Metz Township

Metz Township

Aletz township is composed of all congressional township 37, range 32, and that part of township 38-32 which lies in Vernon county. It is eight miles long by nearly six miles in width, the western line of sections not being quite full.

The Little Osage runs through the lower half of the township, and there flow into it Summers' and Townsend's branches from the south, and Pryor's creek and Reed's branch from the north. The timber in the township is to be found along these streams and is not at all extensive. The belt through which the Osage runs will not average more than a mile in width. Alore than three-fourths of the township is prairie land. The soil is gen¬ erally very fertile, and is in a high state of cultivation.

David Cruise located on section 20, about two miles west of Allen Summers, in the year 1833. He married as his first wife Miss Fannie Summers, daughter of Moses Summers, and his wedding, at which Rev. Amasa Jones was the officiating minister, was the first in Vernon county. In 1843 Mr. Cruise removed to Henry township, south of Osage, where, in December, 1858, he was murdered by John Brown's "liberators."

West of Allen Summers the Charles families came at an early day and made claims. Simon Charles came in June, 1844, and settled on the Little Osage, four miles west of Balltown ; he died in November, 1863. His wife, Margaret Jane (Yokum), died September 15, 1886, aged 67 years and 10 months; she was the mother of thirteen children and at the time of her death was the grandmother of forty grandchildren and three great-grandchil¬ dren. Benjamin Charles, a cousin of Simon, came in 1849, and his (Ben's) brother, Joseph, came in 1852. The Charles families were from Hunter's Valley, Perry county, Pennsylvania, of which locality Peter Weyand and Isaac Yokum were also natives.

On the north side of the Osage the first settlers were Mr. Pryor, who settled on section 17, three-fourths of a mile from the mouth of Pryor's creek, in 1834, and his cousin, Ezekiel Rhea, who the same year located a mile north. Both Pryor and Rhea were originally from White county, Tennessee, but came directly from Warren county, in this state, to Vernon. William Pryor owned about 3,000 acres of land in this township. Joseph Pryor came from White county, Tennessee, to the head of Pryor's creek, a mile south of the Bates county line, in the fall of 1840.

Esq. Hoyle settled near the mouth of Reed's branch (then called Hoyle's branch), before the year 1840, Solomon and Samuel Reed and their father located on this stream in 1842 and gave their name to it. The northern part of the township did not begin to settle until after the war to any important extent.

In September, 1847, Thomas Welch and his family - one of the members of which was his son Levi - settled on Pryor's creek. The previous year he had removed from middle Tennessee to Platte county, Missouri, from whence he came to Vernon. At this time there were living on the creek Joseph Pryor and his sons, Nathan and William; Jonathan Pryor, William Pryor, Sr.,

John Robinson, an old Scotchman named William Renick, some¬ times called "Pap" Renick, who was a miller by trade, and Charles Nugent and his five sons - William, Linsford, Cyrus, Hugh, and Rice - and his two daughters, Mary and Martha.

The Indians were so numerous in early days, and their inter¬ course with the whites so frequent, that the first settlers learned to speak the Osage and other dialects very fluently. Sometimes the Sacs and Foxes and the Miamis came in, but the Osages and the Pottawattamies were the most frequent visitors. They were always friendly, at least after the one difficulty on the Marais de Cygne, and always desirous of trading or trafficking. A favorite article of barter with them was rawhide, usually rolled or twisted into ropes and cords. The settlers found it an easy matter to convert these into harness or "gears" for their horses, and very readily traded for them.

The first settlers in this quarter lived easily and simply. They did not work hard, did not accumulate property suddenly and largely, and did not improve the advantages they possessed as they might have done. But they secured enough to live on. They did but little agricultural work, planting small patches of corn and wheat and a few vegetables, and from the Osage they took fish, and in the timber and on the prairies they procured an abundance of wild meat, and contrived to live comfortably. There was an abundance of luxuriant range on the Osage bot¬ toms, and the cattle and horses didn't require feeding until late in December; indeed, instances are remembered where the grass in the bottom kept green through the entire winter.

After a time the cattle and hogs had increased until there was a surplus, which was disposed of usually to foreign dealers, and the proceeds used in the purchase of family supplies. The first trading points were the Harmony Mission and Papinsville, until Balltown was established. Occasionally, however, the store of Dan and Jim Johnson, a mile below Balltown, and Waldo's store, still below, were visited. Before the establishment of these last named institutions, on a few occasions the settlers drove to Inde¬ pendence and Lexington for their supplies, taking with them a load of wheat and bacon, a few head of cattle, etc.

Tlie first school in this township was taught at the house of Jesse Summers, in Pleasant Valley, near Metz, by Miss Mary Choate, afterward the wife of Dr. Leonard Dodge. The first school house, a small log building, was built at the Summers graveyard, some time after the year 1840. Mrs. Eliza Summers was one of the first teachers, but not the first. Peter Weyand was another early teacher.

During the Civil War the people in this quarter were divided in sentiment. A majority were of Confederate sympathizers, but there were some Union men. All, however, were friendly per¬ sonally. Perhaps twenty men from this township belonged to Colonel Hunter's Confederate regiment, while Elijah Bhea, Wash Charles and John Daniels enlisted at Fort Scott in the Union service as members of the Fourteenth Kansas. From time to time a few of the citizens were in the employ of the Government as teamsters, engaged in hauling military stores from Fort Leaven¬ worth to Fort Scott.

While a detachment of the Third Wisconsin cavalry was sta¬ tioned at Balltown a soldier named Bobert Kelly, of Baraboo, Wis., rode out into the country on one occasion and on his return was bushwhacked and killed near the Whitefield school house. This was the only Federal soldier killed in the neighborhood during the war. Lane's and Montgomery's Kansans passed through the township on different occasions, and did their accus¬ tomed amount of jayhawking, but their depredations were not serious.

After the war the township settled slowdy but substantially. In 1873 the municipal organization was effected and the township named Metz, for the town of that name. At present, it is well inhabited.

The town of Metz, on Beed's branch, north of the Osage (sw. se. sec. 11-37-32) in this township, was established in the fall of 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war, and was named soon after General Bazaine's capitulation at Metz, and for that city. The locality was formerly known as Pleasant Valley. A fine steam planing mill gave the village some notoriety and attracted much custom.

How Our Town Happened Onto Its Name

A stranger who bears the name "Metz" may get the idea that the town's population came direct from the city of Berlin, the banks of the Rhine or some other point in Emperor William's domain. True it is a German name, but if there is a thorough¬ bred Deitscherman living within five miles of Metz he is unknown to the writer.

A settlement on Reed's creek, about one and one-half miles east of where Metz is now located, had been called Pleasant Valley for several years. Finally a general merchandise store was opened. In the fall of 1870 the government was asked to establish a postoffice at the place. D. P. Swearingen, whom many knew as "Uncle Dave," was the merchant and he was chosen postmaster. "Pleasant Valley" was sent to the postal authorities as the name for the office. In course of time a letter was received stating that there was an office of that name in the state and it would be necessary to select another. "Uncle Dave" appointed three leading men of the village to do the christening. A meeting was held as per agreement, and though loath to give up Pleasant Valley, they decided to leave it to the postmaster's good judgment. "Uncle Dave" favored a short name. He had been reading the "Weekly Missouri Republican" (now the St. Louis "Republic") about the Franco-Prussian War and General Bazine's capitulation at Metz, one of the large cities of Germany.

Then the merchant-postmaster pulled a jug from under the counter and passed it around, after which the dogs were called and all joined in a 'coon hunt in the Osage bottoms.

In May, 1890, the Missouri Pacific railroad was completed. It missed Metz about a mile. The inhabitants of the village found themselves isolated, within earshot of the shrieks of the locomotive, but too far away for practical purposes. Dr. G. W. Petty was the first to break away from the old town. He moved his store building and contents to the present site and soon the new town of Metz was laid out. Others followed, and in a short time Pleasant Valley, as many still called it, , was only a reminiscence.

Town Officials

W. G. Morrison, C. 0. Wilson, Harry Reed, G. P. Wolfe, and Rawley Ramsey compose the board of trustees of the town of Metz. G. P. Wolfe is chairman of the board, or mayor. - The other officials are : P. I. Rucker, clerk ; G. Morrison, treasurer ; W. H. Catherwood, marshal; John Kleet, collector, and J. P. Allen, street commissioner. Regular meetings are held the first Tuesday night each month.

Assessed Valuation

Following is the assessed valuation of real estate and personal property of Metz township and the town of Metz, as furnished by Township Assessor M. A. Shecldrick:

Metz Ships More Eggs Than Any Town Of Its Size In The State

Missouri's surplus poultry products amount to $44,000,000 annually. And Metz certainly gets her part of it. More eggs are shipped from Metz than any town of its size in the state. This is no idle talk for we can furnish proof. Carpenter & Shafer, the wholesale produce dealers of Butler, buy eggs at every town between Butler and Iola, Kan., and their figures provethat Metz merchants receive more eggs than towns three times the size.

When the egg season was at its best last spring the largest shipment in one week was 126 cases, or 3,780 dozen. The average for three months was 96 cases, or 2,880 dozen per week. Or a total of 34,560 dozen for the three months.

The first American settlement in Vernon county was made in Metz township by the Summers brothers in the year 1829. Jesse, Moses and Allen Summers, natives of Wayne county, Kentucky, located on the Osage.

In June, 1844, Simon Charles came and located south of the Osage. Benjamin Charles, a cousin of Simon, came five years later, and Joseph Charles came in 1852. The Charles families were from Perry county, Pennsylvania.

Other settlers on the north side of the Osage were Mr. Pryor, who settled north of the mouth of Pryor creek in 1834. And his cousin, Ezekiel Rhea, who located a mile north the same year. They were from Tennessee.

Mr. Hoyle settled near the mouth of Reeds creek (then called Hoyle's branch) before the year 1840. Solomon and Samuel Reed and their father located on this stream in 1842, and it was for them it was called Reed's creek.

The first trading points for the early settlers were Harmony Mission and Pappinsville, until Balltown was established. Be¬ fore the establishment of these places the settlers drove to Inde¬ pendence and Lexington for their supplies.

Jesse Summers by Miss Mary Choate. The first school house, a small log building, was built at the Summers graveyard some time after the vear 1840.

Men Who Came To This Locality At An Early Day

Among our oldest settlers can be mentioned Uncle Billie Yeates, who came here from Kentucky in 1867. He has resided on the place where he now lives for more than twenty years.

W. F. Long came from Kentucky to this locality in 1870. He recalls many of the early-day incidents, and especially the grass¬ hoppers in 1874.

Uncle Jim Hedden, another native of Kentucky, came here in 1868. He located on his place north of town and continued to live here until about two years ago, when he went to Nevada to live with a daughter. He returns occasionally to visit rela¬ tives and manv friends.

Dr. W. Melic-k came to this localitv from Pennsvlvania in 1857. He can give manv details in regard to the earlv davs, when he practiced medicine. The doctor does little practice nowadays and is content to spend most of his time at his pretty home.

What Metz Has

The Metz Times. published by J. D. AYilliams; one bank, two mills, two hotels, one garage, no saloons, an ice man, one railroad, a newspaper, a brass band, one drug store, three painters, a harness shop, three churches, an opera house, four carpenters, good sidewalks, one undertaker, six secret orders, one lumber yard, one barber shop, three physicians, one butcher shop, no booze-fighters, a good town well, four stock buyers, good mail service, hospitable people, night mail service, one machine shop, two livery stables, a commercial club, no de¬ pendent poor, two grocery stores, two paper-hangers, two pho¬ tographers, three general stores, well improved streets, good roads diverging, one express company, two blacksmith shops, three Sunday schools, one implement dealer, three hardware stores, an active W. C. T. U. a good baseball team, one waterfilter factory, three insurance agents, almost 500 population, best farming community, three real estate dealers, one first-class res¬ taurant, three grain and hay dealers, one exclusive millinery store, three contractors and builders, two church ladies' aid so¬ cieties, one job printing office - the "Times," no empty business or resident houses, no debts, money in town treasury, beauti¬ ful modern and comfortable homes, Christian Endeavor Society and Epworth League, one telephone company with a list of 250 subscribers, a good school building with an addition to be built soon, no more gentlemanly nor accommodating merchants anywhere.

A Short History Of Our Houses Of Worship

"The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was built at Old Metz in the summer of 1887. The size of the building was 26x36 feet. It was enclosed and then seated with slabs and loose lum¬ ber. The year following - 1888 - the building was finishel and seated. Henry Pond made the seats and T. J. Pond made the pulpit and gave same to the church. Rev. A. B. Donaldson was the pastor in charge and Rev. Joseph King presiding elder. In 1890 the town of Metz was laid out and the town committee gave the church lot No. 1, block 2. In 1891 the church was moved from Old Metz to Metz, and the following September J. F. Robb was assigned as pastor by conference. In 1893 T. J. Pond made a stand table of walnut and gave same to the church. In 1899 an addition to the church was built on the south side, size 20x36 ; Rev. J. C. Diggs, pastor. The first bell was hung May 31, 1902, and was rung for the first time for services June 1, 1902, at 9 :30 a. m.

The church has a membership of 163. W. B. Bull is the pastor, and preaching services are held on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. The Sunday school has an average at¬ tendance of about eighty-five. J. J. Stark is the superintendent. The Epworth League, with a membership of about fifty, holds meetings every Sunday evening.

members were: Mrs. Emma King, T. J. Pond, Mrs. L. P. Pettit, Mrs. AY. AY. Penrod, Dr. J. T. Hornback and wife, J. AY. AIc- Kibben and wife and daughters Blanche and Nellie, Prank Ben¬ nett and wife, Airs. Al. J. Plew, Airs. Lee Scrutehfield, Airs. Elijah Stout, Airs. Eosa Usrey, Airs. Alary E. AYillis, Airs. Alary Baze, Lillie Baze, AY. S. Earhart, Elmer Charles and wife, Airs. Belle Cline, Airs. Syrenus Cline, Airs. Delieu Blake, Ella Berry and Alarion Bouse and wife. Elder E. E. Coffee wTas the first pastor.

The Christian Sunday school has had an average attendance of almost one hundred during the past three months. G. LL Summers is the superintendent.

The YMung People's Society of Christian Endeavor meets at the Christian Church every Sunday evening. The society has a membership of about fifty-five.

Metz Baptist Church. The Aletz Baptist Church wras or¬ ganized January 22 of this year by Kev. G. AY. AlcClanahan, missionary and colporter of the Nevada Baptist Association. It now has a membership of about twenty. The church building known as the Alethodist Protestant Church was purchased a few weeks later. Services are held the third Sunday of each month, with Eev. G. AY. AlcClanahan as pastor.

Osage Valley Baptist Church. The Osage Valley Baptist Church, one and one-half miles west of Aletz, was organized in the spring of 1869. The original members were Alfred R., Cor¬ nelia A., G. AY., Nannie A., Jacob F. and Eliza Norman and Rob¬ ert T. Ellis ; James Morgan was soon after admitted. The first pastor was Jesse Johnson, and the first deacons wTere R. T. Ellis, Benjamin AVickham and S. J. Conner. In 1872 a frame house of worship was erected at a cost of $1,000.

The church had a large membership for many years, but re¬ movals and other matters caused a decrease in the number, and about two years ago the congregation disbanded.

Rinehart Christian Church. Rinehart Christian Church was organized »in 1872. The first members were J. R. Rinehart, M. AI. Summers, E. B. AYeyand, John Daniels, James Wilkins, Allen Summers, W. A. Flesher, M. A. Rinehart, J. J. Townsend, S. J. Baze, J. H. More, Joseph Rynard and wife, Mrs. Leah Town¬ send and Mrs. L. Price. The church building was erected in 1882 at a cost of $1,200.

The Fraternal And Beneficial Societies Of Metz

Odd Fellows. Metz Lodge, No. 694, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted March 27, 1905. The five charter members were C. II. Compton, IT. D. Carmichael, J. D. William, Paschal Henshaw and John Campbell. Meetings are held every Monday night. The lodge has a membership of seventy-one. E. P. Mullen is N. G., and G. II. Summers, secretary.

Modern Woodmen. Metz Camp, No. 3387, Modern AA7oodmen of America, was established in December, 1895, with the follow¬ ing charter members: E. D. Allen, N. Conner, C. E. TIandly, W. E. Hudson, James Hawkins, C. R. Harris, L. W. King, John AY. Arontgomery, John T. McCoy, Henry Pond, Henry C. Roberts, William R. Rowan, A. Sartorius, John AA7. Swan, AVilliam H. Shannon, John R. Snoddy, M. A. Theis and E. AY. Watts. The camp had a membership of 138 at the clerk's last report. Meet¬ ings are held the second and fourth Friday nights of each month. Elmer Charles is A7. C. and F. I. Rucker clerk.

Modern Brotherhood. Smith Lodge, No. 903, Modern Brother¬ hood of America, was instituted in October, 1905. Meetings are held the first and third Friday nights of each month. The lodge has a membership of eighty-six. G. IT. Summers is the president and F. I. Rucker, secretary.

Royal Neighbors. Friendship Camp, No. 2762, Royal Neigh¬ bors of America, was instituted October 29, 1901, with forty-six charter members. Meetings are held the second and fourth Sat-

Daughters of Rebekah. The members of Metz Lodge, Daugh¬ ters of Rebekah, have not had a meeting for several months, but still retain their charter.

Grand Army of the Republic. Mt. McGregor Post, No. 252, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized at Sprague, Novem¬ ber 28, 1885, with thirty-one members. The Post was moved to Metz in October, 1895. Meetings are held occasionally at the homes of the members.

The present members of the Post are James Bradburn, John Stack, G. W. Charles, A. Cox, R. C. Elder, Thomas Foreman, M. E. Frazier, Thomas Irvin, T. Bogan, J. W. Carlisle, V7. F. Gault, and Leroy Taylor. M. E. Frazier is commander and John Stack, quartermaster and adjutant.

Our Neighboring Villages

Horton, our neighboring village, is located six miles south¬ east of Metz, on the Kansas City- Joplin branch of the Missouri Pacific. C. F. True is the postmaster, and he also conducts a general merchandise store. The town has a good school and the M. E. South congregation has a handsome church building. Among the town's leading citizens are A. L. and Gus Hanly, R. B. Vest, D. G. Greenlee, Forest Wilmouth, Mr. Anthony, H. Kimrey, and J. V7. Welch.

Arthur, located five miles northeast of Metz, can boast of a good school, with T. W. Armstrong as teacher. The Baptists have a good church building here and a growing membership. G. V7. McClanahan is the pastor. Arthur is also located on the Missouri Pacific railway. H. H. Gist is the postmaster and he also conducts a general merchandise store.

Rinehart postoffice, located five miles southeast of Metz, is a trading and shipping point. J. H. Miller is the postmaster and merchant, and he also looks after the railroad business. Consid¬ erable grain and hay is shipped from Rinehart.

Fairview neighborhood, about six miles north of Metz, includes among its citizens some of our oldest settlers. Bethel Baptist Church, located here, is one of the oldest in this part of the state and has a large membership. G. W. McClanahan is the pastor.