Main Street Prairie Home, MO Versailles Fire Department 104 Spruce Street Bunceton, MO ​ ​ About Cooper County Fire Departments Cooper County Fire Departments provide fire protection and emergency response services to the Cooper County, MO community with a mission to prevent the loss of life and property. In addition to responding to calls for fire suppression, Cooper County Fire Departments respond to medical emergencies, incidents involving hazardous materials, rescue calls, and motor vehicle or other accidents.

STAGE COACHES When many of us think of stage coaches we think of them in relation to the “wild west”. But stages coaches were a very important means of travel in Cooper County for many years. A stage coach was a vehicle much like an enclosed wagon with a high roof, wooden sides and doors with windows on both sides. It had an elevated seat in the front where the driver, or “whip,” was seated. Inside were seats for the passengers. The passengers sat with their baggage on their lap and mail bags under their feet. If they wanted to sleep, they had to sleep sitting up. The stage coaches were designed for travel, not comfort! They were safer than traveling alone and were often the only way to travel any distance. Roads at this time were only dirt, often rocky, and muddy after rain or snow. There was no such thing as “road maintenance.” If something on the stage coach broke during the trip it would be up to the driver to fix it, hopefully he was carrying the needed spare parts such as axels, wheels or springs. Coaches were pulled by draft horses, many of them Clydesdales, because of their good temperament. Stages were pulled either by two horses or a team of four. The coaches were called “stage” coaches because the travel route was done in “stages.” Stations, or stage stops were usually 10 to 15 miles apart. The horses traveled about 5 miles per hour, and pulled the coach for two to three hours. At the end of the trip between one stop and the next, the horses were replaced by another team and the tired horses rested until the return trip. Some stages traveled 60 -70 miles a day. At some stops a meal or beverages might be available (at an extra cost), and some had provisions for sleeping. The cost of the journey was usually 10 to 15 cents per mile, which would be quite expensive based on today’s dollars. In the 1830s , a stage coach depot was located along the road between Boonville and Jefferson City. Known as "Midway" the stop was about 1 ½ miles east of the present site of Prairie Home, at Tompkins' Inn. In the mid-century, stagecoaches made regular trips to various towns in Missouri. The Tipton to Boonville Stage Coaches operated in the Cooper County area from 1850 to 1860 . ​ ​ Tipton-Boonville Stage Changed Horses at Biler Home Near Speed An interesting account of the "Tipton-Boonville Stage " written by Mrs. L.H. Childs appeared in The Boonville Advertiser - Rural Life Edition , in 1940. ​ One and one-half miles east of Speed, in central Cooper County, stands a dilapidated but vivid reminder of the past. On the southwest corner of the crossroads at that point is an old-fashioned log house, and to the rear, only partly standing is an old barn. ​ Up until 1868 this place buzzed with activity. It was the home of Mr. Abram Biler, his wife and two daughters, and the Boonville-Tipton stage coach made a regular stop there to change horses. The horses were cared for until the return trip, when they were changed again. The ladies served meals to the travelers. ​ Mr. William Eller told that when he was a small boy, he would hear old Mike, the driver, come down the road blowing a bugle to let the people know the stage was coming. It is said Mike could crack his whip so loud the sound would travel almost a mile in the clear air as he drove his fine horses. Sometimes the road was hard and dry, and at other times the mud was ankle deep or the snow was drifted high, but the stage went through. ​ The road, which now is of all-weather construction, was little more than a trail at that time. Jr. Irving Harness’ father sold the stage line a number of fine horses, as only the best animals were used to pull the coaches. It was quite a thrill for a number of small boys of the neighborhood when Mike would let them ride the stage to the bottom of the hill to the south. They never seemed to mind the tiresome walk back. ​ In the 1830s, a stage coach depot was located along the road between Boonville and Jefferson City, known as "Midway." The stop was about 1½ miles east of the present site of Prairie Home, at Tompkins' Inn. In the mid-century, stagecoaches made regular trips to various towns in Missouri. The Tipton to Boonville Stage Coaches operated in the Cooper County area from 1850 to 1860. Stage coaches were also very instrumental in bringing immigrants, especially from Germany and Ireland, to the County. ​ Stage coach days carried their humor and tragedy, as all generations do. When Mike would linger to talk to Miss Puss Biler, some of the passengers would grow quite impatient, but that would have no effect on Mike as he would have his little visit out before he would go. ​ ​ John King: first German-born immigrant of Lone Elm and Stagecoach driver. John King was born February 15, 1828, in Holstein, Germany. After fighting in the war between Germany and Denmark, he immigrated to the US for more freedoms. Entering the country at New Orleans, he went first to Iowa where he heard about free and cheap land available in the Kansas territory. He went to St. Louis, boarded a river steamer, and headed west for Atchison. ​ At a stop in Boonville, King met some fellow countrymen and decided to stay in Cooper County. He got a job as a hostler in a stable on the stage route between Boonville and Jimtown. He made $12 a month, but made more when he became a stagecoach driver. His next job was on a farm near Pisgah making $15 a month. Four years later, Colonel Pope made him a partner. In three years, King had saved enough money to buy 180 acres of undeveloped prairie land in Lone Elm for $15 an acre. King kept buying land until he had 560 acres. John King was the first German-born immigrant of Lone Elm. In 1859 John married Miss Sophia Friedmeyer, who was also born in Germany. ​ During the American Civil War, King served in the Missouri State Guard under Captain Tom George. ​ Mr. King influenced many Germans to immigrate to America. For several years, John would meet newly arrived immigrants from Germany in New York, and help them on their journey to Cooper County, bringing them to Cooper County by Stagecoach. ​ John King died on November 10, 1916. Sophia followed him in death seven years later on April 24, 1924. They are buried side by side in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Lone Elm. ​ Sources: Carol Normal, Great granddaughter of John King, Elisabeth Davis of Historically yours. ​ Another early settler from Germany was Stephen Young, who settled in Clear Creek in 1848. ​ ​ Stage Coaches and the Civil War During the last years of the Civil War period, an order was issued calling in all guns in an effort to stop guerrilla warfare. One evening, however, the report of a gun was heard and when neighbors investigated, they found M. Biler slain in his cucumber patch. Mr. Biler is buried with many other pioneers in the old Concord cemetery. When the branch railroad was completed between Boonville and Tipton, there was no further need for the stage line and it faded into history. Probably the last visible stage stop in Cooper County is located on the North side of Highway 5 between Boonville and Billingsville. The limestone block building was built by O.H.P. Shoemaker in 1860 and the stone was cut from a nearby quarry. He used smoother stone for the front of the building and rough-cut stone for the sides. The road in front of the house was the stage coach road/mail route to Warsaw. On the lintel above the door of the house is engraved “O.H.P. Shoemaker 1860 ”. ​ The Shoemakers were Unionist, coming originally from Kentucky and Illinois. A son (or nephew) Horace, became a Captain during the Union occupation of Boonville and organized a voluntary cavalry unit to escort the mail, guard the telegraph wires and escort captured Confederates to Jefferson City. Capt. Shoemaker became a marked man when he took a local man named Spencer from imprisonment at the Boonville courthouse to Harley Park and hanged him without a trial. ​ When General Price and the Confederates took control of Boonville in October 1864, Shoemaker surrendered and was confined with his family to his house in Boonville. In the dark of night, according to Van Ravensway, Spenser’s sons came for Shoemaker pretending to have orders from General Price. They took him away and Horace Shoemaker was never seen again. General Shelby was quoted later that the incident “will remain the most regrettable occurrence during the war”. East of the stone house three serious skirmishes took place that October. General Fagan stood off attacks by Union Generals Eppstein and Sanborn with heavy loss of life at Anderson’s Branch. ​ Mrs. Shoemaker and her family, fearing further retribution fled to Oregon. The property was parceled and sold in 1866 $2,000 to Christian Osten and John Dumolt. In 1868 The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad was completed between Boonville and Tipton and the stone house was convenient to the depot at Billingsville. New immigrants arriving from Germany by steamboat took the train to Billingsville where they found welcome in their native language with the Dumolts who were originally from Alsace Lorraine. Once the railroad came through Cooper County, there was no longer a need for the stage coaches. Interestingly, once trucks and cars became popular, there was little use for trains for transportation and most of them eventually disappeared. ​ The Dumolts and Fredericks lived in the stone house for many years, adding a kitchen and an extension to the living space at the back of the stone building. There were extensive log and frame stables on the property until the present owners, the Burnetts, cleared away the worn wooden structures, but saved the stone cottage and a large chiseled stone horse trough to preserve this part of Cooper County history. ​ References: The Boonville Advertiser, 1940 CCHS Files Linda Burnett Dumolt Stage Stop on Route 5 near Billingsville Photo by Krista Jeppsen

COMMUNITY/TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENT Once the War of 1812-1814 was over, the Missouri Territory was considered safe for settlers. The pioneers steadily poured into the Boonslick area, looking for a new start in the frontier. They found rich soil for crops, prairies for livestock grazing, springs and streams, plus the Missouri River for water, trees for building, and fish and abundant large and small game for food. Soon, small communities were formed and in some, churches and schools were established. Farms, mills and small local businesses were important communication and trade centers in the early communities. ​ Many of the communities were as small as a few homes or farms near each other, and many of these settlements were never officially platted on the County map. Over time, there were over 65 named communities in Cooper County. If we divide the County into 5 parts, (below) you can see the location of some of the towns/settlements on the map, plus you can locate where some of those settlements that are no longer in existence might have been. ​ Railroads helped further settle the County and were very important to the economic growth of the area. The first railroad, the Missouri Pacific, was completed through Otterville, in 1860. The second, the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas, ran from Boonville to Versailles, stopping at Billingsville, Joe Town, New Palestine (Speed), Petersburg, Bunceton and Vermont. The third was the “KATY” which went through Prairie Lick, Pilot Grove, Harriston, Pleasant Green and Clifton City. ​ With the coming of the railroads through several small, sleepy towns they became very busy centers of commerce, attracting merchants, banks, hotels, doctors and a variety of businesses, plus they gained a major growth in population. ​ Since most roads at this time were rough, and often just wagon trails, trains offered passengers a comfortable way to travel, and cattle, grain and other products could be moved quickly and efficiently to larger markets, usually Saint Louis. Plus, mail was delivered to the towns by rail, instead of by horseback or carts. ​ However, things began to change by 1915, when early automobiles and pickup trucks became more numerous, and plank and gravel roads (but not paved), became more common. The last train to make its final trip out of Cooper County was the which left Boonville on 1986. ​ As local train service was eliminated, people and businesses started leaving, and some of the towns that had been well populated lost businesses and residents, as people sought jobs and/or higher wages in larger towns. While some towns became just a shadow of their former selves, others just disappeared. ​ A loss of a post office seems to indicate that a town had grown too small to support one. You will notice that some post offices were closed during the Civil War. The decrease in population was also accelerated by the Great Depression and the drought during the 1930’s. Note: Post Office column displays the delivery dates; "Never" means the place never had a post office; and "Gone" means the town does not exist anymore. Looking at the map below you will see that early Cooper County was dotted with towns. Eventually, many of the towns were officially platted, but some settlements remained as just settlements. Of the over 65 settlements/towns that were in early Cooper County, by 2021, only a few remain as active cities, towns, villages, or as viable unincorporated areas. References: Memorabilia of Cooper County, Missouri, 2020 PDF Edition Discover Cooper County by Ann Betteridge CHANGES IN COOPER COUNTY POPULATION AND TOWNS FROM 1820 UP TO 1960 When we look at the history of Cooper County, we see that a few towns were originally settlements, then became towns, or cities, and have been active since the early 1820's. Yet, others had a good start, but after a few years, the population was greatly diminished and, in some cases, almost all traces of those early towns are totally gone. ​ Cooper County’s population was greatly affected by its history and available means of travel Some Background: Cooper is one of 115 counties in Missouri. As of 7/1/2022, Cooper County had a population of 17,059, with a total of 7,282 households. Cooper ranks #62 in size of Missouri County populations. The growth rate for 2020 to 2022 was 0.11%. For 2022-2027 it is forecast to be 0.01%. ​ Source: HomeTownLocator When we examine the history of Cooper County, we are lead to wonder why early residents chose to make the trip. Why did they choose to come, and why might they have decided to stay or leave? We find many reasons to come, and which events influenced population growth and decline. Adventurers – The challenge to come to a new area of the country, to live off the land, perhaps find gold, silver or other treasure, or to become famous for an unusual deed encouraged some to come. ​ A Second Chance at the Good Life – They may have had a less than desirable background and the newly opened territory might have given them a chance to redeem themselves and start life over. Early Settlers – They came to stay. They proved that Missouri was a wonderful place to settle. Abundant wildlife, fertile ground, plenty of water and timber, and land was free or not expensive. Transportation – Missouri was blessed with several early means of travel by land and water - ferries, wagons, stage coach’s (but no roads) , Steam Boats, and later, railroads, cars and trucks. Wars – we need to factor in that during the Civil War, World War I, II, and later wars, many local men and women died and did not return home to start or maintain families. Some families left the area and relocated elsewhere after the death of a loved one. Depression – The depression of the 1930's had some serious effects on the population, yet some towns regained much of their earlier strength and population, while others did not. Cooper County population was greatly influenced by many events 1810 – The Cole families settled in what would become Cooper County 1812 – Lamine was settled 1812 – War of 1812-1814 in Cooper County 1816 – Hannah Cole’s sons operated the first ferry between Cooper and Howard Counties 1818 – Cooper became a County 1819 – First Steamboat on the Missouri River 1820 – Missouri Packet - First steam boat to sink in the Missouri River near Boonville 1821 – Missouri became the 24th state 1821 – Trade Route to Santa Fe opened (Santa Fe Trail) 1827 – Town of Franklin, located across from Boonville, washed away in a major flood of the Missouri River 1860’s – Stage Coaches carried passengers and the mail 1860 – First railroad established in the County (Missouri Pacific) 1861 - 1864 – Civil War – two battles and two occupations in Cooper County during years 1861 – Missouri was the first state to emancipate all enslaved persons 1901 – First automobile driven in Cooper County/road improvement began 1914 - 1918 – World War I in Europe 1918 - 1919 – Many died from the “Spanish” Flu. (NO Cooper County figures available) 1930 -1939 – Nation-wide Depression 1940 - 1945 – World War II 1943 – Highway 40 Bridge over the Missouri River connects Howard County to Cooper County 1960 – Route I-70 by-passes Boonville, but passes through Cooper County ​ Population Growth in Cooper County ​ Missouri became the 24th state on August 10, 1821. Cooper County was established when Howard County was divided into what was to become Cooper County along the Missouri River. Following the War of 1812, the population of Cooper and the surrounding area began to increase, especially along the Missouri River. The majority of early settlers were from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Settlers from Germany and Ireland helped to increase the population. In the year 1820, only about 12% of the population of Missouri was foreign born. According to the 1820 US Census, Cooper County had a population of 6,959, but the population ten years later was only 6,904, a loss of 55. However, a good case can be made for an increase of more than 8,700 rather than the official drop. In November 1820, after the 1820 census had been taken, three counties were formed out of Cooper County: Cole, Lafayette, and Saline. Their 1830 census totals were 3,023; 2,912; and 2.873 respectively. Had those counties not been established, these figures would have been part of Cooper Counties totals. ​ Sources: Discover Cooper County by Ann Betteridge and A History of Pilot Grove. The population numbers increased with each census until 1890, when Cooper County had a population of 22,707. From then on, the population started to decline to 14,643 in 1980. Cooper County has continued to slowly grow, and the US Census of 2010 showed a population of 17,601, but in 2020 it was 17,103. Although there are many small, unincorporated communities in Cooper County, there have been only six incorporated cities. ​ Boonville was already platted when Missouri became a state in 1821, but it wasn't incorporated until 1839. Its first official census wasn't taken until 1850. There were 2,326 residents in Boonville that year, the smallest ever recorded for the city at that time, but Boonville, the County Seat of Cooper County, continued to grow. The numbers weren't always higher than the previous count, but they tended to go up. The highest count recorded in Cooper County population was 21,596 in 1880 and 22,707 in 1890. By 1990 the total population had dropped to 14,835. In the 2010 Census it climbed back to 17,601, but dropped back to 17,103 in 2020. In order of establishment, Otterville became the second city in Cooper County. Platted in 1837, Otterville didn't have an official census until 1880 and recorded 505 residents. Source: Wikipedia The population was pretty stable and peaked at 507 in 1990. In 2010, the official population was 454. ​ The other four cities were established in the space of twenty years: Bunceton in 1868, Pilot Grove in 1873, Prairie Home in 1874, and Blackwater in 1887. Bunceton had 493 residents in 1890 and no census was reported in 1900. The population for the next two census reports of 1910, and 1920 was 788, and 860 respectively. Growth after 1920 never increased. The official population in 2010 was 354. ​ Pilot Grove and Prairie Home were founded just a year apart, in 1873 and 1874. Pilot Grove started with 209 residents at their first census in 1880 and in 2010 reached 768. Prairie Home's census was similar. They started with a low of 43 in 1880 and by 2010 they had reached 280. ​ Blackwater was the last of the current six incorporated cities in Cooper County. Founded in 1887, their first census wasn't taken until 1900 and it recorded a population of 285. The community grew until 1930, when the population peaked at 506. The number of residents and businesses continued to decline with only a minor spike in 1980 until the 2010 census showed Blackwater at just under 60 percent of its first headcount. ​ While many towns and communities have existed in Cooper County over the past two hundred years, there are only six official towns there today: Blackwater, Boonville, Bunceton, Otterville, Pilot Grove, and Prairie Home. ​ Using only the census records, the smallest town in Cooper County was Prairie Home in 1880 with a population of 43. It reached its peak of 2010 with 280. The smallest town by population today is Blackwater. It started with 285 in 1900, topped out in 1930 with 506, and has now dropped below 200: 199 in 2000 and 162 in 2010. ​ Otterville started with 505 people in 1880 and peaked in 1990 with 507. Currently, Otterville’s 2010 population was 454. Pilot Grove and Bunceton appeared to have competed for fifty years for the title of “Second largest town in Cooper County.” While Pilot Grove started first, the population in 1880 was only 209. Bunceton’s population was officially 493 by 1890 but only had 493 people to Pilot Grove’s 560. By 1900, Bunceton had taken the lead from Pilot Grove: 856 to 631. For the next three decades, Bunceton was the second largest town in Cooper County, with Pilot Grove in third place. In 1940, the tables turned. Pilot Grove had exactly 100 more people than Bunceton. While Pilot Grove’s population has had its ups and downs, it has managed to maintain its number two spot in the county with its highest population of 768 being recorded in 2010. Using only the census records, the smallest town in Cooper County was Prairie Home in 1880, with a population of 43. It reached its peak in 2010 with 280. ​ Sources: Adapted from Discover Copper County, by Ann Betteridge and Historically Yours by Elizabeth Davis