PLEASANT GREEN

In 1816 Alex Brown, Isaac Ellis and Mr. Scott and their families settled in the area which came to be known as Pleasant Green. In 1823, Samuel Walker arrived  who was the owner of a large federal grant of land. Judge Smith Walker and his father Winston built a small brick house on edge of the Walker land and named it “Pleasant Green”. The name was also given to the nearby Methodist Church founded in 1825 (still in use) and eventually the town.

 

The town was located on the MKT Railroad line and was an important shipping station for 40 years. In its most prosperous days it had three general stores, a bank, a drug store, hardware store, barber, small hotel, two grain elevators, livery stables, blacksmith, post office and a telephone office.  People started to leave in the late 1920’s and 30’s due to the depression and changes in transportation.

 

Cooper County’s first bank robbery took place in Pleasant Green in 1926. Today, Pleasant Green and Burrwood are the only evidences of the busy town that once existed there.

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Every year since 1953 the Township has had an annual sanctioned radio.

Pleasant Green is the only town that has ever been in Clear Creek Township.

 

References for Clear Creek Township at CCHS:

History of Clear Creek

Pleasant Green Underground

 

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KELLY TOWNSHIP

Physical Features: The surface of the township consists mainly of prairie with some timbered portions. Moniteau Creek, with its tributaries, extends through two-thirds of the township from east to west, and the Petite Saline Creek waters a portion of the western part of the township. The township was named in honor of John Kelly, one of its early pioneers.

 

Settlement: James Kelly was a Revolutionary War soldier. He, along with Charles Woods and James D. Campbell, served as soldiers in the War of 1812. The Kelly’s came from Tennessee. William Jennings came from Georgia to Cooper County in 1819, and owned a large tract of land. He was the first preacher in the township, and was the pastor of “Old Nebo” Church for many years.

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James D. Campbell was an early justice of the county court and acted as justice of the peace for many years. He was a prominent politician, always voting the Democratic ticket. Charles Woods, also known as General Charles Woods, was for many years the leading Democrat in his neighborhood. Joseph Reavis settled in the township in 1823. He and his sons manufactured excellent wagons. Their trade extended for miles around. Their wagons were sometimes purchased by the Santa Fe traders.

 

The first school was taught by Joseph S. Anderson in 1824. He taught until 1828 when he was elected sheriff of Cooper County. In 1832 he was elected to the legislature from Cooper County. Rice Challis, an early settler in this township, was a carpenter.

 

The soil of this township is very productive and the farmers are generally prosperous. The Union Pacific Railroad was a short distance south of the township. Until 1937, the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad ran eight miles directly through its center, affording the inhabitants easy facilities for the shipping of their products. Corn, wheat, and soybeans were among the principal products, with many farmers raising live stock as well. At the height of its prosperity, hundreds of cars of cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry and mules were shipped to St. Louis each year.

 

The town grew rapidly and by 1899 the town had two drug stores, 3 general stores, 2 millinery stores, 4 grocery stores, a hotel, 4 barbershops, 3 blacksmiths, 2 physicians, 2 lumber yards, one livery stable, a carpenter, a public school, a private school, a flour mill, 4 churches and a population of 1,000 people.

 

Beginning in 1896, Bunceton was noted for its annual Fair.  The Fair was eventually replaced by the 4th of July Days that Bunceton celebrates each year. Although individuals do not bring projects to be judged like in most fairs, there are games to play: dunking booth, cake walk, pedal pull, bounce house, pony rides, to name a few, along with fiddle contests, an ice cream social and street dance. A parade is held every year. This special event is open to the public and fun to attend.

 

Since its founding, Bunceton has suffered from many fires which have destroyed three mills and much of the main street business area. As the town began to lose population after the train was rerouted and bypassed the town, much of the business area deteriorated and has been removed.  One building which has been used for several things is the Princess theater, built in 1917, which has been later used as a funeral home, a bar (Lucky's Place), and currently it has been made into an apartment.

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At one time, when the railroad came through town, Bunceton grew to be the second largest town in Cooper County.  Today, Bunceton is the only town in Kelly Township, with a current population of­­ 354.

           

References for Kelly Township at CCHS:

Bunceton 1868-1888 

Bunceton 1868-1993

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LAMINE TOWNSHIP

Physical Features: The surface of the township is rolling and was originally covered with a heavy growth of timber. Most of the soil is rich and, in some localities, very productive. Three sides of the township are surrounded by water.

 

Settlement: The township was settled first in 1812. The very first settlers were David Jones, a Revolutionary War soldier; Thomas and James McMahan; Stephen, Samuel and Jesse Turley; and Saunders Townsend. Others came soon afterwards. In 1812 a fort, called McMahan’s Fort, was built in this township, but was later attacked by Indians in 1814 and burned to the ground.

 

This township was at one time, one of the wealthiest townships in the County. Lead deposits were found and mined. A large quantity of high-quality lumber and cord-wood was cut every year from the plentiful woods and was shipped by men of the Blackwater and Lamine River areas. The streams have abundant fish.

 

Tornadoes have not been kind to Lamine and eventually the town was moved closer to the river and the railroad, and is sometimes called “New Lamine.  Lamine Township has only one very small settlement at this time – Lamine.

 

References for Lamine Township at CCHS:

Our Town, Lamine Missouri

 

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LEBANON TOWNSHIP

Physical Features: Lebanon township is bounded on the north by Clear Creek and Palestine townships, on the east by Kelly township, on the south by Morgan county, and on the west by Otterville township. This township was organized about 1826.

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In the western part of the township the surface is rough and partly timbered. There are fine stretches of prairie and rolling land in the southern and eastern part.

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Settlement: Thomas J. Starke, of Otterville, wrote an interesting history of Otterville and Lebanon. He read the history on the 4th day of July, 1876, at a meeting of the citizens of Otterville. He spent almost 70 years in Cooper County where he grew to manhood, married and died. He was the father of Mrs. D. S. Koontz of Boonville.

 

The first settlement of the township was New Lebanon, six miles north of Otterville. During the fall of 1819 and spring of 1820 the following people came to New Lebanon to settle: Rev. Finis Ewing, Rev. James L. Wear, John Wear, James H. Wear, Samuel Wear, Alexander Sloan, Robert Kirkpatrick, Colin C. Stoneman, William Stone, Frederick Casteel, Reuben A. Ewing, James Berry, Thomas Rubey, Elizabeth Steele, a Mr. Smiley, Rev. Laird Burns, John Burns, John Reed, Silas Thomas, James Taylor, Hugh Wear, who as a brother to James L. and John Wear, James McFarland and Rev. William Kavanaugh.

 

Rev. Finnis Ewing was a minister of the gospel, and one of the original founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He was from Kentucky. He became a minister in 1803 and with Samuel McAdam and Samuel King, founded the Cumberland Church in 1810. New Lebanon settlers pitched their tents and began building a church and seminary. It was built of hewn logs. Each person brought their share of the logs. These logs were double, that is, each log was 24 feet in length, being joined in the middle of the house by means of an upright post, into which the ends were mortised, making the entire length of the church 48 feet, and 30 feet in width. This building served as a place of worship until 1860, when the new brick church of the present day was built on the site of the old one, which was torn down.

 

The Rev. James L. Wear was for many years a Cumberland Presbyterian preacher.

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Rev. John Reid was another minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He first lived at Honey Creek and afterward moved to many different places. Reid was driving a team for a man who was moving to this country with Mr. Ewing, who had bells on his six-horse team. The young man liked the jingle of these bells so well that he begged Mr. Ewing to allow his teamster to divide with him, in order that he might share the music, but Mr. Ewing “could not see it” and refused to make the division as asked. Reid bought a number of cowbells and hung one on each horse of his team, which soon had the effect of bringing the preacher to terms. Mr. Ewing was so much bothered with the discord made by these coarse bells that he soon suggested a compromise by giving Reid his sleigh bells, provided he would stop the cowbell part of the concert.

 

New Lebanon is the only settlement left in New Lebanon Township, but it has been beautifully preserved.  The church and school are in excellent condition, as is Uncle Abe’s Store.  There is also a large cemetery.  A visit to New Lebanon allows you to take a rare step back in time and is worth a visit.

 

References for Lebanon Township at CCHS: 

History of New Lebanon

 

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NORTH AND SOUTH MONITEAU TOWNSHIPS

Physical Features: These two townships, originally one, are separated by the Moniteau Creek. They are bounded on the north by Clark’s Fork and Prairie Home townships, on the east and south by Moniteau County and on the west by Kelly Township. The surface near the Moniteau Creek tends to be rough, gradually giving way to prairie both in the north and south. 

 

Settlement: Pisgah is the second oldest town in Cooper County. The area was first settled in 1818. Thomas B. Smiley, an early settler, was elected to the Legislature from Cooper County in 1820, with Thomas Rogers and William Lillard. Thomas Smiley was a man of considerable information and a good historian. He raised a large family of children and died in 1836. Mr. Shelton, a blacksmith, settled near the town of Pisgah in 1818. He was well-known for his good work with metals and at that time was the only blacksmith in the county outside of Boonville.

 

Some of the early settlers in this area were Seth Joseph, Waid and Stephen Howard, William Coal, Sames Stinson, Hawking Burress, David Burress, Charles Hickox, Samuel McFarland, Carroll George, James Snodgrass, Martin George, Alexander Woods, James Jones, David Jones, and Augustus K. Longan. David Jones settled at Pisgah before 1820, since his vote was recorded in that year. He and Archibald Kavanaugh were elected to the state legislature in 1830, 1832, and 1834. In 1836 he was elected State Senator, and was re-elected in 1848.

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Pisgah and Mount Pleasant churches were built by the Baptists in the early days and were led by John B. Longan and Kemp Scott. The first school in this township was probably taught by James Donelson. He only professed to teach arithmetic as far as the “double rule of three.” A Mr. Summers and Judge Smith kept a store at “Old Round Hill.” Richard Bonsfield built a store at Pisgah.

 

Today, there are no towns or churches left in South Moniteau Township and there remain two, almost extinct towns, in North Moniteau Township – Pisgah and Cotton.  Pisgah has a lovely church, Pisgah Baptist, which is still active.

 

The Pisgah Baptist church was organized in 1819 and is the second oldest Baptist church in Cooper County. At one time there was a croquette factory, grist  mill, chair factory, carding mill, three general stores, a blacksmith and a drug store located there. Pisgah was the first town in Cooper County to have its own community center.

 

Cotton is also located in North Moniteau Township.  It once was home to a large grist mill and a was busy little town.  Dick’s Mill, the last standing in mill in Cooper County is still there, but not in operation and Dicks’ school is also still standing.

 

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OTTERVILLE TOWNSHIP

Physical Features: Otterville Township originally included part of Lebanon Township, but later covered all of Lebanon township west of the Lamine River.

 

Settlement: In 1826, Thomas Parsons came to this area and found three families living west of the Lamine. These were the James G. Wilkerson, William Reed, and William Sloan families.

 

Thomas Parsons established the first hatters’ shop south of Boonville. Elijah Hook, a hunter and trapper, came from Tennessee and James Brown who came in 1827 and was a Kentuckian, farmer, and hunter. He had hunted with Daniel Boone. James Davis also came from Tennessee. He was an industrious farmer and great rail splitter. James Birney, a prominent farmer, came from Kentucky in 1827.

 

Frederick Shurley, the mightiest hunter in all the land round about Otterville, settled southeast of Otterville in 1827. He was with General Jackson in the Creek War, and was present at the Battle of Horse Shoe Bend, where the Indians had made their last stand. He used to tell with deep interest, the thrilling incidents of this war.

 

Nathan Neal came from Kentucky in 1827 and settled two miles north of Otterville. George Cranmer came to Boonville in 1828 and to Clifton City in 1832. He was a millwright and a mechanic. He and James H. Glasgow built what was known as Cranmer’s Mill, where the KATY railroad crossed the Lamine River. He named the area Clifton, which was previously known as Cold Neck.

 

Clifton City

There are many interesting stories about the town of Clifton City. Matthew Cox, a hunter and trapper of this area, was known for his tales. He told of being in a bear’s grip, when the bear pushed him off a high bluff which was nearly 500 feet high. They would strike and bound against the rocks every few feet, until they reached the bottom of the bluff. You would naturally think it was “Farewell Matthew,” but strange as it may seem, he escaped with a few slight scratches. The bear had, fortunately for Matthew, been on the underside every time they struck, till they reached the bottom, when the bear turned loose of the hunter and closed his eyes in death. Matthew Cox’s tales were generally much like this; almost always they ended favorable to him and fatal to his enemies. This tale made “Matthew’s Bluff” well known to everybody in this neighborhood.

 

In 1907, the original train depot at Clifton City burned.  It was replaced by a new slate roofed depot and later moved in 1925. The first train made its maiden run in 1873. The last train made its final run passing through Clifton City, in 1986. The mail came in by train and was carried to the post office to be delivered. Several train wrecks date back to 1879 and 1918. Wrecks were blamed on a mix up in train orders.    The train would whistle coming into town twice a day, but today, the whistle only lives on in memories of the days gone by. 

 

Just off JJ, North of Hwy 135, was the location of the Stage Stop. Rumor has it that an old shed, close to this Stage Stop, is where the Jessie James gang would hide from time to time. The James gang at one time was caught not far from there on their way out of town. Jesse had a lot of friends at Clifton City and visited there often, or whenever he was passing through.

 

In the late 1800’s,  Clifton City had a bank, a beautiful brick building standing on the South side of town. In 1886, W.B. Over the years the building has been a home to several different business - a café, grocery store and many other things. Today it still stands as a place for storage, and is slowly losing its beauty. The bank closed in 1929.

 

One of the greatest improvements for the rural people in Clifton City was made when farm to market roads were established. The roads were built in 1934 and 1935. There are now two paved roads going through Clifton City. The coming of cars and trucks hurt the railroad shipments.  The new roads made it easy and less expensive for  farmers to take their produce and cattle to market with their own trucks. So this was the beginning of a slow death to the small town of Clifton City.

 

The town of Otterville was first called Eldon. Later it was named for the great number of otters found in a creek which flows past the town.  In 1860 the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built and ended in Otterville, and the town grew and prospered.  Eventually the rail line was extended to Sedalia.  As a result, Sedalia prospered and Otterville lost population and businesses.

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Otterville

The town of Otterville was first called Elktown and Ottertown before being named Otterville. It was laid out by Gideon R. Thompson in 1837. A public square was laid out and some buildings were built near the square. The town square at this time was where the Otterville School stands today. Otterville was incorporated by an act of the Legislature of Missouri on February 16, 1854. One hundred years after the town of Otterville was incorporated a city water system was added.

 

There was no post office in Otterville until March 24, 1848.  When the post office started in Otterville, the mail was carried by horseback. Then the Missouri Pacific railway came through and that allowed the mail to be brought to town by train. The post office quit dispatching the mail to the trains in about 1965. Since then the mail is sent and received from Sedalia by truck.

 

Today Otterville Township has two small towns – Otterville and Clifton City.

           

References for Otterville Township at CCHS:

Recollections of Clifton City, Clifton City 1873-2019 and Otterville Sesquicentennial

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PALESTINE TOWNSHIP

Physical Features: The surface of the township is mostly level, with the exception of a strip of rough land near the western side. There is evidence that this area was once an Indian settlement.

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Settlement: The first people to come to this township were Joseph Stephens, William Moore, and Samuel Peters. Joseph Stephens Sr., and family, settled in Palestine in 1817, being led to their new home by Major Stephen Cole. In 1818, Samuel Peters settled two miles farther north at a place called Petersburg.

 

William Moore came from North Carolina with his family, including seven sons and three daughters. Margaret married Judge Lawrence C. Stephens in 1818; Sally married Col. John G. Hutchison, and Mary married Harvey Bunce, the founder of Bunceton.

 

When Samuel Peters began to build his home, he invited his neighbors to come and help him, saying that he would kill a hog and have it for dinner. Since this was the first hog ever butchered in this part of the state, and as very few of the settlers had ever tasted pork, it was not too difficult to persuade them to come and help. Before this time the settlers had lived entirely upon wild game. Always, on such occasions, they had a little “fire-water” to give life to the occasion.

 

Colonel Andrew and Judge John Briscoe settled in the same township in 1818. They were both very prominent men, and leaders in their parties, Andrew being a Whig, and John a Democrat. Some of the other early settlers were Henry, Hiram, Heli, and Harden Corum; Mr. Tevis (the father of Captain Simeon Tevis); Thomas Colins; Jacob Summers; Michael, James, and William Son; John and Joseph Cathey; James David and John H. Hutchison; Nathaniel Leonard; John and Andrew Wallace; Henry Woolery; Holbert and Samuel Cole; James Bridges; James Simms; Russell Smallwood; Thomas Best; Greenberry Allison; William C. Lowery; and Anthony F. Read.

 

Mr. Greenberry Allison dug the first cistern in the county, which proved to be a great success. Many of his neighbors imitated his example, as before this time, they had been forced to depend upon wells and springs for water.

 

Old Palestine, or Palestine, was the first permanent settlement in the central part of the county. It was a thriving community from the 1840's to the 1870’s. The building of the Osage Railroad from Tipton to Booneville caused the town to move from the original location on a hilltop to the valley below. The town in the valley was called “New Palestine” until the name was changed to “Speed” in the early 1900’s. 

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New Palestine grew rapidly and hastened the decline of Old Palestine. The railroad built a stock yard, and there were several businesses opened in Speed, including a bank. In 1876 there were 100 inhabitants and in the 1890 census there  were 141 residents. Once the railroad no longer ran through Speed, the once prosperous town lost population and now there are no businesses there and only about 20 residents.

           

Palestine Township took the lead in education from the beginning. The first schools were taught by Lawrence C. S. Stephens, Dr. William H. Moore, and a young man from Virginia, also named William H. Moore, who was considered the best teacher in his day in this part of the country.

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The first dancing school was opened in 1832, at the home of B. W. Levens, about a quarter of a mile east of Bunceton, by a man named Gibson. He was a polished gentleman, an excellent teacher, and was the first to introduce “cotillions,” which were, until that time, unknown in this part of the country. Mr. Gibson at that time had two other schools; one in Boonville and the other at Arrow Rock. He taught two days at each place during the week.

 

Bell Air was first settled by L.P. Bell in 1848. In 1860 the village contained a lovely Southern Methodist church, a doctor, a clothing store and tailor, a steam sawmill, a general merchandise store, a post office, two-story high school and elementary school, and a barber. It was also the location of the magnificent Ravenswood mansion. The school has been remodeled and now serves as a home for the Nelson Leonard family. Today only the remodeled school house, the church, and Ravenswood remain.

 

There are only two very small settlements left in Palestine Township – Speed and Bellair. Both had been very prosperous when they were served by a railroad.  Today there  are only a few homes and three churches remaining in the entire township.

 

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