Pilot Grove Township

Pilot Grove Township

Pilot Grove is situated on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railway, about twelve miles southwest of Boonville, and was located in 1873. It has a rapid growth, and bids fair to make a very important town. It has one church and Odd Fellows hall. It has about six stores, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, one drug store. It is located in- a thickly populated country. The soil is excellent and the people prosperous. It has a good flour mill near by. Its population is about 250.

Pleasant Green is located on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railway, about eighteen miles from Boonville ; has two stores and one drug store. It is in a good timbered country ; has one church and school house convenient to the town, and is an important shipping point.

New Palestine is situated on the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas railroad, about twelve miles south of Boonville. It has one store and one blacksmith shop, and about one hundred inhabitants.

Bellingsville is a station on the Boonville branch, about six miles south of Boonville, and has one store. It is in a heavily timbered country, and has an abundance of excellent cement rock.

Bell Air, two and one-half miles WTst of New Palestine, has one store, a school house and church, a blacksmith shop and post office, and is located in one of the most wealthy and educated portions of the county.

Clark's Fork postoffice is situated nine miles southeast of Boonville, and has one elegant mill and one store, surrounded by a good wheat country.

Gooche's Mill postoffice, twelve miles east of Boonville, has one store and one blacksmith shop. It is celebrated for its salt lick near by, and mostly called Big Lick, which Is the place James Cole and James Davis killed two Indians in 1812.

Harriston, a station and postoffice on M. K. & T. R. R., fifteen miles south Vv est of Boonville, was located by Dr. N. W. Harris in 1873 ; has two stores and one blacksmith shop. It is in a very fertile and beautiful prairie country, and is an important shipping point.

Lone Elm postoffice has one store and a blacksmith shop. It is located in very fertile prairie land, and the people are in a very prosperous condition.

Overton, situated eleven miles east of Boonville, has a post office, several stores and a blacksmith shop. It is situated on the Missouri river opposite Rocheport. It has a ferry across the Missouri river. It is an important shipping point, surrounded by heavily timbered land, soil very rich. Wheat of the very best qualit}^ is successfully raised on the hills South of the town.

Prairie Homes postoffice, eighteen miles southeast of Boonville, has one store and two schools - one public, and one a private boarding school, kept by Prof. Slaughter. It is also surrounded by a very fine wheat country. Prof.

Vermont, a station and postofFice on the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas railroad, three miles south of Bunceton, and seventeen miles south of Boonville, has one s.ore and one blacksmith shop. It is located on high prairie, which is not surpassed in fertility and beaut}^ by any portion of the count3^

Clifton, a station and postoffice on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railway, is located near the Pettis county line, surrounded by a timber and prairie country, has one store and blacksmith shop. It is an important shipping point.

PisGAH is located in the southeast part of Cooper county, about seventeen miles from Boonville. It is the oldest town in the county except Boonville ; located about 1830. The Hon. David Jones being the first settler. It has two churches, the Christian and Baptist. It has two or three stores and blacksmith shops, two physicians and one lawyer. It has heavy timber on the south, and beautiful and fertile prairies on the north.. It and its vicinity has long been noted for the intelligence and refinement of its inhabitants, and its early, moral and religious training. There, in early days, at the Pisgah church, the gospel was preached by such good old Christians, as the Revs. John B. Longden, Kemp, Scott, and others, who have long since been gathered to their fathers, but their words of wisdom and religious influence are not lost. It is there where Richard D. Bonsfield, an English gentleman, one of the oldest and most successful merchants in Central Missouri, resided, having followed that business in Old Franklin, Boonville and Pisgah, in a very early day. He has long since retired on a princely fortune, honored and respected by all who know him-

Old Palestine

1833. It was located about one mile west of New Palestine, and twelve miles southwest of Boonville. . It was for many years the voting precinct of Palestine Township, and always voted the Whig ticket.

Michael Son built the first house in Old Palestine, and in it kept what was then called a * 'grocery." Judge John Briscoe and his son Wm. M., built the second house which was used as a storehouse. Michael Son, Isaac Lionberger, Ward and Parsons, Dr. Samuel J. Tutt and T. P. and Jas. Bell were the earliest merchants of this town. At this place James Taliaferro had a saddle shop, and Jacob Schutler, Taylor, Hammer and some others had blacksmith shops. Alexander Evans, Judge J. Hazell, and Sebrom, who were mechanics, were among the very early settlers. J. Lawrence Stephens, R. J. Parrish and Chas. F. Moore were among the last merchants. Old Palestine was indeed, for many years a good business place.

At this place in the early history of the count}^ the political conventions and meetings of the county were frequently held ; also justice's court, and company, regimental, genera? and drill musters. The sporting classes of the community had at different times during the year horse and foot races.

The citizens at that day were very lively, gave much of their time to enjoyment and had their jokes and their fun. They were generally accustomed to meet at Old Palestine on Saturday, and after their w^eek's work was completed, and had a good time generall}'. They would sometimes settle disputes by going in on their "muscle," and after the fight had been finished, the two contestants would make friends.

Two of the best fighters of the neighborhood, were "Bill" Hedrick and Joseph Wrench. They "locked horns" at last. "Bill" was a large, tall, rawboned man, and Wrench was low and heavy set. Wrench got the better of the fight, which was terrible while it lasted. The best citizens of the neighborhood were in sympathy with Wrench, for he was a very quiet, peaceable man, and would fight only in self-defense ; but Hedrick was inclined to be overbearing in his conduct towards others, in other respects, a jolly, clever fellow.

One day while Hedrick was sitting on his horse in Old Palestine, a number of those with whom he had fought, clubbed together and gathered around him with the intention of giving him a good thrashing, and became quite noisy in their threatenings against him. He remained quiet until they had somewhat subsided, when he remarked: ^'Gentlemen, are 3'ou going to whip me?" "Yes, we are," they answered. "Well," said he, "if that is the case, I'll not remain to see it ; so I bid you good bye I" He then put spurs to his horse, pulled off his hat, waved it in defiance, and galloped away.

Another anecdote : A. and B. were about to fight. A. was making for B., and B. was backing all the time, keeping out of striking distance, yet appearing greatly excited. At this time his friends came up, and said, "Go it, B., pitch into him, B., and we will back you I" B then remarked, "Tm not afraid of any man, if I am, me."

A drill muster which lasted for three days took place at Old Palestine some time during the year 1841. On the first day, one of the officers imbibed pretty freely, and commenced cutting up and quarreling with some of the citizens. Some of those who had gathered to see the muster, concluded that he would be a good subject out of whom to have some fun. So they organized a mock court, making Dr. William Moo;e, judge, and another one of the citizens, constable.

The officer, who by this time had become pretty tight, was arrested by the pretended constable, with what appeared to be a reguhir writ, on a charge of attempting to kill some of the citizens. He thinking all this a terrible reality^ engaged one of the bystanders to defend him, and tremblingly asked his lawyer if he thought he could save him. The attorney replied, that it was a hard case, and that he feared that nothing could save him, as the evidence against him was so strong, although he promised to use his best efforts in his defense.

The "Prosecuting Attorney" commenced the testimony for the State, and the "Judge" asked the first witness if he thought the accused had any intention of killing any person, and casually remarked : "If that s\'as the case, he would have him hutig be/ore night. This remark caused the prisoner to turn pale, and tremble with fear. After the taking of the testimony w-as concluded, the attorney for the State made his speech, asking in it, that the prisoner be hung without delay, as they had clearly proved that he was guilty as charged. While the defendant's attorney was speaking, strongly pleading for his client's life, some one, under the guise of friendship, whispered to the prisoner, that the only way to save his life, was to jump out of the back window and make for the woods. He accordingly, while, as he supposed, the attention of the audience was directed towards his attorney, jumped out of the window, mounted his horse which happened to be standing near by, and galloped away as fast as his horse could go, with the crowd shouting after him. Along the road, on his way home, he was seen passing several houses under whip.

Although he was afterwards told that all that had passed was intended as a joke, it had so much the appearance of reality that he could not be persuaded that it was a joke, and never returned to that part of the country again.

Another anecdote will suffice for Old Palestine. Tliere came to this place a fast young man from some of the Eastern States, whom we will call "Curtis W." One day he had a fight at that place w^ith another young man ; got the better of him, and then said: ''Gentlemen, I have fought over fourteen States, and this is the first man I ever whipped." Many other like occurrences which took place at this famous old town might be related, but no more space can be spared from the general history for that purpose.

Old Palestine was laid off on a high, beautiful prairie, almost surrounded by timber, and its location is considered very healthy. D. E. Putnam, Alexander Evans, Darius Day, Daniel Hickerson, Lovel Patterson, and two other families are all that are left in this once populous village, D. E. Putnam being the mayor, and Daniel Hickerson city clerk.