Lafayette County, Missouri - Chapter 22: Lexington Township, 1910

Chapter 22: Lexington Township

Lexington township, the civil subdivision of Lafayette county in which the city of Lexington is situated, was first mentioned as one of the townships comprising the county May 24, 1824, when the following court record was made:

"Ordered that the following bounds be considered and known by the name of Lexington township, within and for Lillard county, to-wit : Beginning at the mouth of the Big Sniabar; thence up the east fork of said Big Sniabar to its source; thence due south to the middle of the Osage river; thence down said river to where a line running due south from the head of the Big Tabo or main Tabo crosses; thence with and along said line due north to the head of the creek ; thence down said creek to its mouth, or where it empties into the Missouri river; thence up the Missouri river to the place of beginning."

It will be observed that these boundary lines, on the west, correspond with the eastern boundary of Fort Osage township, thus for the time being wiping out Sniabar township. The eastern and northern bounds are the same now as at first. East of Tabo creek was then called Tabo township. The first election and all subsequent elections in Lexington township were by the court ordered held at Lexington town. James Fletcher was commissioned by the governor as the first justice of the peace and James D. Warren was first to be elected constable. February 7, 1826, the first company of patrols were appointed and were named as Capt. John Robinson and Harvey Owen, who were to serve one year. These were a sort of police.

Pioneer Settlers

As has been observed in the Early Settlement chapter of this volume, Gilead Rupe was the first white man to invade this county for the purpose of making actual settlement. He located two and a half miles southwest of Lexington site in 181 5. A full account of his settlement has been given, hence will not be repeated in this connection.

Following Rupe, in Lexington township, came David James and his grown sons, Jesse and Henry, who settled on section 16, township 50, range 27. When he learned that he had squatted on a "school section," as subsequent surveys proved, he selected a tract a little distance south, but later removed to the headwaters of the Little Sni.

In 1818 (or, some say, 1819) Nicholas Houx came in and built a tannery, which in 1827 was bought by William Smith (father of Doctor Smith), who operated it eight years or more.

The first regular physician who appeared in this township was Doctor Rankin, from Kentucky, whose father was the founder of the famous Shakertown, of that state. The Doctor located near the camp ground situated on section 17, township 50, range 27. He lived to be over ninety years of age.

The first school taught in this township was in a log cabin, near where John R. Houx afterwards resided. It was taught by Robert D. Morrow, in 1 82 1 or 1822. He later became a Cumberland Presbyterian minister.

The first public school house was built of logs in 1829 or 1830, the neighbors furnishing the material and doing the work. Harry Bellows taught first in this building.

The first steamboat landing in the township was at Lexington, or at the mouth of Rupe's creek, or, as sometimes called, "Rupe's branch." It was known as "Rupe's Landing."

The only cities or towns within Lexington township are the city of Lexington and Northrop station, on the River division of the Missouri railway. The latter is a mere stopping place and hamlet of no considerable consequence.

This township is now well cultivated and the coal mining interests havecome to be of great profit. The land is excellent and the tilling of it is in no manner detrimental to the mineral wealth or mining operations, hence the land is doubly valuable. It is known personally to the author, that the finest of tobacco, as well as most prolific growth of hemp and the choicest flavored fruit has been grown on this soil around the city of Lexington. And the "Lexington" output of soft coal has no superior, if indeed an equal in all Missouri's far-famed coal mining districts.

A War-Time Murder

As revolting as it is to repeat the stories of that cruel civil conflict from 1861 to 1865, no history of this township could be credited with being complete without making the following reference to a cold-blooded murder in the early months of that terrible war. It should be added that these horrible deeds were perpetrated alike by Union and Confederate men; in this instance, it was by the Confederate sympathizers.

The crime referred to in Lexington township was this : A New Yorker, named Charles White, who had married the widow Graves and settled as a farmer two and one-half miles south of Lexington, was a pronounced Union man. After the battle of Lexington, Capt. Fred Neet and Major Becker were paroled, and hence had to leave town in any manner they could provide, so they started on foot to Hamilton, Missouri, then the nearest railway station from the city of Lexington. Mr. White accompanied them on their forced journey, and when the party reached a distance of three miles beyond Richmond, near Duval's, they were overtaken by cavalry claiming to have an order for the arrest of Neet and Becker, signed by Gen. Sterling Price. Two of the cavalrymen rode up, one on either side of Mr. White, whom they caught by the ears, pulling him along in this rude fashion until they had gone out of sight from where Neet and Becker had been stopped, three other men following along. Two pistol shots were heard and then in a few minutes the five riders returned, and the party started back to Lexington. At Richmond Neet saw one of the men, who had White's overcoat, pull out the murdered man's pocket book and pay for the drinks for the crowd, the same having bank bills within it that were previously seen by Neet and Becker. It is stated that the men who committed this dark crime were still living in the county as late as 1880.

After being brought to Lexington and lodged in jail, Neet and Becker learned that they had been charged with robbing a jewelry store, but General Price found nothing against them and they were again set at liberty. By traveling by night and secreting themselves by day, they finally made their escape to Sedalia and from there to St. Louis.