Weaubleau Township

Weaubleau Township

This town is situated on lands in Section 11, Township 36, Range 24, entered by William Hawkins October 23, 1840. It was the earliest land entry in the Township, except two, the East half of the Northeast quarter of Section 1, and the other a part of the N. M. Durnell old farm Southeast of town. These entries were made in 1838 and 1839. The first town survey was made at the instance of Rev. Emerson Barber, by Patrick Chancellor, County Surveyor, December 3, 1880. on the Northeast fourth of the Northeast fourth of the Southwest quarter Section 11, and the name given to it was "Haren." The first addition to the town was caused to be surveyed by A. A. John, August 20, 1883, by Patrick Chancellor. This survey was an addition to *'Haren," and was not described as being on any forty acres, but was said to be South of ."Haren." The next addition was made by Robert Dey, who caused lots to be surveyed on the Southwest fourth of the Southeast of the Northwest quarter of Section 11, May 29, 1886, by Patrick Chancellor. This was also named as an addition to "Haren," and on the same date William D. Harryman and Calvin Hartley caused to be surveyed 22 lots on the Southwest fourth of the Southeast fourth of the Northwest quarter of Section 11, lying South o! Dey's addition, and described as the South half of blocks 5 and 8, of Dey's addition, and known as the town of Weaubleau. The college addition was surveyed and platted on the Southeast fourth of the Northwest quarter of Section 11, July 28-29, 1893. Gentry's addition was surveyed and platted June 10, 1898, by P. M. Burns, Surveyor of Polk county, and is described as being part of the Northwest fourth of the Southeast quarter and part of the Southwest fourth of the Northeast quarter of Section 11. Upton & Leonard's addition, made by Joseph B. Upton and Ben F. Leonard, was surveyed by Patrick Chancellor. March 8-11, 1898, and is located on the South two-thirds of the North half of the Southeast quarter of Section 11. Broadway Heights addition was made by Ben F. Leonard and B. T. Perriman, and was surveyed by Rev. Green M. Botts, County Surveyor of Polk county, June 2, 1904, and is located on the Northwest fourth of the Southwestquarterof Section 12, Township 36, Range 24.

The first man who sold goods in Weaubleau, or what is now Weaubleau, was Jeff Sharp. He had a little store building and store there as early as 1871. It stood West or Northwest of the Institute building. About that time the first brick College building was erected in the tall grass where it now stands, and is used for a Christian church and other purposes. The principal contributors to this College building were: John Whitaker, Joseph Whitaker, Thomas Whitaker, Sr., William Swink, Francis Yoast, Dr. A. C. Marquis, Hon. Samuel S. Burr, dette, Thomas J. Tucker, C. M. Largent, George W.Durnell,^ Sr., and Monroe Durnell. After the walls of the building were, up a wind storm blew the second story down, and that made quite a hitch about getting it rebuilt and ready for school. The Principals of the school in the old Institute building were: Prof.

Rev. Joel Meyers. In 1880 or 1881, Thomas Phipps and Daniel Rogers, built a saw mill at the old mill place, on the Southwest fourth of the Northwest quarter of Section 11, and a little later Mr. Phipps and Joseph J. Conn and his son put up a steam flouring mill. This mill passed into the hands of Wil- Uam D. Harryman and Calvin Hartley, and was moved to Col- Uns, St. Clair county, about 1889. A. A. John built a store building where the town now is near where Dr. WiUiam C. Gentry built the two-story building where the store of James

A. Hawkins now is. Mr. John continued in business until 1894. L. D. John built and went into business in 1886 at or near where he is now doing business. There were built about 1881 or 1882, two buildings near the old mill place, perhaps on the Southeast corner of the Southeast fourth of the Northeast quarter of Section 10, and in one of them William D. Harryman and Calvin Hartley sold goods, and in the other a hotel was kept by an old man by the name of Hardy, father-in-law og William E. Crouch. Harryman & Hartley quit business there about 1885, and built a business house with I. 0. 0. F. hall in the second story about a quarter of a mile East of there. An I. 0. 0. F. Lodge was organized in 1883, but it was organized in the second story of the College building. The first public school building stood North and near where the old College building stands, and a larger and better school building was built in 1884, in the Northwest part of town. Perhaps Charles G. McMahan first kept hotel in the town, but John Baynham was there in a hotel where Mr. Pruett now runs the Commercial hotel about 1882. Robert Orr and John 0. James were also there in the hotel business, and not far from that time, before, perhaps, William E. Crouch kept hotel East of the old mill place. August W. Doerman, came there about 1884, and went into business and continued in business until about the first of the year 1887. Along about these years Thomas H. Bird, Patric Chancellor, and James J. Ramsey, were in the mercantile business there. Had not A. A. John, L. D. John and Weaubleau Christian Institute been there after the flouring mill was removed and other men whom we have named went out of business, the town would have been almost abandoned. The conditions were very discourageing for the school for some time. There were not a great many such prosperous farmers, and large well cultivated farms in the neighborhood of the town in those years, and not a railroad nearer than Appleton City, and Clinton. But this was not allowed to be continued. In 1892, enterprising citizens of the town and neighborhood laid plans and determined, to awaken an interest in the high school, and put new life into the town. This was carried out in 1893, by the laying out of the College addition to the town into lots, streets and alleys on July 28-29, 1893. and the building of the present commodious, and convenient College building at the North end of town, away from the business center. The association that represented the builders was incorporated by the Circuit Court of Hickory County, November 23, 1893, with William E. Crouch, Robert Dey, Thomas J. Tucker, C. M. Largent, and Thomas H. Houser as Trustees. Before the completion of the new College building the town began to grow, new residences and new business houses were built, and the town put on a great amount of new life, but only gradually, until the Kansas City, Osceola, and Southern Railroad, now Frisco, came in August 13, 1898. This put entirely new hfe and many new people in the town. Prior to the coming of the Railroad the Baptist people had erected a commodious church building in the West part of town. The residences and business houses built in anticipation of the coming of the railroad, and immediately after the arrival of its trains are too numerous to mention. August 13, 1898, was a boom day for Weaubleau. In the spring or early summer of 1898, the T. A. Miller Lumber Co., put in a lumber yard and in the fall ot 1898, B. F. Tucker, an enterprising, and wealthy young man, who was born, raised and educated there, put in a lumber yard and is there in busi^ ness now, he having purchased the stock of the T. A. Miller Cd. In 1904-5, Mrs. Margaret J. Forshe, who had been in the hotel business almost from girlhood, erected a handsome, roomy hotel on the North side of the main street leading from the main business part of town to the depot, which she sold to Thomas J. McCracken in 1906. Also in the years 1904-5, William H. Nichols, with the assistance of others, erected near the Frisco depot, a fine, large, steam, full roller process, flouring mill which has done a large business since its erection. It has now passed into the hands of John P. Monroe & Son, the large stock feeders of Weaubleau Township. A large, convenient brick public school building was built in 1902, and the Methodist Episcopal church people, and people of the Christian church (sometimes called Cahipbellites) have nice, commodious church buildings, while the other Christian church, (sometimes called New Lights) keep in repair and use the lower story of the old Institute building as a place of worship.

July 25, 1899, the Bank of Weaubleau was organized, by Joseph Whitaker, Laura 0. Whitaker, Thomas H. Whitaker, Della^^Whitaker, Ida Whitaker, and George Clinton Hardy. It has a capital stock of $5,000 all paid up, and is a substantial, convenient and safe institution. In 1906, Thomas H. Whitaker, Cashier of the Bank of Weaubleau, and Prof. John Whitaker, who has represented this county two terms in the lower house of the State Legislature built a large, magnificent brick building of two stories with two rooms below suitable for any sort of store rooms, one of which is now occupied by Mason & Robbinett, Druggists, and the other is occupied by WiUiam U. Morton, General Merchandise.

The business and business men of the town are as follows: L. D. John, General Store, Ben F. Tucker, Assignee for T. S. Heath & Son, General Store, William U. Morton, General Store, William S. Goans, Dry Goods and Groceries, L. L. Roberts, Groceries and Meat Market, Allee & Son, Harness, Famous Clothing House, Clothing and Gents Furnishings, Weaubleau Pharmacy, Drugs, Charles D. Tharp, Dentist, W. B. McCord, Dentist, W. C. Gentry, Physician, W. J. Mason, Physician, Marlow Bros., Second Hand and Racket Store, T. A. Griffin, Produce, J. C. Lowe, Produce, Hartley & Davis, Barbers, Knight & Son, Hardware and Implements, E. D. Brown, Groceries and Restaurant, R. G. Kittel, Photographer and Jeweler, N. E. Estes, Books and Stationery, Thomas J. McCracken, Hotel, W. E. Pruett, Hotel, Owens Bros., Livery, Feed and Sale Stable, T. S. Durnell, Livery, Feed and Sale Stable, W. W. Tharp, Marble and Granite Works, J. J. Ashinhurst, Blacksmith, Howard Buckalew, Blacksmith, Chas. Fields, Wagon Maker, Mrs. L. D. John, Millinery, Mrs. W. J. Mason, Millinery, T. J. Tucker, Daryman and Ice Dealer, B. F. Tucker, Lumber, John P. Monroe & Son, Flouring Mills, Bank of Weaubleau, C. C Brookshire, Real Estate, Weaubleau Telephone Co.

Some of the resident Physicians have been: Emerson Barber, A. L. Fisher, Zachariah Barnes, George B. Viles, E. L. Burks, L. B. Selvidge. William C. Gentry, H. C. Brookshire, Wm. J. Mason, and Byron Ferguson.

Hickory Camp, W. 0. W. No. 505, was organized April 25, 1906, with the following officers: J. A. Jamison, C. Com., J. McNabb, A. Lt., J. D. Sims, Banker, Guy Robinett, Clerk, W. A. Leach, Escort, D. Whitson, Watchman, H. Nelson, Sentry. Present officers are: J. A. Jamison, P. C. C, Guy Robinett, C. C., J. W. Thompson, A. Lt., J. D. Sims, Banker, W. A. Leach, Watchman, W. J. Fitzhugh, Sentry, T. J. McCracken. Escort, and G. M. Priest, Clerk.