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By Mildred Reeves Burnett
Mississippi County Courthouse construction began in Charleston in
February 1900. It was inspected May 2, 1901 by the county judges and
architect, Jerome B. Legg of St. Louis, who designed the building. Legg
accepted the building as complete.1 It was neoclassical design as is the new
courthouse. 2
The two-story red brick building had a portico at the front and one on the
south side with beautiful large white columns. A black iron fence enclosed
the structure, most likely to keep livestock from tramping across the
courtyard, for it was “open range.” Planks were used to walk across a
trench, parallel and outside of the fence. Dirt roads surrounded the
Courthouse, since dirt roads were of the times. 3
Let’s look at what was going on during the time our Courthouse was built.
September 6, 1901 - Weekly Enterprise
Browsing through the old newspaper I learned that “Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Crosno
of Crosno, Missouri have returned from a trip to Dawson ‘Wells’. Mr. Crosno
is now able to supply everyone with condensed Dawson Well water; as he has
it for sale by the bottle, cheap.” Crosno was located southeast of
Charleston near the Mississippi River.
The September 27 newspaper stated two Tennessee gentlemen came to Wolf
Island to lease a large number of acres to grow cotton the coming spring.
October 4, Charleston’s Third Brass Band has been organized.
Long Distance Telephone Connection: “Charleston is now connected with the
outside world with long distance telephone... The Bell Company has recently
completed its cable across the river at Birds Point and it is by reason of
this fact that one can talk with another at almost any point in the United
States from Charleston if he is willing to foot the bill. It costs $1.15 for
the first three minutes of a conversation with St. Louis and 30 cents per
minute for each additional minute.”
October 25, Late October the famous Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show came to
Charleston. Ten thousand seats under waterproof canopies were provided in
the show’s arena. Pawnee Bill, white chief of the Pawnees and late hero of
Oklahoma, was Major Gordon W. Lillie. One hundred genuine Indians, brave
cowboys, noted scouts and trappers, including Gray Eagle, 2d., chief of the
Sioux Indians, and several of his tribe, including Red Cloud, Spotted Tail,
also a herd of buffalo, Wild Texas Steers, and many more performed.
They came by train, and after unloading all the equipment and everything
else, they lined up for the Grand Parade into town. Pawnee Bill and Buffalo
Bill Cody’s Wild West shows were the forerunners of rodeo.
December 1901, To the Editor of the Enterprise.
CHRISTMAS IN MISSISSIPPI COUNTY FIFTY YEARS AGO: Supposing that you will
issue a special number of your paper for Christmas, I have thought that a
few lines respecting the people of Mississippi County and how Christmas was
celebrated by its youngsters in the long ago may be acceptable to you and
your many readers.
In these days of haste to accumulate wealth, when common schools and
churches are in every neighborhood, when fine brick and frame houses, with
all modern conveniences, are the rule and not the exception - in these days
we are apt to think of the pioneers of the county as without ambition,
education or culture. But this is a great mistake. True, this county fifty
or sixty years ago was sparsely settled. Perhaps there were not then a dozen
frame houses in the county, but there were, here and there, comfortable
hewed log houses.
Sixty years ago, according to my information, there was but one store in
Tywappity township (then a part of Scott county), which was located one and
a-half miles northwest of Charleston, near where Wm. Rodney now lives. This
was owned and managed by Richard Beckwith. Charleston was laid off into town
lots in 1835, as I am informed, by Joseph Moore and Thankful Randol. Several
years later, possibly some time about 1845, Henry Cummins and Arthur Newman
opened up stores in town.
While the writer is not old enough to remember many of the citizens of forty
and fifty years ago, he has often heard his elders speak of them, and a more
worthy class of men is never found in any community. There were John Bird;
Quiros, Underwood, Marmaduke, and Richard Beckwith; Alfred and Harrison
Rush; Joseph Moore and his sons, James L., Charles, and Joshua; Noah Handy;
Jacob Swank and his sons, Jacob, William and Silas; James Smith (who is
still with us, having now arrived at the venerable age of 93 years,
respected and honored by all as a good citizen and Christian gentleman);
Jabez Clarkson; the Kennedys; Alfred Harris; William B. Bush; William,
Joseph, and James Russell; John and Jared Gooding; the McElmurrys; James and
William Lee; Evan Shelby; the Millar brothers; William and John Gaty; Robert
Lane; the Stanleys; Warrens; Daltons; Shelby Thompson; Frank Brown; Wm.
Sayers; together with many others of whom the writer has heard.
Nearly all of these were men of good education and more than ordinary
culture for that, or even this day. All were men of energy and thrift, who
cut down the trees, burned the brush, opened up farms, built houses and laid
the foundation for our present prosperity; men who even now have but few
peers in this or any other county. Many of them left descendants who are now
numbered among our most highly respected and progressive citizens.
But Christmas is coming and I intended to say something about that...
1 1845 History and Families 1995 Mississippi County, Missouri
2 Certified Archivist, Joan Feezor of Charleston.
3 Info from Courthouse picture post card
To Be Continued |