Johnson County, Missouri - Chapter 39: - Miscellaneous Organizations, 1918

The Home Makers' Clubs

"Through the medium of these clubs, the Extension Department of the University of Missouri could use the money appropriated by the Smith-Lever bill for the betterment of the farm woman to greater advantage. Our aim has been to improve our homemaking qualities and foster community social life." - Mrs. \\'ill Redford.

"We work in cooperation with the College of Agriculture at Columbia. They help us in our studies and outline our programs for our meetings.'' - Mrs. L. L. Burris.

Oak Grove Home Makers' Club, Montserrat township, was organized July 10. 1917. Miss Leta Dawes is president and Mrs. William Goodnight, secretary and treasurer.

Clover Heights Home Makers' Club, Center\iew townshiii. was organized July 5. 1917. Mrs. Joe Hunt is president and Mrs. Clair Shrader, secretary and treasurer.

Glendale Home Makers' Club, Centerview township, was organized June 6. 1917. Mrs. George Haun is president and Mrs. Benton .\dair is secretary and treasurer.

Hepsidam Home Makers' Club, Grover township was organized June 12, 1917. Mrs. J. B. Wampler is president and Mrs. C. D. HuLse is secretary and treasurer.

Locust Grove Home Makers' Club, Chilhowee township was organized May 17. 1917. Mrs. Henry Godde is president and Mrs. Frank Easterwood is secretary and treasurer.

Gowans Home Makers' Club, Centerview township was organized February 16, 1917. Mrs. Ed Spence is president and Miss Jessie Allgood is secretary and treasurer.

Sunnyside Home Makers' Club, Warrensburg township was organized February 9, 1917. Mrs. W. C. Burns is president and Mrs. E. J. McCormack is secretary and treasurer.

McCoy Home Makers' Club, Columbus township was organized July 5, 1916. Mrs. L. L. Burris is president and Mrs. J. T. Dalton is secretary and treasurer.

Prairie View Home Makers' Club, Warrensburg township was organized June 2, 1916. Mrs. J. L. EiUott is president and Miss Frieda Tenipel is secretary and treasurer.

Willing Workers Home Makers' Club, Centerview township was organized June 3, 1916. Mrs. E. J. Ozias was the first president and Miss Maud Repp was the secretary and treasurer.

Hickory Grove Home Makers' Club, Post Oak township was organized in October, 1915. Mrs. Martin Abrahams is the president and Mrs. J. D. Cecil is secretary and treasurer.

Salem Home Makers' Club, Hazel Hill township was organized July 13, 1915. Mrs. Will Redford is president and Mrs. Bert Bracken is secretary and treasurer.

Fayetteville Home Makers' Club, Hazel Hill township was organized December 4. 1914. This was the first Home Makers' Club to be organized in Johnson county. The first president was Mrs. C. S. Cobb and Alpha Cleveland was secretary.

Good Neighbors Home Makers' Club, \\'arrensburg township, was organized July 7. 1915. Mrs. George Lunn is president and Mrs. Ada Armstrong is secretary and treasurer.

Farmers' Organizations

FARMERS' ORGANIZATIONS. Farmers' Organizations. - There are five farmers' clul)s in the county, with about 976 members, besides the Blackwater drainage district landowners, as follow :

[Editor's Note: Mr. Christopher has lived in this county over forty years, been active in its affairs, and has been secretary of the Farm Bureau practically from its beginning.]

The bureau was first organized as the Johnson County Bureau of Agriculture about February, 1913. in the Commercial Club rooms at Warrensburg. Charles H. Houx and W. C. Knapp were elected temporary president and secretary. A constitution drafted by A. M. Craig, of Knob Noster, T. J. Halsey, of Holden. and James B. Miller, of Warrensburg, was adopted at once. Under it the following advisory council was elected, composed of two members from each township:

This council then elected the following permanent ofificers: President, Chas. H. Houx; 1st vice-president, W. B. Wallace; 2nd vice-president, B. F. Summers; secretary. E. W. Cassingham ; treasurer, Ben. T. Sams. Executive committee: Jesse Mohler, J. B. Wampler. F. A. McWethy.

The chief work of the bureau was to secure and keep in the county a county farm agent, for the benefit of agriculture in all its forms. At that time, these agents were just being established in the county. Private citizens, supposed to be the owners of Sears, Roebuck & Company, in Chicago, offered $1,000 cash to each county that would first employ such an agent. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Missouri State University also contributed, and all each county had to do was to raise a part of the money to pay the agent and the expenses of the work. The outside funds for this purpose were about exhausted, and to get the benefit of them for this county, action had to be taken before a farmers' organization could be perfected. This was done by a number of private citizens signing a personal guarantee to insure our county's part. These guarantors were : Charles H. Houx, Ben T. Sams, J. H. Scarborough, E. W. Cassingham, T. E. Cheatham, C. A. Shepard, T. J. Halsey, W. A. Porter, W. L. Hedges, Christopher L. Johnson, Dr. James I. Anderson, Jas. B. Miller. Walter L. Jones & Brother, J. H. Lampkin and Robert Sorency.

After the organization, money was raised to maintain the county agent for three years, and C. M. Long was selected. He resigned in March, 1916, and F. A. Gougler was selected in his place, and is now serving. The work is now carried out wholly by the county court, representing the county as a whole, the Missouri State University and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Much opposition was encountered in having a farm agent at all. This came chiefly from some farmers, and the Farm Bureau carried on for a long time the educational work of showing the good and the need of the county agent. Today, his position seems to be assured and to meet the approval of practically everybody.

In 1918, through the efforts of the women of the county and the Commercial Club at Warrensburg, a home demonstration agent was secured for the county. Miss Mary Moreland was selected. Her work, just now beginning, is to help any women in the county in any brancli of home economics. It will be carried on personally and by community work.

Organization of Executive Committee. - A meeting was held at the court house Thursday, February 28, for the purpose of electing an executive committee to the Johnson County Farm Bureau. Both the county agent work and the home demonstration agent work come under the executive committee .of this bureau. The joint nicnihcrsliip in March, 1918, of both men and women in Johnson county now numbers about 600, there being about 350 women and 250 men. .\t the meeting a County Farm Bureau executive committee was organized, electing Mr. F. A. McWethy, a prominent farmer and Shorthorn breeder of Holden. as president of the bureau. Air. C. H. Houx, former president, retired from the service. Tlie following is the full committee: President, F. A. McWethy, Holden; vice-president, N. J. Bush. Warrensburg: treasurer, \\'. O. Redford, Fayetteville : secretary, R. L. Whitsett, Holden: horticulture, Lyle Jacob)-, Centerview; dairying, Jesse Mohler, A\'arrensburg; soil demonstration, Ivan Phillips; wheat demonstration, Ernest Douglas; poultry, C. II. Funk, Holden; corn demonstration, Elmer Ozias; beef and pork production, Clif? Baile; legume crops, J. B. Wampler; boys and girls, R. H. Boston: women's organizations, Mrs. W. O. Redford, Fayetteville; food conservation, Mrs. W. R. Cockefair; household conveniences, Mrs. C. Cobb; clothing, Mrs. L. C. Pemberton, Holden ; recreation, Mrs. T. E. Cheatham.

In March, 1918, the "Johnson County Farm Bureau News" was established and is being issued monthly for the benefit of the members of the bureau. The editorial committee is: R. L. Whitsett, Mary Moreland, R. H. Boston and F. A. Gougler.

Blackwater Drainage District Number 1 was organized under the laws of Missouri by decree of the Johnson Circuit Court, May 21, 1908. The first meeting of the land owners was held June 6, 1908, at the Pfefi^er bridge on Blackwater to elect a board of five supervisors. Harvey Russell was elected chairman and R. J. Grover, secretary of the meeting. The supervisors elected were J. M. Fitch, T. A. Sollars, J. H. Christopher, J. Henry Kuhlman, and Ewing Cockrell, who had been chiefly interested in organizing the district. Mr. Fitch was elected chairman; Mr. Sollars, secretary: R. J. Grover, assistant secretary; and J. W. Suddath, appointed attorney. The amount of land in the district is 23,053 acres, of which 16,714.29 acres is bottom land, and the balance upland contiguous to it, and in the same legal subdivisions.

Contract was let March 21, 1910, to G. A. and R. H. McWilliams to construct dredged ditches, and August 20, 1910, to C. Frank Roberts for the lateral ditches. Settlement was made with the contractor April 25, 1914, though most of the ditches had been built the first two to three years after contract. The main ditch is twenty-seven miles, and the laterals twenty-two miles long.

The work was done through the proceeds of bonds which were issued February 21, 1910, for $190,000 at 6 per cent., maturing annually after five years, the last maturity being 1928. W. R. Compton Bond and

Mortgage Company, of St. Louis, were the purchasers. $27,000 of the bonds have been paid, and there is a surplus on hand of about $20,000. which will be used in the purchase of bonds before maturity.

The same officers have been re-elected and served continuously ever since except that in 1915, J. H. Christopher moved away and resigned, and was succeeded by J. H. Borgstadt, and in 1917, Mr. Kuhlman died. Mr. Suddath remained attorney till his death in 1917.

The ditches constitute a complete drainage system, and have practically eliminated any material damage from the customary former overflows. The fall averages three feet to the mile in the main ditch. It has nearly doubled in size since first built and is increasing rapidly every year, slightly in depth and much in width. It is many times shorter and correspondingly swifter than the old Blackwater creek, which it practically replaces, and all rainfalls are carried off very rapidly.

Community Work Clubs

There are eleven clubs in the county whose aim either solely or largely is community work of various kinds. Their total membership is 524. The clubs are as follow: