Pettis County, Missouri - Chapter 26: Prairie Township, 1919

Temperance Organization

Prairie township gets its name from its most pronounced physical feature, a broad expanse of prairie land. It occupies the prairie divide between Muddy and Flat Creeks, and almost all of the township is prairie land, dotted with the most beautiful homes in the county. The farmers are prosperous and their farms well kept. The land is fertile and second to none in the county in productiveness. The township has one town, Camp Branch.

The township was originally a part of Elk Fork, but as the county was settled up and needs of a municipal government became greater, the townships were subdivided, and from the original Elk Fork township was made what is now Elk Fork, Washington, Green Ridge and Prairie. Its northern boundary touches Dresden township; its eastern, Sedalia and Flat Creek; its southern, Washington, and its western, Elk Fork. It contains 23,040 acres. The land is principally rolling prairie, and is nearly all susceptible of cultivation. The streams that cross the town¬ ship are Camp Branch and Coon Creek.

The early settlers of the township located in the northwestern part, and among them were Daniel N. Botts, A. G. Pemberton, J. C. Donnahue, J. H. Lewis, A. Shobe, Jackson Quisenberry, W. P. Hawley, Athel Wolf. These were early parties who opened the county to settlement, and later came Robert Fowler, D. C. Whitsett, M. F. P. Woodson, A. G. McClung, T. J. Lester, G. W. Rayburn, D. H. Bagby, Joseph and James W. Cole came at a somewhat later day.

Bothwell Lodge, Near Sedalia

In an early day the members of the Christian Church, by the aid of some of the other denominations, built a church house near the north line of this township, but the members were few and they soon were scattered, and the house fell into decay and was torn down. An old cemetery still marks the place. Messrs. J. C. Donnahue, John Gray, A. Shobe, Brice McVoy, Jackson Quisenberry and Ephraim H. Carrington were the principal supporters of that church. The house was built for church and school purposes. Ephraim H. Carrington was the first per¬ son buried in the cemetery. Charles Lewis donated the land for the church and cemetery.

Camp Branch Baptist Church was organized in February, 1877, by W. H. Rodgers, assisted by Rev. E. H. Burchfield, of Brownsville, D. H. Thompson, J. Letts and S. Keel. The original members were Zalman Haight, Mrs. Haight, Samuel Arnett, Mrs. L. Arnett, Sarah Malcom, and Mrs. N. Rayburn. Members of other Baptist churches assisted in the organization. Their services had been held at school houses and pri¬ vate dwellings.

McKee Chapel was organized by Rev. George McKee, in 1866, the society using a school house until 1876, when sufficient funds were se¬ cured to erect a church building. There was a cemetery connected with the church property. The following have been pastors of this church: George McKee, W. W. Powell, M. Warren, Revs. Kellogg, Smith, Loutz, Oechsli, Gillispie, Hanson and A. P. Sallaway, up to the year 1882.

School District No. 1 was organized March 18, 1867. G. W. Rayburn, D. A. Bagby, A. P. Britt and William Kirkpatrick met and elected officers, and had a school taught, and as soon as the necessary means could be procured, built a school house. School District No. 2 was organized in 1870, a joint district, with a part in Dresden township. The school house was built in Dresden township. The first directors were Samuel B. Hoss, John G. McClung and David C. Whitsel. The first teacher was John D. Brown. School District No. 3 was organized September 14, 1871. At the first meeting of which any record can be found, R. H. Delamater, J. W. Cole and W. C. Quisenberry were elected directors. The first teacher was Alexander Dow, now living at Georgetown. Professor Westlake taught a select school in this vicinity some time before this. School District No. 4: In this district Messrs. J. Ryan, N. W. Parberry, J. Parberry and Benjamin Helvin during the year 1859 organized a school district and had a school taught. Mr. J. Ryan was clerk of this district for many years. School District No. 5 was organized in 1868. A school house was built in the spring following, and in September the first school was taught by Charles Franklin. Mr. William H. Vannatta was the first school director. School District No. 6 was organized about 1870, but the date of the first school is thought to be April, 1872. The first officers then elected were Samuel J. Knott, J. Glover and John Howard, with T. J. Close as the first teacher.

The friends of temperance in School District No. 1 called a meeting of the citizens of that and adjoining school districts, and organized a lodge of Good Templars, April 6, 1876, with fifteen charter members. The officers were George W. Rayburn, W. C. T. ; James Lord, W. S., and Mrs. Nancy Rayburn, W. T. This was the first purely temperance organiza¬ tion in Pettis County.

Camp Branch Baptist Church is located eight miles southwest of Sedalia. The church building is a frame structure worth about $3,000. There is a cemetery in connection, called Camp Branch Cemetery, at the church yard. Present membership is about forty-two, with Sunday school attendance of thirty. Rev. James D. Briggs is the minister in charge of the church at this time.

McKee Chapel, located seven miles southwest of Sedalia, is a Methodist Episcopal church, and as written in full elsewhere, will be seen to be one of the early churches of the county. The church building is frame and will seat 250 people. Present membership is thirty, with a Sunday school attendance of thirty-eight. The Cemetery adjoins the church on the south and is one of the best-kept cemeteries in the county.

Prairie township has reason to be proud of her schools. Fi'om the earliest days they had excellent schools out there, and a number of them. They have kept pace with their early pride and reputation in school work. Camp Branch school has enrolled thirty-three pupils this winter and Mrs. Pearl C. Goodwin is teaching the school. Fairview has an en¬ rollment of twenty-seven, and Flora Woven is the teacher. Glover school enrolled twenty- two this winter, and Fay Cole is the teacher. Quisenberry school has an enrollment of twenty-two, and Minnie Franker is teach¬ ing the school. VanNatta school has enrolled twenty-five pupils this winter, and Inez DeJannette is their teacher.