Harrison County, Missouri - Chapter 14: Townships, Towns and Villages, 1921

Chapter 14: Townships, Towns and Villages

FIRST DIVISION OF TOWNSHIPS - BUTLER. MADISON AND DALLAS THE FIRSTSUGAR CREEK - BETHANY - TRAIL CREEK - WASHINGTON - UNION - WHITE OAK - CYPRESS - CLAY - LINCOLN - GRANT - TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION - ELECTION - OTHER TOWNSHIPS ORGANIZED TO CORRESPOND vmU CONGRESSIONAL TOWNSHIPS - TOWNS AND VILLAGES - BETHANY - CAINSVILLE - RIDGEWAY - OILMAN CITY' - NEW HAMPTON - EAGLEVILLE - MOUNT MORIAH - BLYTHEDALE - MELBOURNE - OTHER VILLAGES.

Among the first acts of the coirnty court was the division of the county into municipal townships. The first division was into Madison, Butler and Dallas Townships.

The boundaries of Madison Township as described in the records were as follows: Beginning at a point where the state road from Savannah to Moscow crosses the line between Harrison and Mercer Counties, thence westwardly with the said state road to the summit of the divide between Big Creek and the east fork of Grand River; thence with the divide northwardly to the state line, thence east \vith the state line to the northeast corner of the county, thence south with the county line to the place of beginning.

Butler Township, named in honor of Aseph M. Butler, included an area with the following boundaries: Beginning at the county line on the divide between Cypress and Hickory Creeks, thence north with the divide six miles to the line between sections 25 and 36, thence west with said line to the west side of the county, thence south with the county line to the southwest corner of the county, thence east to the place of beginning.

Dallas Township, subsequently changed to Bethany Township, had this boundary : Beginning at the northeast corner of Butler Township, thence north with the divide to the state line, thence west with the state line to the northwest corner of the county, thence south to the northwest comer

Public School Building. New Hampton, Mo Public School Building, Cainsville. Mo

At the June term, 1845, Sugar Creek Township was created, bounded as follows: Beginning at a point where the state road leading from Savannah to Moscow crosses the Harrison and Mercer County line, thence west with said road to the summit of divide between Big Creek and Grand River, thence south with the divide to the county line between Harrison and Daviess Counties, thence east with the county line to the southeast corner of the county, thence north with the county line to the place of beginning.

At the May term, 1846, upon petitio'n of numerous citizens, it was "ordered that all that part of Bethany Township lying north of townships 64 and 65 be created a separate and distinct municipal township to be known and designated by the name of Marion."

Trail Creek Township was created at the December term, 1855, as follows: Ordered that all that portion of Sugar Creek Township lying north of the following line, to-wit: Beginning at the southeast corner of section 12, township 63, range 26, thence west on section line to the line dividing Bethany and Sugar Creek Townships, be and is hereby organized into a municipal township to be known by the name of and called Trail Creek Township.

This is an order made at the March term, 1856, that the following bounds be and are hereby set off into a municipal township, congressional townships 65, 66 and the fractional part of 67, range 29, to be known by the name of Washington.

Union Township was created fn 1858 as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of section 19, township 64, range 28, thence running east on section line eleven miles, thence north six miles with section line, thence west to the northwest corner of section 19, township 65, range 28, thence south with range line to place of beginning.

At September term, 1860, White Oak Township was ci'eated as follows: All of congressional township 63, range 29, be and is hereby organized a municipal township, to be known by the name and called White Oak Township.

In September, 1858, Cypress Township was organized, its boundary as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of section 35 in township 62 in range 27 at the county line, thence west on the section line to the middle of the main channel of Big Creek, thence down the main (6)

Clay Township - ^At the March term, 1858, it was ordered that all that portion of Marion Township lying of the line dividing townships 65 and 66 be and is hereby set off into a separate municipal township to be known by the style and name of Cl^y Township.

Lincoln was created in July, 1865, with boundaries as follows: Commencing at the northeast corner of section 36, township 67, range 29 on the Iowa line, thence running south six miles to the southeast comer of section 25 in township 66 in Harrison County, Missouri, thence west to the county line between Harrison and Worth Counties at the southwest comer of section 30, thence north to the Iowa state line at the northwest corner of section 31, thence east to the place of beginning. At the April term, 1866, the boundaries of the above townships were variously modified, and at the ensuing May term the outlines of Sugar Creek and Trail Creek Townships were materially changed.

From 1866 to 1872 no new townships were created, but in June, 1872, the court organized the township of Grant by a division of Union Township, with boundaries as follows: Commencing at range line between township 64, ranges 27 and 28 at the southwest comer of section 18, township 64, range 27 and the southeast comer of section 13, township 64, range 28, thence north to the northwest corner of section 19, township 65, range 27, thence south on section line to the southeast corner of section 14, township 64, range 27, thence to the place of beginning.

In June, 1872, the county court, upon a proper petition, ordered that the question of township organization should be submitted to a vote of the people at the general election in November of that year. The election was held on November 5," 1872, and resulted as follows: There were oast for township organization 1,988 votes, and against it 636 votes; majority in favor of township organization 1,352.

Immediately after the election the county court, by the power vested in it by the township organization law, divided the county into twenty municipal townships, making them coiTespond with the congressional sui-vey, and so they remain to this day.

By the township organization as adopted in 1872 it was provided that the county court should consist of the supervisors of the townships, one from each township, but an act of the regular session of the Twentyseventh General Assembly, approved March 24, 1873, so amended the township organization law as to require the county court to consist of five .nidges, one a presiding judge elected at large, and four, one from each of four districts into which the county was divided.

It does not appear that Harrison County ever organized a county court of the supervisors. At the June term, 1873, the Record of County Court Book "E" at page 221 recites that "Court met pursuant to ad- joumment. Present: Joseph F. Bryant, presiding judge; Joseph P. Bailey, of first district; James B. Brown, of second district; Milton Burris, of third district, and Franklin R. Quigley, of fourth district, associate justices. Said judges having been elected May 3, 1873, and comsuance of an act of the Legislature approved March 24, 1873, and commissioned by the governor May 19, 1873, commissions iiled and judges qualified June 2, 1873."

This township organization law was repealed by an act of the General Assembly approved March 5, 1877, and the government of the county then fell back under the general law, and so remained until the township organization law enacted in 1899 was later adopted in Harrison County.

At the May term, 1906, of the county court a requisite petition was filed for submission to the vote of the people of the township organization law as defined in Chapter 168 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri of 1899 as amended in 1901-03 and 1905, which petition was by the court found sufficient and the submission ordered at the general election to be held November 5, 1906, and the vote then taken thereon resulted in its adoption, the vote for being 2,800 and the vote against 202, and the county yet remains under to%VTiship organization.

Harrison County is well supplied with a number of towns and villages which are well distributed throughout the county, affording unusual conveniences for trading points.

Bethany, the county seat, is the largest town in the county. It is located on the Burlington Railroad in Bethany Township. The principal religious denominations are here represented and Bethany has been known for many years for the high standard of its schools. The principal streets are paved and the town has a good water and sewerage system and a municipal electric light plant. Banking and all business and professions are well represented and Bethany is a thriving commercial town. Its population, according to the census of 1920, was 2,080.

Cainsville, the second largest town in the county, has a population of 1,050. Cainsville is located in the extreme eastern part of Madison Township near the Mercer County Line on Grand River. For many years coal mines were operated in its vicinity. The town commands an extensive trade from a large scope of surrounding country both in Harrison and Mercer Counties. There is a weekly newspaper published here. Banks and other business enterprises are well represented. There are a number of churches representing the principal religious denominations and the town has a good public school system. Cainsville is located at the terminal of a branch of the Burlington Railroad which connects with the main line of that system in Iowa.

Ridgeway is located on the Burlington Railroad on the dividing line between Marion and Grant Townships. The town site occupies a portion of section 33 in Marion Township and portions of sections 3 and 4 in Grant Township. Ridgeway has two banks, an excellent hotel, and practically all branches of mercantile business are represented here. The school system of Ridgeway ranks high. The population of Ridgeway is 812 and it is one of the progressing and enterprising business centers of Harri- .son County.

Gilman City has a population of 618 and is located on section 30 in the Southeastern corner of Sugar Creek Township. The Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railway, which is a part of the Burlington System, passes through Gilman City. This is a progressive town of churches, good schools and enterprising business and professional men.

New Hampton, which is located on the Burlington Railroad on sections 7 and 8 in White Oak Township, is a live business center and an important shipping point. There are two banks, two elevators and a number of progressive merchants here. New Hampton has a population of 519 and its schools are among the best in Harrison County.

Eagleville is one of the old towns of the county and since its establishment has maintained an important commercial position, notwithstanding the fact that it is not on a railroad. Its nearest railroad is at Bdythedale, a distance of about four miles. Eagleville has a bank, an excellent high school and several important mercantile establishments and is in the center of a rich agricultural country. The town site occupies a part of section 6 of Marion Township and section 1 of Union Township and the population in 1920 was 340.

Mount Moriah, another inland town of Harrison County which has maintained a position of local commercial importance despite the fact that it was "missed" by the railroad has a population of 331 and is located in 22 and 23 of Trail Creek Township. The town has a bank and

Blythedale, a thriving village of 294 population on the Burlington Railroad is located on sections 34 and 35 in Colfax Township. This is an important trading and shipping point and has some of the leading mercantile establishments of the county and the banking interests are represented here by one of the substantial banks of the county. Blythedale has a number of churches and is known for the excellency of its public schools.

Melbourne, a town located on the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railroad in Sugar Creek Township has a population of 159 and is a progressive village. There is a bank and mercantile establishments here.

Other villages of Harrison County where business centers are maintained are Brooklyn, which is located on section 27, Union Township, and has a population of eighty-four ; Atidover, a village on the Burlington Railroad in Colifax Township; Akron, an inland village in Clay Township; Blue Ridge, in Adams Township ; Bridgeport, Cypress Township ; Hatfield, Lincoln Township ; Martinsville, Dallas Township ; Matkins, Butler Township and Pawnee, Hamilton Township.