BlockFrom the record
One of 51 National Register listings published here for Boone County · listed in 2008 · category: District.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Downtown Columbia Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 4 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
- Address. 1019,1020,1023 & 1025-33 E. Walnut St., Columbia, 65201
- When was it listed? May 2008
- Category. district
- Also known as. Downtown Columbia, Missouri MPS; Downtown Columbia, Missouri MPS
- Township. Columbia township
- National Register reference number. 08000375 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
What happened here
An account from the chapter on Columbia township. The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.
Killed By A Falling Tree
In 1825 a little nine-year-old boy named AVilliam R. Wright, whose parents lived in this township, was killed at a point in Missouri township, on what is now known as the Hume farm. He was buried where is now a garden, on the farm of Sidne}^ Hume. The Indians had set the woods on fire and the boy, with his father and some others of the settlers, was out fighting the flames, and a burning tree fell on him and killed him instantly.
The ground it stands on
98,879 wordsThe chapter on Columbia Township in History of Boone County, Missouri. Written and Comp. from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources; Including a History of Its Townships, Towns, and Villages. Together with a Condensed History of Missouri; the City of St. Louis ... Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Prominent Citizens .., published 1882 names Columbia. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
The greater portion of the land in Columbia is of a rolling character, and in many parts it is rough and hilly. Along the Hinkson and the other streams, the soil is very stony. Some very fine and picturesque bluffs are to be seen along the Hinkson, and there is some magnificent scenery of this character on the Cedars.
Some of the finest farms in the State of Missouri, or in the West, are to be found in Columbia township. On them are to be found not only fertile fields but fruitful orchards, pleasant pastures, lovely lawns, and handsome, commodious and elesjant residences. Some of the farmhouses in the township present the appearance of the mansion of an English landlord, and the estates are in the highest state of cultivation and improvement. The farms on the Two-mile prairie have an extended reputation, but a majority of the timber farms produce on an average fully as well, albeit a great deal of the soil in the timber is so poor as to be practically worthless for the purposes of ordinary cultivation.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Columbia Township - 98,879 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Fires near this property
1 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Downtown Columbia Historic District (Boundary Increase) in 2005, burning under an acre in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 March 2005 | Smoking | under an acre | Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Mines and quarries near this property
10 of 21 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 21 workings within 5 miles of Downtown Columbia Historic District (Boundary Increase): 16 past producers, 4 producers, 1 unknown. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Fire Clay (Refractory), Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Brick & Tile Clay Pit-Plnt | Clay | Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Unknown | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Past Producer | ||
| Boone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Boone Quarry - Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| City Quarry and Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Garrett City Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Nichols Bros. Ls. Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this property
60 of 209 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Columbia, the town this property stands in, in 209 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 125 hail, 64 thunderstorm wind, 9 lightning, 7 flash flood. The reports record 19 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1998 | Tornado (F3) | Columbia | 16 hurt, $6,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Lightning | Columbia | 1 hurt | Lightning struck a cell phone that a 39 year old woman was using at Cosmo Park on the northside of Columbia. She was taken to a local hospital to be checked out. She only had some initial numbness in her arm. She was treated and released the next morning. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | 1 hurt | Boone County Emergency Management reported that thunderstorm wind gusts caused damage on the north side of Columbia at a RV park and at the County Fairgrounds. A large county-owned airplane hanger that had been converted to storage space and another storage building were destroyed. Two campers at the Cottonwood RV Park were blow over by the wind. One woman received a minor cut on her foot. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Lightning | Columbia | $150,000 | A lighting strike around 3:00 pm CDT caused a fire at the Creative Photo Photography Studio at 2201 Old Highway 63. Five employees and a dog were able to escape unharmed. The fire is believed to have started in the attic. Damage was estimated at $150,000. |
| May 2008 | Lightning | Columbia | $100,000 | Lighting struck a house on May 30. This strike apparently caused a smoldering fire that erupted the next day. The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. |
| July 1998 | Lightning | Columbia | $80,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Columbia | $45,000 | Heavy rain from several strong to severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding in the Columbia area. Akeman Bridge and Brown School Road were reported flooded. Several roads in a subdivision off of Oakland Road were flooded with up to 2 feet of water. Several cars in Columbia were stranded in flooded roads. Firefighters was called to rescue stranded motorists on East Texas Avenue and Blackfoot Road. |
| June 2005 | Lightning | Columbia | $30,000 | An early morning lighting strike started a fire at a home on Glenn Wesley Court resulting in at least $30,000 in damage. |
| August 2006 | Lightning | Columbia | $25,000 | Five radio stations were knocked off the air when lighting struck a Cumulus Broadcasting transmitter tower. Control boards in the studios, computers, and magnetic door locks in the building were also damaged by the strike. |
| August 2004 | Lightning | Columbia | $15,000 | Lightning struck a home on Richland Road and caused a fire in the second floor. Damage was estimated from 10 to 15 thousand dollars. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree which pulled live power lines on a home in Columbia. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Columbia | $5,000 | County officials reported large hail with one report of golf ball size hail from a police officer. The hail lasted for 10 minutes. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $5,000 | Strong winds shattered several windows at Boone Hospital Center. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $5,000 | The NWS office at the Columbia Regional Airport recorded a wind gust of 78 mph. Large trees were blown down damaging two houses. Trees were also blown down across Backbone Road and Eagle Ridge Road. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Columbia | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1995 | Hail | Columbia | $2,000 | Hail started out around dime-size but increased to one-inch diameter at 2049 CST and then reached golf ball-size damaging numerous cars. Hail was reported until 2100 CST decreasing to one-inch in diameter east of Columbia. |
| March 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $1,500 | Wind gusts reached 60 mph and broke several power poles near and north of Interstate 70. More than 5,000 people were without power for nearly six hours. Large trees were also toppled. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $1,400 | Siding was blown off a home in Columbia with numerous large trees down across west and southern sections of the city. In the Ashland area, a roof of a small shed was blown off and several large trees were blown down. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | $600 | A barn was demolished in the Rocheport area with debris spread out 200 yards wide. Several large trees, approaching three feet in diameter, were also snapped off from near Rocheport to west of Columbia. Reported by the Columbia Emergency Operations Center. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage of varying degrees from downed limbs to uprooted trees. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused roof damage to the Parkade Baptist Church in Columbia. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | A member of the public reported wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph. |
| March 2023 | Hail | Columbia | - | Two severe storms moved through the Columbia metro area dropping large hail up to two inches in diameter over a 25 minute period. Numerous vehicles sustained dents as well as broken windows. Also, numerous homes and businesses had minor to moderate siding damage. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous power lines, tree limbs and trees through out town. A large tree was blown down at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Dysart Street. On the northeast side of town a tree was blown down onto a mobile home causing considerable damage. No injuries were reported. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a 6 inch diameter tree on the south side of Columbia onto a nearby roadway. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew off portions of a roof on a strip mall at the intersection of Providence Road and Vandiver Drive. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree in Columbia. |
| August 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree onto a house on the southeast side of town. It caused moderate roof damage. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines throughout town. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds broke a couple of skylights on a business on the south side of Columbia. The store had water problems due to the broken skylights. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | A line of severe thunderstorms moved through Columbia and tracked southeast through rest of county. A 67 mph wind gust was measured at University of Missouri Jefferson Farm and Gardens just southeast of town on East New Haven Road. Also, the ASOS at Columbia Regional Airport measured a 58 mph wind gust. Numerous trees, power lines and tree limbs were blown down, especially on the southern sections of Columbia. A couple of the fallen trees blocked roads in the area. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and numerous tree limbs around Columbia. Also, two miles south of Ashland part of the roof of a barn was blown off. |
| March 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees around town. |
| April 2013 | Hail | Columbia | - | Large hail fell across Columbia with the largest stones as big as baseballs. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Columbia | - | Large hail fell in a swath from the northeast side of Columbia to Murry. Some of the large hail caused minor damage to a few vehicles. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Columbia | - | There were several reports of one inch hail on the north side of Columbia. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused isolated damage on the west side of Columbia. A large tree fell onto a house causing roof damage. Also, a retractable awning on a nearby house was snapped in half. |
| September 2012 | Hail | Columbia | - | A swath of large hail fell across the northern portions of Columbia, along Interstate 70. The biggest hailstones were baseball size. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees on the west side of town. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm wind blew down two trees onto a house, causing moderate damage. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees on the southwest side of town. Some fell onto power lines knocking them down. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Columbia | - | A swath of large hail fell across Columbia ranging in size from an inch to one and three quarters of an inch in diameter. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down some power lines on the north side of town and an agricultural weather station southeast of town measured a 58 MPH wind gust. |
| January 2008 | Hail | Columbia | - | Nickel to quarter size hail reported over several locations in town...including at the intersection of College Avenue and Business Loop 70 and on the University of Missouri campus. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Columbia | - | Storm spotters reported nickel size hail just south of Columbia. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | A large tree was reported down on Morning Glory Drive. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Numerous tree limbs and power lines were blown down throughout town. One car sustained major damage when the thunderstorm winds split a y-shaped tree and it fell onto a telephone line. This pulled down the telephone pole and it landed on the vehicle. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Columbia | - | One inch hail was reported at Smiley Road just north of I-70. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Columbia | - | Large hail fell for 15 minutes in and around the city of Columbia. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Columbia | - | The Columbia EOC reported 3/4 inch hail in Columbia. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbia | - | Boone County EMA reported 2-5 inch tree limbs and power lines down near the University of Missouri campus. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Columbia | - | Heavy rain from several severe thunderstorms caused flash flooding in Columbia. I-70 had to be closed on the west side of town due to a foot of water over the road. Several streets in town became impassable due to high water. A section of Brown School Road was washed out by flood water. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Columbia | - | Storm spotters reported golfball size hail south of Columbia. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Columbia | - | Local law enforcement reported 1 inch hail. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Columbia | - | A storm spotter reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Columbia | - | Emergency management officials reported 3/4 inch hail. |
Map coverage status
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 milesOther National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Wabash Railroad Station and Freight House | under 500 feet | 1979 |
 | Central Dairy Building | under 500 feet | 2005 |
 | Kress Building | under 500 feet | 2005 |
 | First Christian Church | under 500 feet | 1991 |
 | Downtown Columbia Historic District | under 500 feet | 2006 |
| Wabash Railroad Station and Freight House | under 500 feet | 1979 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 08000375 in Record Group 79. |
| Boone County | All 51 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.