Pleasant Hill Township

Pleasant Hill Township

LOCATION - LARGEST TOWTN IN COUNTY - SCHOOLS - CHURCHES - BANKS - NEWS¬ PAPERS - LODGES - FIRST MASONIC LODGE IN THE COUNTY - BUSINESS EN¬ TERPRISES - PLATTED IN 1844 - FIRST SETTLEMENT - EARLY MERCHANTS - * COUNTY SEAT TROUBLE - ERA OF GREAT PROSPERITY _ PAGES 128-129

LOCATION - LARGEST TOWN IN COUNTY - SCHOOLS - CHURCHES - BANKS - NEWS¬ PAPERS - LODGES - FIRST MASONIC LODGE IN THE COUNTY - BUSINESS EN¬ TERPRISES - PLATTED IN 1844 - FIRST SETTLEMENT - EARLY MERCHANTS - - COUNTY SEAT TROUBLE - ERA OF GREAT PROSPERITY.

This is one of the old towns of the county, situate in north and eastern part of the county, on the main line of the Missouri Pacific railroad where the Lexington and Southern connects with the main Missouri Pacific railroad, thirty-three miles southeast of Kansas City, Missouri, and twelve miles northeast of Harrisonville, the county seat. The original town was located on a high hill about two miles northeast of the present railroad depot. When the town moved to the railroad it retained the old name. It is the shipping point of a very rich agri¬ cultural and stock raising country. The city is probably the largest town in the county and is substantially built. There are three public schools. The Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Congregational, Protestant Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South, Old School Presbyterian and Cumberland Presbyterian denominations have pleasant commodious buildings and their several devotees work at their religious professions.

The finances of the city and surrounding country are managed by the Citizens Bank, the Pleasant Hill Banking Company, the Commercial Bank and Farmers National Bank. The city has two well managed and edited papers, "The Local" and "The Times," both democratic in politics. The Masons and Odd Fellows have long held lodges there. There is a claim that the Masons organized a lodge there in 1854, and that this was the first lodge in the county. This lodge suspended during the War of the Rebellion and reorganized, following the close of the war. Other lodges are well represented.

A great business is done here, besides its flouring mills, elevators and the Kellogg Flower Garden. Many other manufactories and shops are doing a thriving and successful business. The present population is about 2,500. The town now extends over the old hill as well as over and around the bottoms or railroad yards, by reason of the several addi¬ tions to the town.

Uptown was platted in 1844 by M. W. Wright. It was incorpo¬ rated as a city in 1859. Dr. Logan McReynolds was the first mayor. In 1866 the old act of incorporation was amended and specially chartered by act of the legislature (Acts 1867, page 53).

The first settlements on the town site were made by William H. Duncan and Walter H. Taylor, who bought out an old French trader and storekeeper and moved the store to this place. Other early mer¬ chants were William Ferrell, M. W. Wright, N. E. Harrelson, Rice and Davy, Clayton VanHoy, William H. Palmer and John M. Armstrong. During the War of the Rebellion the town was practically depopulated.

Following this war came the troubles between Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville over a new county and the county seat. This aided and precipitated our county bond troubles, treated elsewhere.

From the close of the war, up to 1873, this town experienced a phenominal degree of prosperity. Its trade was simply immense. It reached far west into Kansas, as far south as Arkansas and divided the trade east to the Missouri River. Town lots then sold for thousands of dollars each, the same lots can now be bought for ten dollars each. The panic of 1873 wrought havoc to Pleasant Hill, as it did to many other towns, and in fact the whole country.

All these effects have passed away, the business of this city is again substantially founded and prosperous. Pleasant Hill is on the map and is a desirable place to live, invest your money in its property and to do any business, trade or establish manufactories. Its people are wide¬ awake, hospitable and up to latest business methods.