Grundy County, Missouri - Chapter 7, 1908

THE CITY OF TRENTON - The Legend of Its Founding- Crooked Streets - Slow Growth - The Village of Bluff Grove - The Railroad Brings a New Era - Trenton in 1871 - Trenton in 1878 - Fires - Building Improvements - Water Works - The Trenton of Today.

RADITION being- the father of history and generally founded upon facts, the following tradition of Trenton's origin is given for what it is w^orth. It is taken from that conservative and XS PV scrupulously reliable journal, the Gallatin Democrat, in an April number, in the vear

"Away back in the early days of Alissouri, even so far back that the memory of man 'runneth not crosswise,' a farmer living near the spot where Trenton now stands proceeded to lay out a town. "^ In the center of what he intended for the public square he set a barrel of whiskey on end, took the head out and hung tin cups around the outer edge to accommodate the weary careworn traveller. * * The citizens coming from all points of the compass to the 'pool of Siloam' or 'fountain of youth,' ^' * soon made the paths very plain and buildings began to be reared on each of the thorouo-hfares. So at this time Trenton wears the

A more plausible if less poetic theory to account for the artistic irregularity of the streets is that in early times the roads followed the natural contour of the land, without regard to the points of the compass and as the village of Bluff Grove, Lomax's Store, or Trenton, as it was variously called, grew, the houses naturally faced the roads. Thus the streets ran and the town was laid out according to nature rather than in a stiff and artificial accordance with the points of the compass. The history of Trenton and of Grundy County being inseparably connected, the founding of the village is given in Chapter I, in the account of the settlement of the county. Its first store built in 1838, the village was commanding a considerable portion of the trade of the surrounding country by the time the county was organized, in 1841. When the county seat fight was finally decided in her favor, the future of Trenton was assured. It lived the life of a typical pioneer town, growing slowly and gradually, until the coming of the railroad in 1871. Then it grew by leaps and bounds. In 1870, in the thirty-two years of its existence, Trenton had acquired a population of 945. In 1880 her population was 3,370. In 1890 it was 5,039, in 1900, 5,396, and in the enumeration made in 1907, 6,221. As heretofore stated, the plat of the town was made in 1841, on a tract of ground given by James Lomax in order to secure the county seat for Bluff Grove. It was incorporated in 1857.

In the village of Bluff Grove and in the town of Trenton up to the coming of the railroad, the principle business section was on Water street, and the business center of the town was probably about where the Peery House now stands. With the coming of the railroad the city grew to the north and east.

In 1869 building improvements to the value of $65,700 were made, eighty buildings being erected or repaired. In 1872 the value of such improvements was $101,000. The building of greatest value put up in 1869 was the Methodist church, at a cost of $2,300, and in 1872 the Elmore Hotel, $15,000, Kackley Row, $6,000 and the Shanklin & Austin bank, $4,000.

The Rock Island, coming in 1871, revolutionized the town. In the same year the machine shops were located in Trenton, at a cost to the town of about $15,000, all told.

The Republican says, July 27, 1871 : "Now that the railroad is completed there should be a 'buss' started to carry passengers to and from the depot. If either of the livery stables would start one it would accommodate all the hotels and no doubt prove a profitable enterprise." At that date Mr. Wiseman, editor of the Washington, Iowa, Gazette, describes the town thus: "Trenton, Missouri, we found to be the most thriving town on the entire line except Fairfield and possibly Centerville. * * It possesses a finely arranged public school building, three churches, three flouring mills, a great number of business houses, bright and new, and a population of about 1,000." And in 1873 the Leavenworth Commercial comments on the fact that the -business men of Trenton are becoming tired of frame buildings and that brick buildings are going up. A fire company, called the "Trenton Fire

King," was established in 1873, Ijut judging- from the work of fires for the next decade this king had very Hmited control over his monarchy.

In 1878 Trenton had four mills, one woolen factory, seven dry good stores, two groceries, six drug stores, five millinery stores, two clothing stores, one shoe store, two hardware stores, two banks, two newspapers, two boot and shoe manufacturers, three blacksmith shops, one second hand store, two harness shops, four barbers, four butchers, two dentists, twenty doctors, twenty-one lawyers, nine preachers, three saloons, two billiard halls, one lumber yard, one saw mill, two livery barns, six hotels, six restaurants and two school houses.

The fire company formerly organized having become defunct, a new one, calling itself the "Rough and Ready Fire Company," was organized in February, 1881. At this time the city had no water works, and the fire fighters must work in the most primitive way. January 4th, 1882, fire, starting from Torpey's restaurant, burned the greater part of the two best business blocks of the city. The total damage was something like $75,000. Among the heaviest losers were INI. A\'etzler, George Sheets, Fred Day, N. Shanklin, Wm. Collier, H. B. Nichols, Star Printing Office, Bailey & Kerfoot.

March 9th of the same year another fire equally as disastrous burned the Elmore Hotel and the block in which it was located. A traveling man, who was a guest at the hotel, lost his life in this fire. Other guests had narrow escapes, most of them losing their clothing. Some of the property owners suffering the heaviest losses in this fire were R. E. Boyce & Co., L. D. Bailey, Curd Bros., S. W. El- more. For the next four years Trenton suffered a number of fires, some of them very serious. One in February, 1885, burned nearly all of two business blocks. The greatest losers in this fire were Mrs. Hemley, Henry Wettstein, W. H. Howsman, B. C. Nichols & Co.,'c. A. Hoffman, N. H. Rogers and J. B. Carnes. At least a part of these fires were probably the work of incendiaries.

In 1885 agitation for waterworks began in earnest^ and they were secured the year following. The water came from a vein northwest of town. In 1887 the water company decided to extend the mains to the river. The city now owns its own w^ater works. A great reservoir was constructed in 1907, capable of holding enough water to last the city several weeks. This is not only for use in time of drought, but when Grand River is up and its water muddy, water is taken from the reservoir, and thus the city is never without good clear w^ater. Trenton's sewer system is far superior to that of the average city of its size, and is continually improving. The electric light system is unusually good, the city is well lighted and electricity is furnished every night and all night. Three of Trenton's principle streets, AVater, Elm and Chandler, are paved, work is now^ in progress on Prospect, and plans for the paving of other streets are to be carried out soon.

Trenton's splendid churches, eleven in number, -with large congregations, able and zealous pastors and stately and elegant buildings, are a credit to the city. Among these are The First Baptist church, erected in 1906 at a cost of approximately $30,000, and the Christian church, which cost over $20,000. The Methodist, Presbyterian, United Brethren,

Her business directory contains the names of three banks, fifteen groceries, six dry goods stores, four bakers, ten barber shops, six bus and cab lines, three jewelry stores, seven drug stores, three furniture stores, sixteen notaries, fourteen doctors, eight tailor shops, and a great many other business firms.

She has a court house, erected in 1905, which is the envy of the surrounding counties, and a free public library, which will make the memory of Jewett Norris revered as long as Trenton lives. The county fair has, after a few years of great success and a few years of apparent decline, become one of the greatest events of its kind in the state and for the last three years, each year broke all previous records for attendance.

The Trenton Chautauqua is an organization of which every citizen may well be proud. Organized in 1906, its first program in that year established its rank at the head of the Chautauqua institutes of the state. The program of 1907 perhaps eclipsed that of 1906 in talent and attendance, and while various neighboring Chautauquas suffered from small attendance and insufficient revenue, this one with costlier talent, paid expenses.