Grundy County, Missouri - By H. J. Bai>, 1908

RENTON as it is today, has a population estimated at 7,000 people and is one of the thriving little cities situated in North Missouri. It measures a mile and a quarter North and South and two miles and a quarter East and West and is situated near the center of Grundy County. It has never had the excitement of a boom, or the relapse of a backset, but has reached its present size and importance by gradual growth and steady development. Unlike most cities, it. is not laid out after the fashion of the prosaic checkerboard, but instead its streets and avenues meander wheresoever they will. Some of its thoroughfares are as winding and run as unmindful of the compass as those of historic Boston or ancient Rome. The principal business streets are Water and Elm streets. The former begins at the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway depot and runs thence to Five Points and from there it winds back and forth like the trail of a huge snake in a southward course until it reaches Water Street bridge. Along this street coming north from the river, the business of the town has grown and developed. Time was when the court house block was the center of the business activity of the town, lout this has changed as the years have come and gone, and business has now moved northward to Five Points and is still continuing farther north on Elm street.

The city is justly proud of its industries and resources and all the institutions within its border Vsdiich have contributed to its prosperity and growth. Foremost among the list is the excellent public school system. There are located within the city, a central school building, two ward schools, the high school building and the Garfield school for colored students. The central school is at the corner of Elm and Winter streets near the central part of town and is composed of a large tw\o-story main building with one three-story wing on either side, making it a very imposing structure v\hich rarely fails to excite the curosity of a stranger when visiting our city. The main building or middle structure was Ijuilt in 1868 and the wings were added about 1884. The entire building as it now stands, contains twenty-four recitation rooms, besides the superintendent's office and assembly rooms. The

The high school is located in College addition and is the building originally built to be the home of Avalon College. The college having failed of success was purchased by the Trenton school district in 1906 at the very reasonable figure of $10,000.00, and converted into the Trenton High School. The building has three stories, is modern in all its equipments, with laboratories and all facilities for instruction by the most approved methods of modern schools. The Garfield School is maintained exclusively for colored pupils and located in northwest part of town. The Trenton High School has an enrollment of 157 pupils. The grade schools, embracing all below the high school have an enrollment of 9_i.o. The principal of the high school is Mr. L. D. Roberts; of the third w^ard, Anna Westernacher ; of the fourth ward, Myrtle Magee; of the Central school Miss Sadie Yates, and of the Garfield school. Miss Edna Cooper. At the head of the entire system as superintendent, is Mr. C. A. Greene, an energetic and capable young educator, w-ho took charge of the schools as superintendent in the fall of 1906. By his unceasing efforts to improve and raise the standard of proficiency of our schools, he has succeeded in getting our high school placed in the second rank among the high schools of the state in the requirements necessary for entrance to the State Universitv, and it is now one of thirteen Missouri high schools that are approved by the Northern

Federation of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This permits our graduates to enter any college in any one of the following states: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota , Minnesota, Iowa , Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The high school embraces four years of work with a well arranged course of study and is well supported and thoroughly patronized by students in Trenton and the surrounding towns.

At the corner of Prospect and Elm street, stands the Jewett Norris library, a magnificent three-story building of pressed brick and stone. It is not a Carnegie library, but came as a gift to the city from Jewett Norris, one of its public spirited citizens, who made his wealth among Grundy county people, and left at his death, this lasting monument to his name and memory. The building and equipment represents $50,000.00 and was erected in iSgo. It has an endowment of $15,000 besides, on annual income from the Trenton school district of $500.00. The equipment consists of over 6000 \'()]umes purchased at a cost of $15,000.00, with substantial additions made to it annually The advantages of this most generous gift are fully appreciated as is evidenced by the fact that the annual circulation is now over twenty thousand volumes. Mrs. Carrie Rogers Clark is the present librarian and Mr. J. H. Flesher, the assistant.

completed, being the Baptist church, located at the corner of Elm and Chandler streets. It is a magnificent structure, massive and imposing, and built of Trenton pressed brick, at a cost of $25,000.00. It is complete with modern appointments and conveniences and has a seating capacity of 1000 persons. The present pastor is Rev. J. B. Benton. The year preceding the building of the Baptist church marked the completion of the Christian church. This is also a large and handsome structure, erected at a cost of over $20,000.00. Its auditorium and galleries will seat 1200 people and is located at the corner of Chestnut and Winter streets. This church is the largest yet erected in the city and is equipped with a pipe organ. Rev. W. A. Schuellenberger is the pastor. The Presbyterian church of which Rev. E. S. Brownlee is now pastor, was erected the year preceding that of the Christian church, and although not quite so large, is a neat and comfortable chiu*ch and substantially built. It is located also on Chestnut street on the site of the old building, which has been the location of the Presbyterian church for more than thirty years. It was erected at a cost of $8,000.00. The Episcopal church has been built about seven years and is the quaint little structure on College avenue, built of stone, from the f|uarries west of the city. It is not a large building, and recently regular service were suspended on account of its diminished membership. The Methodist Episcopal church on College avenue has been built about fourteen years, but is modern in arrangement and design. It is one of the large churches of the city and has an ex- cellent pipe organ. Their new pastor who has just recently arrived in Trenton, is Rev. L. C. Sappenfield. This organization also maintains a small mission church on Carnes street which is a very substantial little structure erected in 1903, out of cement blocks. The United Brethren churches are not as the name might imply, united in one church, but maintain two separate organizations, each witb its own church building. The older one located in Holt's addition, where the church was first established, growing out of a series of tabernacle meetings, held there many years ago. It is known as the Holt United Brethren church, out of deference to Mr. William Holt, whose liberal donation made possible the building of the church. The present pastor of both churches isRev. A. C. Tudor. The other church was established in connection with Avalon College, being a school of the same denomination. It now occupies a new frame building which was erected in 1907. The Catholic church is located at the corner of Prospect and Chestnut streets. It is a frame structure and the oldest church building in the city. The Rev. Father H. B. Tierney is the rector. The negro people have two churches, the Methodist and Baptist, located in the northwest portion of the city and within the past few months the re-organized church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been organized with a small following, too small yet to maintain its own house of worship.

There are three excellent banks in Trenton, two state and one national. The Trenton National Bank, one of the old institutions of the city, is cap- italized at $75,000.00 and had on deposit at its last statement, June 30th, 1908, $342,626.00. It was organized in 1893 by the consolidation of the First National and Grundy County National bank. Its president, C. A. Hoffman; Vice-president, C. H. Cook; Cashier, W. E. Austin, and Assistant Cashier, W. H. Shanklin, are all bankers of long experience and men of sound business ability. The The Citizens State Bank grew out of what was formerly the old Union Bank at Five Points. It is capitalized at $50,000.00 and is operated by the following very efficient officers : president, George Gilmore; cashier, S. S. Day; assistant cashier, J. H. Clawson. The bank by its last statement had on deposit $230,000.00 and is in excellent financial condition. The Farmers Exchange Bank is the youngest bank of the three, having been organized in 1904 by the consolidation of the old Farmers Exchange Bank and the American Bank, retaining the officers of the latter, and the name of the former. It now has a capital of $80,000.00. Its president, W. O. Garvin, and cashier, R. J. Green, are men of wide banking experience and are well and favorably known in this community. The bank's last statement showed deposits in the sum of $192,424. The total bank deposits of the city as thus shown by their statements, now amount in the aggregate to $765,050.00.

The city is possessed of a small park, which, like the library, was also the gift of one of its public spirited citizens, George W. Moberly. It consists of a tract of twenty acres near the northwest limits of the city. It was conveyed to the city by the deed of Geo. W. Aloberly upon condition that said tract of land should be improved and forever used as a public park. It was also provided that the park should always bear the name of the donor and be called Moberly park, the deed also containing a provision, that said land might be sold upon a twothirds vote of the citizens of the city but the proceeds should be re-invested in a similar park and bear the same name. The city has not been able financially to improve the park as it should be, and since 1886 when it was conveyed to the city it has twice been sued for failure to improve the park, but each time has been successful in the courts. The land today is valued at $100.00 per acre and is getting to be a valued accjuisition to the city's wealth.

The city has a better play house than many cities of larger size in the state are able boast of. It was built in 1886 and remodeled in 1903, and is finished in a neat and artistic manner with a seating capacity including the main floor and galleries of loooo persons. It is lighted with electricy, steam heated and has a slooping floor to the parquet and dress circle. W. W. Hubbell, is the owner of the theater and also its manager.

There are three leading hotels in Trenton. The Peery is the oldest and is located opposite the court house. It is, perhaps, the largest hotel in the city, having 30 guest rooms, each eciui])ped with private telephone. The Elks hotel is located on the east side of Water street in the block adjoining Five Points. It is now being remodeled and equipped with modern conveniences, including sample room, heating plant and other necessary accessories. The Elks

Cafe maintained in connection with the hotel enjoys the reputation of furnishing good meals with excellent service. The latest addition to the hotels of the city is the Harber, which is the new three story hotel just erected near the Rock Island depot. While not as large as the other two, it is complete in every particular, having several rooms with bath, as well as private telephones. When finished, it promises to be the most complete hotel in the city.

The court house stands on the block of ground where the court house has stood for sixty-five years. But within the last five years a new and commodious three story structure has been erected by the people of the county, built of alternating courses of smooth and rough bedford stone, which makes it a magnificent ornament to the south part of the city, in which it stands. The County jail which stands north across the street was built at the same time and out of the same material. The county built these buildings at a cost of $60,000.00, which is much less than they could be built for at the present time. The people of the county promptly responded and carried the election to vote the bond issue for these buildings at the first election called and they stand now as a monument to coming generations of the generorisity of the ])eople, who provided so well for the county's need. The city hall stands one block north of the court house and is a neat commodious building in which are located the city clerk and collector's offices, the fire department and city jail. On the second floor are located the police court rooms and the council chamlier. The fire department is composed of a fire chief and a volunteer company of 15 men. It is equipped with a good fire team, drop harness, an up to date hook and ladder wagon and also a hose cart with 2,200 feet of hose. The fire chief, G. Heinen, takes excellent care of his team and they are ready for action at any time of the day or night. The city hall was erected about twelve years ago at an expense of $10,000.00.

Trenton is also favored with two trunk line railroads. The Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City, nuv\ owned by the Burlington, which traverses the state from east to west, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific which runs northeast and southwest. Since the Rock Island tracks were laid in 1871, Trenton has been the division of the road. It has become the chief city between Davenport, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo. The Rock Island maintains here its machine shops, round house, paint and repair shops and freight and passenger depots. A superintendent and force of clerks and dispatchers handle the office business of the division here and all engines and crews, except passenger brakemen and conductors are changed at this point. The Rock Island road employs at Trenton, 560 men and the monthly payroll of the company is $41,000.00.

The city has a gas and electric plant, known as the Citizens Gas & Electric Company. Under the new management, the company is furnishing coal gas instead of that made from oil products and is extending its mains throughout the city. The company has also rebuilt its electric machinery and pro- vicled same with complete duplicate outfit, to be used in case of accident and is furnishing continuous current day and night and supplanting nearly all the steam machinery of the city with electric power This company also furnishes the street lights of the city which burn all night each night in the year.

There are very few cities of the size of Trenton that are as well supplied with newspapers. Three daily newspapers, each publishing a weekly are established here. The Republican-Tribune is the oldest paper. It is a consolidation of the Republican and Tribune, which occurred in 1903. It is one of the oldest Republican papers in the state. It is edited and published by W. B. Rogers and Son, under the firm name of the W. B. Rogers Printing Co. It maintains an up-to-date print shop and separate job office. The Trenton Times is a Democratic paper edited and published by M. G. Kennedy. The Trenton News is a young and growing paper established in the fall of 1907. It is a Republican paper and owned and operated by the News Publishing Co., with W. M. Denslow as its editor. It has recently added a new linotype to its equipment and it ranks with the best newspapers printed in this part of the state.

The Trenton ^Mining Company is the successor of the Grundy County Coal Co., which operated two mines previously here in Trenton until the coal supply of each was exhausted. The new company is incorporated at $30,000; has recently sunk a new mine near the northern limits of the city and is now minins: the best erade of coal that has vet been dis-

The Trenton Telephone Company is the name of a corporation which started in Trenton in 1895, operating eighty-five phones. It has gradually developed and grown with the city until it now operates over two thousand 'j)hones and its plant and equipment is valued at $50,000.00. The plant has been remodeled and is now modern in every particular, and all of its main lines within the city are now replaced with cables. The company emplo3^es sixteen operators at the central office and about forty people in all, including those operating its toll lines. Trenton 'phones now have direct connection with all the long distance lines throughout the country, enabling a subscriber to talk to almost any point within the United States from his own office or home.

While Trenton has not yet succeeded in obtaining from the government a postoffice building, yet the bill appropriating $10,000.00 for the site of such building has already been passed and it is probable that in the very near future a government post office building will be erected here. The present postoffice is the distributing point for large quantities of mail. Free delivery was established in this city, December i, 1902. Rural free delivery has also proved very popular among the farmers and at present there are nine rural carriers carrying mail out of Trenton daily. The present postmaster is B. C. Nichols and his assistant is J. W. Schooler.

ized in 1905, and manufactures artificial crystal ice for the city of Trenton and neighboring cities. It is capitalized at $30,000.00 and its busines has steadily grown and increased since it was organized. The president of the company is H. Wettstein and R. J. Martin is its present manager. The wholesale business of the company has been keeping the plant running the year round, averaging a car a day as its output. The Rock Island railroad has just recently closed a contract with the company whereby it takes all the ice used by the railroad on the "SUssouri division, which will keep the plant running at its full capacity the entire time. The ice pl:mt is located in the brick building just south of the College Avenue viaduct and is the building formerly occupied by the axe handle factory.

Just north of the ice plant stands the Trenton Ruskin Canning Factory. This company was organganized about 1900 and was one of the several institutions established by the Western Co-operative Association headed by Walter Vrooman. The scheme of Air. Vrooman, which was founded on a socialistis basis, failed, but the canning factory survived the general dissolution which followed and is still running for a period each summer in which it cans corn, tomatoes, and other vegetables raised by the farmers near Trenton.

Brick have been made in and about the city of Trenton for many years. But the business of making brick and tile in marketable quantities the year round was not begun in Trenton until the formation of the Trenton Brick and Tile Copany about four years ago. The plant of the company is locat- ed on the banks of Grand river near the Water Street bridge where it is daily turning into brick and tile a large bank of shale located there, which has developed into material of extraordinary quality. The plant is well equipped with a forty-horse pov^-er motor and machinery for grinding, dry pressing and burning twenty thousand brick a day. The products of the plant include common building brick, sidewalk brick, drain tile of various sizes and also paving brick which have recently been burned and were used exclusively in paving one of the alleys in Trenton the past year. The president of the company is H. F. Hoffman and the manager of the company is G. M. Wolz.

The poultry plant of Swift & Company at Trenton is one of the largest and most profitable of the company in the entire West. It is looated just west of the Rock Island freight depot where it has all the necessary track facilities and has now become one of the most sut)stantiai' enterprises of the city. The plant handles practically all of the poultry product of Grundy county, as well as many adjoining counties. The local plant is the collecting point where poultry is dressed, iced and prepared for shipment to the New Yory market. The manager of the plant is Mr. E. C. Lightner and the phenomenal success and growth of the business is due to the energy and experience of ATr. Lightner, who is thoroughly familiar with the poultry business and has spent a lifetime studying the details of the industry. In the single month of December, 1908, this plant shipped from Trenton, poultry, including chickens, turkeys and other fowls, amounting ia

Trenton also has an unique institution known as the Missouri Auction School. There are only four schools for auctioneers in the United States and one of these is located here. It is the only school where students are given actual practice at selling in real sales of property, along with the theory and practice of the work. W. B. Carpenter, its president, is an auctioneer of twelve years practical experience and is one of Trenton's substantial citizens. The school term begins in January and August of each year and continues for four weeks. During the last session which has just closed in August^, there were 88 pupils enrolled who came from fourteen states in the union.

The Lathrop Sunbonnet Company is the name of a new manufacturing establishment, located in Trenton, October i, 1907. It is capitalized in the sum of $5000.00, and is equipped to manufacture all kinds of ladies' sunbonnets. The factory at present employs ten machines and fifteen operators and is just in its infancy, but is rapidly developing into a substantial business and is supplying- its products to many of the retail dealers, both in Trenton and surrounding territory, including the western and southern states. The plant was first organized and started at Lathrop, Mo., and after its removal to Trenton, still retained its former name. The manager of the establishment is Mr. R. L. Cochran.

lished in the city, its first wholesale business house, \vhich attends strictly to the wholesale trade. The Christopher-Thurber Wholesale Grocery Company was moved here from Warrensburg, Mo., in the spring- of 1908. The business of the company has .greatly increased since moving to Trenton, and covers a large territory extending over the northern part of the state.

Trenton also has a volunteer company of the National Guard, known as Company "D," of the National Guard of Missouri. The company has enlisted sixty men, and has an armory for regular practice, maintained by the United States Government. W. D. Stepp is the Captain of the company.

During the spring of 190S, the Riverside Country Club was organized, composed of one hundred anembers from among the citizens of Trenton. The (clubhas leased a tract of land just south of the city :along Grand River, composed of twenty-three acres, for a period of ten years. Upon this property they liave erected an artistic log club house and the grounds have been laid out for golf links, tennis, and other out-door sports.

Within the past three years the automobile has come into use in Trenton, as a permanent passenger -vehicle, Dr. J. B. Wright, having brought the first one into use which he is using extensively in his imedical practice. Other citizens have since followed, until there are now many automobiles of various sizes owned and used in the city.

each year. Prizes are given for the different breeds and grades of corn and a great interest is taken by the farmers of the county in the growing and selecting of fine varieties of corn.

In 1906, Trenton organized a chautauqua association composed of one hundred members and has estabhshed the reputation of holding one of the best chautauqua meetings in the state. The best talent obtainable has been secured for each annual program and the association receives the support and encouragement of every citizen of Trenton. The organization is formed on the guarantee plan in which every year each stockholder advances a certain per cent of his stock, to be held or returned as the case may require. There has never yet been a year, but what the entire amount has been returned to each stockholder, leaving money in the treasury for the next year, thus demonstrating the successfulness of the enterprise and the hearty support which it receives.

In addition to the chautauqua in the summer season, Trenton supports a lecture course during the winter months. This lecture course was established in 1904, by the Ministerial Allitnce, an organization composed of the local ministers of the city. During the past year, this alliance has associated with it, a number of the prominent business men of the city, who assist in the management of the course and guarantee its financial responsibility. The course has always received the hearty support of Trenton people and has become one of its permanent or anizations.

Trenton has just completed a series of district sewers composed of seven districts in all, which cover the main parts of the city, including the business and resident districts. The first of these districts was laid out in 1904. In all these districts, main sewers together with laterals are constructed so that each and every property therein contained can be thoroughly sewered by connecting with the inlet provided for that purpose. The city is well favored with the natural lay of the land for the construction of these sewers and they are built so that they drain toward Muddy creek and Grand river. The seven districts have been laid out and sewers constructed within them during the last four years and the total cost of the improvement thus made has amounted to $23,235.34. The sewer system of the city, while not among its sightly improvements, nevertheless, is at the foundation of all later improvements, and Trenton is fortunate indeed, in having the foundation work so thoroughly laid.

Immediately following the sewering of the city, a number of the principal streets have been paved. The paving thus far, has all been composed of brick, with the exception of one alley now ordered to be paved with granitoid. The first job of street paving was laid in 1904, and extended on Water street from the court house past Five Points to Prospect street. The paving was constructed at a cost of $18,263.57, and is one of the most substantial jobs of paving in the city. In the following year, 1905, North Elm street was paved, extending from Prospect street to Bridge street. This job of work also included the curbing- of the street and was put in at a cost of $7967.31 to the property owners. In 1906, the alley in the block on the east side of Water street from Ballew's lumber yard to the court house was paved with vitrified paving brick made by the Trenton Brick and Tile Company. The work was done at a cost of $2185.33, '^^^ ^^^^ home made brick have proved to be thoroughly satisfactory in every particular. In 1907, the city council ordered the paving and curbing of Chandler street throughout its entire length from Water street to West Lawn street, and for the first time a new company was organized in Trenton to handle street paving, which is probably the only one of its kind in the state. The company is known as the Trenton Manufacturing and Construction Company, and was organized by the property owners along Chandler street for the purpose of doing the paving and improving of their street themselves. An accurate account of the total cost of labor and material is kept by the company and at the conclusion of the work, whatever amount over this figure is made by the company as profit, is returned to the stockholders in the nature of a credit on their paving taxbills, thus permitting the property owners to do their own work of paving at the actual cost of material and labor. It has proved to be a successful way of handling street paving and succeeds in saving the property owners from fifteen to twenty-five per cent on the cost of their w^ork. The total cost of Chandler street as thus paved, amounted to $19,242.54. In 1908, Prospect street from the Rock Island depot west to Nor- ton avenue was paved and curbed, the property owners on Prospect street buying up the stock of the Trenton Manufacturing and Construction Company, and doing their own paving in the same way as Chandler street was paved. The work of paving and curbing this street has just been completed and is pronounced by everyone to be one of the best jobs of paving in the city. Tax bills for this work are now being issued by the city and the total cost of the improvement as thus completed amounts to$i7,- 099.21. During the present year, 1908, the city has just finished paving the small thoroughfare immediately west of the Rock Island depot, which connects Prospect and Water streets, known as Depot street. This is the narrowest and shortest paved street in the city, being fifteen feet wide, and one block long. The work of paving was completed by a local contractor, Mr. Benjamin Agee, at a cost of $720.00.

The city has also within the past few months, ordered the pavement of the alley in block Seven, Merrill's First Addition to Trenton, Missouri, to be paved with a new material, known as granitoid. The work is an experiment and embraces but one block. It is also cheaper than regular brick paving and if it proves successful, more paving of the same kind may be laid later.

The first water works system was established in Trenton in 1886, at which time the city of Trenton granted a franchise to a private company known as the Trenton Water Co., for a period of twenty years. During all that period of time, the water service was more or less un- satisfactory most all the year round, the water beingmuddy with the exception of a short time each year. The company tried many experiments with the water but none of them seemed to prove satisfactory. In 1906 when the franchise of the company expired, the city proceeded to buy the plant of the Trenton Water Company. After repeated negotiations, it was :ound impossible to make a deal with the president of the company, Mr. Herbert N. Smith, of Boston. Mass. A board of arbitration was then appointed, consisting of Mr. C. A. Hoffman, acting for the city, and Mr. H. Wettstein acting for the water company. This board assessed the value of the plant at $39,000., which was paid by the city and the water works system turned over, July 25, 1906. Before making this purchase, however, the City of Trenton voted $65,000.00 in water works bonds, which were issued for this purpose. The remainder of this money, after paying the purchase price, is to be used to improve and extend the water works system, under the management and direction of the Board of Public Works. The present membership of this board consists of C. A. Hoffman, president, C. A. Foster, vice president, E. C. Lightner vSecretary and S. G. Witten. While this board has the supervising control of all water works property, the active management and care of the entire plant is under the control of Mr. W. Andrews, the superintendent appointed by the board. Mr. Andrews was formerly the water supply man for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway at Trenton, but resigned his position with the railroad and took charge of the water plant of the city when it was purchased in July, 1906. Being a man thoroughly familiar with all the details of the water works business, he has carefully ijone over the entire plant and remodeled and replaced it where necessary with new and up to date machinery. He also devised a system for clarifying the city water, which was taken up and adopted by the board and put into operation and now renders the water clear, pure and wholesome throughout the entire year, -which had not been accomplished before since the plant was established. It consists of a large reservoir covering about ten acres with a capacity of about 40,000,000 gallons constructed near the present pumping station. \Mien the water is perfectly clear in the river, it is pumped into this reservoir until full, which holds enough water to supply the city through any ordinary muddy spell. The plan is simple enough, but it remained for a water expert to put it into practice. The bank of the reservoir is lined inside with rock to prevent washing. The building of this immense basin required five months and was constructed at a cost of approximately $5000.00. Since the city has taken charge of the plant, 10,000 feet of cast iron water pipe have been laid throughout the residence district of the city, which have greatly increased the efficiency of the water system and added to the city's fire protection.

It will be seen that within the past five years there has been spent for the four items of churches, sewering, paving and water works within the city the sum of $198,713.30, and it is probable that just a beginning has been made. The spirit of progress and improvement is awakening in every department of the city and the probabihties are, that within the next few years, Trenton wih be one of the most thoroughly improved of any city of its size in the state.