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THE CHARITON COLLECTOR

NORTHEAST MISSOURI HISTORY AND FOLKLORE
Spring 1987
$2.95


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THE CHARITON COLLECTOR

Kirksville Senior High
Kirksville, Missouri
Spring, 1987
Vol. 7 No. 2 Issue 14

The Chariton Collector is published by the Missouri State History class of Kirksville Senior High 
School. This special class attempts to preserve the history and local folklore of Northeast 
Missouri. Copyright 1987.

CONTENTS

Escape-Proof? . . . . . 2
Rick Gooch and Tony Frost

A Picturesque Landmark! . . . . . 5
Jean McCullough

An Age Old Tradition . . . . . 8
Ben Thomas

Muzzle-Loading In Missouri . . . . . 10
Brent Winn

Preserving A Heritage . . . . . 13
Gayla Hill

Scenes from the Past . . . . . 16

Train Of Promise . . . . . 18
Dana Kollar

A Family Affair . . . . . 21
Karla Baugher

A Centennial Anniversary . . . . . 23
Jonathan Walker

Doc Savage . . . . . 27
Corey Pritchard

Water Witching . . . . . 30
John Hill

Adair County's Own . . . . . 32
Brian Walker

[photo caption] Folklore states that round barns were intended to keep the devil from hiding in 
the comers. The round barn is featured in Jean McCullough's story on page 5.

COVER PICTURE
Mr. Orie Smith built this bridge in the early 1900s. It has been used everyday as an access to the 
Smith family farm. This photograph was taken by Rick Gooch in February of this year.

EDITOR
Denny Smoyer

ASSISTANT EDITOR
Jean McCullough

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Gayla Hill


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[photo caption] The Adair County Jail, which was located on the corner of Franklin and Missouri 
Streets, was built in 1906.

ESCAPE-PROOF?

By the early 1970s the Adair County Jail had become a topic of heated discussion. It seemed that 
the "escape-proof" jail, built at the turn of the century, was becoming just the opposite. Over 
the decades Adair County's jail deteriorated until finally in 1973, Sheriff Leon Coy was forced 
to lock its doors for the final time.

The first plans to build the former Adair County Jail were in 1897. A bond issue to construct a 
courthouse and also a jail for $50,000 was passed by the needed two-thirds majority. The courthouse 
was constructed first, and because of an overrun in its cost, no funds were available for the 
construction of a jail.

Another bond issue, after many defeats, was passed in 1905 to construct the new Adair County Jail. 
This bond was for $17,367. The jail was built by Pauly Jail Company of St. Louis and A.L. Holmes 
of Kirksville and was completed in July of 1906.

The old Adair County Jail, which was located on the corner of Missouri and Franklin Streets, was 
a large two-story building with a basement. The ground floor was built of concrete and stronger 
material to prevent the escape of prisoners from the jail. The outer wall of the jail was 
constructed of two layers of brick to add extra reinforcement. The jail had the capacity to confine 
nearly 30 people. There were two cell blocks on each floor with two individual cells upstairs The 
upper floor, in which the sheriff's living quarters were located, was constructed mainly of wood 
The sheriff's living quarters consisted of four rooms and a bath. Attached to the jail was a small 
garage. The sheriff was unable to use it because it was designed to accomodate a Model-T sized car, 
not a modern one.

A few years after the construction, extra bars and steel partitions were added to the jail to make 
it more secure. "The builders of the jail thought at the outset that this was an escape-proof jail, 
but they soon found out that is was not. Not long after the jail was built, there were some escapes. 
To correct the situation, one of the sheriffs came along with some heavy steel bars and individual 
cells, both on the lower floor and on the upper floor. As a result of that additional weight, the 
floor sagged, and the bars began to warp a little bit," said Mr. G. E. Grossnickle, who served as 
sheriff from 1949 to 1957. "There is no question that when the extra weight was added to the 
building, it deteriorated much faster." Mr Leon Coy said, "The jail had been in bad condition for 
years. It deteriorated pretty fast at the last."

By 1957 many of the doors to the individual cells would not close or lock; the prisoners could roam 
inside the jail. "While I was sheriff," said Mr. Grossnickle, "there wasn't any cell that you could 
lock except the padded cell. If we thought we had someone dangerous, we took log chains and a 
padlock and locked the chains around the doors to where the prisoners couldn't get out."

Through the years many improvements had been made to both the jail and also the sheriff's living 
quarters. In 1949 the interior of the sheriff's home was completely redecorated. Mr. Grossnickle 
said, "The living quarters were excellent when I was elected sheriff. The County Court, which is 
now the County Commission, cleaned the living quarters up. They wallpapered it, fixed the floors, 
and it was a comfortable place to live." 

Though the sheriff's quarters had been imporved, the overall condition of the jail was very poor 
During Sheriff Grossnickle's term he called a jail inspector from St Louis and asked him to inspect 
the jail. He recalled, "The inspector told me that we didn't have a jail here at all. He also said 
that if it were him, he would move out of that jail tonight." Olin Johnson, sheriff from 1957 to 
1965, said, "The jail was so bad that tobacco cans

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[photo caption] During the later years of the jail's history, escapes were frequent. Using a 
hacksaw, the prisoner sawed out of the cell and escaped out a window.

were nailed over rat holes, and several rivots were popping loose."

Sheriff Johnson did much to improve the condition of the jail. By doing such things as removing 
the steel doors that would not close and converting them into bunks, he was able to increase the 
capacity of the jail. These were the same steel doors that were added to make the jail secure.

Mr. Grossnickle had some people escape when he was sheriff. Sheriff Grossnickle recalls, "These 
two boys dug out the plaster wall and escaped out of a hole in the back of the building. They dug 
that hole out with a spoon." Sheriff Coy also had prisoners escape. One prisoner of Coy's sawed 
out of the jail with a saw passed to him by some of his relatives and he escaped through a window.

The sheriff did not work alone. During Mr. Grossnickle's and part of Mr. Johnson's terms, two 
deputies were employed to assist the sheriff with his duties. It was not until the middle of 
Mr. Johnson's second term that another deputy, Lola Steele, was hired to help with the increased 
paper work. There were two main jobs of the deputies. One was the serving of papers. Mrs. Steele 
said, "The main job in a sheriff's office was learning the paper work." An additional duty was the 
care of prisoners. Deputies' responsibilities also included being on call 24 hours a day. Deputy 
Steele added she was on call 24 hours a day, coming in anytime she was needed.

Being elected sheriff was a job that involved the whole family. The wife was in charge of cooking 
the food for all the prisoners, cleaning the jail, manning the phone and radio, and guarding the 
prisoners during the day. To cover the expense of the food, the wife was given $1.40 a day per 
prisoner. While the children did not have specific duties, they still lived in the jail and were 
faced with the day-to-day problems of being a part of the sheriffs family. There is no doubt that 
the sheriffs family was faced with a considerable amount of stress, caring for the prisoners day 
in and day out, 24 hours a day. Mrs. Steele said,

[photo caption] The old Adair County Jail housed the sheriff in the front and confined the prisoners 
in the rear Jack Shelton, Presiding Commissioner from 1975 to 1985, is shown in the foreground.

[photo caption] Sheriff Leon Coy was forced to lock the cell door for the last time in 1973 because 
of the deteriorating condition of the jail.

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"It was awful hard on the sheriff's wife; she was confined to that place."

Work began during Mr. Johnson's terms to either fix the existing jail or to get it condemned and 
build another jail. Mainly because of the condition of the jail, six prisoners escaped in eight years 
while Mr. Johnson was in office. All of these prisoners were recovered within two weeks. The 
condition of the jail worsened until Mr. Coy was notified on January 16, 1973, that a Board of 
Trustees the day before had recommended that the jail be closed until it was brought up to adequate 
standards or a new one was constructed. On the morning of the 17th, Sheriff Coy composed the letter 
that announced the closing of the jail. Coy had just three prisoners so he called the Macon County 
sheriff to care for his prisoners. Macon took custody of Adair County's prisoners until the new jail 
was built.

The process to receive the funds needed to construct a new jail was started. Mr. Jack Shelton said, 
"There were three bond issues, but all were defeated by a big margin." The last bond failed in 1974 
by about a four-to-one margin.

The decision was then made to build a new jail with revenue sharing money from the government. The 
County Court set aside $117,000 Mr. Shelton said, "No bond issue or tax levy was used to pay for 
the new jail." The present jail was constructed for almost $160,000, the difference in cost provided 
by miscellaneous money from the county.

The next step was to demolish the existing jail. Milton Armstrong was contracted for $5,000 to 
raze the building and clear the lot on the corner of Franklin and Missouri Streets. This work was 
completed in June of 1975. The new jail was not completed until the late fall of 1976.

The new jail brought about a major change in the sheriff's duties. The sheriff no longer had to 
personally care for the prisoners at night, the sheriff's wife did not have to cook for the 
prisoners, and most of all, the family no longer was forced to live in the same building as the 
prisoners.

by Rick Gooch and Tony Frost

Sheriff and Term of Office
John T Curry . . . . . 1905-1908
G F. Williams . . . . . 1909-1912
S C. Willis . . . . . 1913-1916
Marion Shoop . . . . . 1917-1920
Emery D. Waddil . . . . . 1921-1924
Marion Shoop . . . . . 1925-1928
Joseph Winslow . . . . . 1929-1932
Charles A. Novinger . . . . . 1933-1936
Arthur Floyd . . . . . 1937-1940
Robert Love . . . . . 1941-1944
Alex Brown . . . . . 1945-1948
G E. Grossnickle . . . . . 1949-1956
Olin Johnson . . . . . 1957-1964
Leon Coy . . . . . 1965-1976 

[photo caption] Loree Coy was required to prepare three meals a day for the prisoners and also 
watch over them during the day.

[photo caption] The Adair County Jail, which served Adair County for 68 years, was vacant for 
nearly two years before it was torn down in 1975 to make way for a new jail.

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[photo caption] The Black and White Farm, located three miles east on Highway P, is what one 
could call a true round barn The granary, pictured to the far right, and the stone bridge are 
still standing today. This photo was taken in 1914.

A Picturesque Landmark!

There is something unique, appealing, and picturesque about a round barn. Some that are called 
round are not true round barns, some are octagon, others are polygonal. The polygonal barns can 
be 6, 10, 12, or 16 sides. There are so few left throughout the country, that one must drive miles 
to see and to photograph this rarity. Many barns have been abandoned and torn down, but Adair County 
is fortunate to have one left in mint condition. Artists have often painted and photographed this 
barn, and last year it was featured on the cover of the Kirksville Area Wide telephone book.

The round barn was built in 1913 by Orie J. Smith, the original owner of the Black and White Farm. 
It is located three miles east on Highway P. "Dad sent away for the plans in early 1913 and he 
modified them to suit his needs," said Ben Smith, Orie's son.

Orie Smith and his family lived in a log cabin while he built the round barn. The cabin was located 
just back of the present house which was built in 1917. Ben was born one year later, in 1918, 
so there has been a Smith owning the barn since it was built.

Snow was on the ground when Mr. Smith began to lay the foundation for the lower part of the barn. 
"He drove his team and spreader the entire circumference to insure the right capacity," said Ben 
Smith.

He added, "Dad hired a few men, He hired a head carpenter, which he paid $2 per day and the regular 
carpenters were paid a dollar per day." It took about a year for them to build the barn. The 
carpenters would drive their teams to work and most of the work was done by hand tools. The cost 
to build the barn was approximately $3,000 to $5,000.

The barn is 64 feet in diameter, 64 feet high, and has 54 windows. The floor space measures 6,434 
square feet and 128,680 cubic feet on the inside floor. "It is constructed mostly of yellow pine 
that cost two cents per square foot. There are hardly any pine knots in the lumber," said Mr. Smith.

It is constructed on a 18-inch foundation with an 8 foot wall

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[photo caption] The Ben Smith barn today.

by Jean McCullough

of concrete blocks. These blocks, 24 x 8 x 9 inches, each weigh 7.5 pounds.

The lower part of the barn was used to house the livestock. "It was hard to put pens in a round barn; 
that's why the seven stalls are oblong in shape," stated Mr. Smith. They were used for mules and 
horses, as well as hogs and cattle. The building was filled with livestock almost everyday for 70 years.

The barn had gravity-fed running water, as well as the adjacent feed lots. The water was from a pond 
constructed 200 feet up hill.

The barn was built in the side of a hill so that loads of hay could be hauled into the hay loft and 
be unloaded with a hay fork A round track in the middle of the roof is 360 degrees, 25 feet from the 
floor. One could drop the hay where one desired. "When unloading the hay one drove the wagon in one 
door and then out the other," stated Mr. Smith. Two other horizontal tracks are 40 feet from the 
floor which fill the center part to capacity. The barn could hold 100 tons of loose hay.

There is 12 feet of wood siding topped by the roof. "The roof is fully self-supporting. It has no 
poles to get in the way of the wagon when unloading the hay," said Mr. Smith. Fifty squares of 
shingles cover the roof. But the original roof was made of wooden shingles. Today the roof is covered 
by regular asphalt shingles.

The cupola has six windows, three of them slant inward to keep the rain out, as well as permitting a 
good air flow. The rafters are 1x8 inches, sawed on the back side to make them curve easily and 
laminated together three deep to make the desired length to reach the big wheel just under the cupola. 
The cupola is made of boards 2x12x6 feet sawed on outer side, laminated five deep. This type of roof 
is called conical. The wheel is about 12 feet in diameter and the rafters are woven into the wheel. 
Under the wheel is the hay shaft, with a ladder to the cupola. There are twice as many rafters at the 
bottom of the roof as there are at the top of the roof.

Why build a round barn and what are the advantages of a round barn? One reason for building this 
round barn was that all the livestock could be kept in the barn, eliminating several outside 
buildings to house livestock. The barn is also easier to clean. The tractor could be driven into the 
barn and the bucket used for cleaning it out. This round barn is cooler in the summer and warmer 
in the winter because it was built into a hill. The cement blocks also keeps the barn warmer and 
cooler. Another advantage of having a round barn is wind resistance, the wind blows around the 
smooth sides of the barn. Also, there is 27 percent more space in a round barn than in a square barn.

[photo caption] The ladder, with 36 rungs, leads to the cupola.

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Ben Smith has kept the barn in mint condition by painting it every six to seven years and by 
shingling the roof every 35 years.

Over 1,000 people from all types of life, have made inquiries about the barn - artists, professors, 
photographers, and architects. The barn is a favorite for NMSU art students and also local artists. 
Other farmers inquire about the advantages and disadvantages of the barn.

"Gone are the days that one needs a barn, there is no need to house livestock. No longer do farmers 
farm the land by mules and horses, no longer is there any need to store 100 tons of loose hay to 
feed one's livestock," said Mr. Smith. With the round barn becoming a part of the vanishing 
landmarks, one can only hope that people who own round barns will maintain them so that future 
generations can admire and study them.

One of the four double doors, which curves around the barn, is another unique feature of this 
barn.

The pulley in the cupola was used to pull hay to the top of the hay stacks.

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An Age Old Tradition

Beekeeping is an age old tradition practiced in this area for many generations. Bees are found 
both wild and domesticated in North Missouri. There are many aspects to beekeeping, from caring 
for the hives to discovering wild swarms.

To find a wild swarm of bees begin looking for a fairly large pond on a warm summer afternoon when 
the flowers are blooming. If bees are close they will be at the pond getting water for their honey. 
Watch them take off, they will make a straight line for the hive. Begin walking in the direction 
the bee went. If a bee is on a flower, watch it take off to check your direction. Finding the tree 
may take some time, but chances are it can be found. Mark the tree so it can be found again and to 
let others know it has been claimed.

To remove the honey and the bees, the tree should be cut. If the bees are in the main trunk of the 
tree, cut the entire tree down. Jim Thomas, a 40-year beekeeper, remembered, "The first wild swarm 
I took I found walking home from work one day when I was 13. The bees were in the branch of a black 
cherry tree. I went home, found my dad, and told him that I wanted to get a swarm of bees. He asked 
how I was going to do it and I told him I was going to take a tub and a curtain, put the tub 
underneath the branch, climb up, and cut it off so that it falls in the tub, throw the curtain over 
it and then you will drive me home. He thought for a little bit and then we did it."

Bees will build their homes almost anywhere. In years past beekeepers preferred to use pieces of 
hollow gum logs, which is why many hives are today called gums. For best results use a prebought or 
a homemade box. It should have one opening facing the south, to keep out the bad weather, and should 
be elevated on cement blocks. This helps keep the hive level, prevents rats from nesting underneath, 
and protects the base of the hive from rotting.

During the summer months bees can be left alone. They may need to be checked from time to time to 
make sure no diseases or pests are bothering the hive, and to prevent a young queen from being born 
which could split the hive. To check on bees requires wearing bee garb: heavy pants, a hat with a 
veil, and gloves. This protects Mr. Thomas from the sometimes deadly sting. He recalled, "The worst 
stinging I ever saw was when bees got excited about a gelding picketed about 50 yards away from the 
hive but the bees' flight path led across it. Within 15 minutes the horse had been stung several 
thousand times. I cut the rope, got it away from the bees, and called the vet; we lost the horse 
anyway."

When fall comes the real work begins, harvesting the honey. Remove the slats that contain honey; 
these will be covered with a waxy substance. Underneath there will be a hexagon tube about one-half 
inch long. To remove this use a hot knife and cut the wax off. Then set the slat in a pan and let 
gravity ooze the honey out. Several machines are available and Mr. Thomas described one. "It looks 
like a 50-gallon garbage can with a motor on one side and a counter weight on the other. There is a 
spindle going down the middle with stainless steel baskets." It works by centrifugal force pulling 
the honey out. Once the comb is empty or the machine is full, the honey can be put through a strainer 
and jarred.

by Ben Thomas

[photo caption] A handcranked honey extractor like the one pictured here is used to remove honey from 
its comb.

[photo caption] Beekeepers use a veil and gloves to prevent the honey bee from stinging them.

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[photo caption] Cliff Hollenbeck removes a section of brood where the bees live during the winter 
months.

The largest honey producer in this area is Bolley Bunch with over 100 hives. Most people keep just a 
few, 7-12, so selling the honey is not important because they only raise the honey for themselves. 
The larger producers are feeling competition though, said Mr. Thomas. "The honey you buy in the store 
is foreign. I'm not saying it's good or bad, I'm just saying that the countries that produce it may 
not treat it with the purity and respect it deserves."

After the fall harvest the bees hibernate in the hive during the winter. Many people use this time 
to repair equipment or build new boxes Almost every beekeeper will clean the super, the part of the 
hive where the honey is produced and stored, to remove any larvae pests have laid such as mice, 
skunks, ants, and moths. Usually the bees can take care of the pests themselves, but if they do 
not the hive could be lost.

Although most people in this area keep bees as a hobby, some hold their bees dear. Mr. Thomas swore, 
"As I go from hive to hive there is a change in personality between each swarm. Some of the hives I 
could work with nothing on but the hive right next to it will attack you by the time I've said this." 
Many techniques used a hundred years ago are still used today and beekeeping is as popular as ever.

[photo caption] Cliff Hollenbeck prefers to wear white when working around bees because the color 
calms them. He is looking for the queen bee by removing sections of brood.

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[photo caption] R. O. Gill firing his muzzle-loading rifle.

Muzzle-Loading in Missouri

Before Missouri became a state the land was not only tamed with axes, horses, and hard work but 
also with a gun called the musket. Though guns have greatly changed, the musket is basically the 
same as it was 200 years ago.

A lot of people think that muzzle-loading weapons are in-accurate, ancient weapons, but one of the 
most accurate guns ever made was a muzzle-loading rifle. This gun was used in the Civil War as a 
sniper's rifle and had great accuracy up to 1,000 yards. Mr. Tony Mihalevich, an avid hunter with 
a muzzle-loader, has seen people shoot ten shots at 100 yards with a muzzle-loader and the holes 
can be covered with a 50-cent piece.

The rifle barrel was the real turning point in accuracy. In the old days guns were smooth bore, 
which means the barrel of the gun was smooth. Then in the mid-1800s riflings came into being. 
Rifling is spiral grooves cut into the barrel to make the bullet spin and gain velocity. Rifling 
is determined by the number of revolutions or the number of inches for one revolution. On a 
typical muzzle-loading rifle there are fewer riflings per inch of barrel than on a modern rifle.

There are basically two types of ignition systems on muzzle-loading guns, flintlock and percussion. 
The loading process of the two types are the same except for the priming step. The first step of 
loading a muzzle-loader is to fire a priming charge to burn away any moisture that might have 
collected in the barrel. If the gun is a percussion, the priming cap is placed over a hole called a 
nipple and fired to burn off any moisture. On a flintlock the frizzen, which is a small compartment 
that holds the priming charge, is filled with priming powder. Fill the pan level full of priming 
powder, close the frizzen, cock the hammer, and fire the priming charge. Never stand over the barrel 
because if there is a small hot coal in the firing chamber, it could ignite the powder in the barrel 
and fire.

Next the powder is measured by using a meter that depends on the grain of a bullet. A casing is used 
to hold the measured powder and the powder is poured into the gun by tripping a lever with a finger. 
Both black powder and pyrodex are measured the same but whereas pyrodex is heavier, black powder is 
denser. Pyrodex is relatively new; it is low yield powders mixed together to form a paste.

The next step is to pour the measured powder down the barrel. Hit the barrel several times with a 
hand to settle the powder in the chamber area of the bar rel. Then choose one of the two types of 
projectiles to shoot from the gun, a patched ball or a maxi-/mini-ball. A patched ball is round 
from a .32 to a .54 caliber. With this type of projectile a greased cloth patch is used to catch 
the riflings of the barrel and rotate the ball. Types of lubricants to use on the patch are Crisco 
and Vaseline. There are also commercial brands of lubricants to use. In the old days bear fat was 
a popular substitute as was the "spit patch" in which saliva was used to wet the patch. If left 
loaded for a long period of time, the bore will rust or dry out quickly and will not lubricate the 
ball. Melted pork or lamb fats also work as a lubricant but these will also turn bad after a long 
period of time. The ball never touches the sides of the barrel when the gun is fired. The patch 
does not stay in the barrel when the gun is fired but usually lands 20 feet in front of the bullet's 
target. The patch should have a uniform brown spot to show that the gun was fired with the proper 
amount of powder. This is one way of determining what load is being shot from the rifle. There 
should be no burned holes or darkened spots on the patch.

If shooting a maxi- or mini-ball, the grooves are filled with the same type of lubricant used on a 
patched ball. However,

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[photo caption] The first step of loading a muzzle-loader is firing a priming cap to burn the 
moisture out of the barrel.

[photo caption] Next pour the measured powder down the gun barrel.

[photo caption] Then place the projectile on the muzzle.

[photo caption] Tap the projectile down the barrel with a small mallet.

[photo caption] Continue to drive the projectile down the barrel with the long ramrod.

[photo caption] The last step before firing is placing a cap over the nipple and cocking the 
hammer back one click.

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by Brent Winn

a patch is not used; the grooves on the bullet catch the riflings on the barrel. The next step is 
to place the projectile over the muzzle of the barrel and with a small mallet gently push until the 
projectile starts down the muzzle. Then the ramrod part of the bullet starter is used to drive the 
bullet down the barrel about four inches. Next remove the long ramrod from the rifle and drive the 
ball down until it is testing firmly on the powder charge. A good idea is to mark the ramrod so the 
next time the gun is loaded the shooter will know where to stop driving the projectile. The last 
step is done by placing a priming charge on the gun. This step is done exactly the same as the first 
step of placing a priming charge on the gun to burn out any moisture.

A problem that faces every muzzle-loader hunter is driving the projectile down the barrel without 
loading the powder If the gun is a percussion, remove the nipple and load a small amount of powder 
into the barrel through the nipple hole. Put the nipple back on and push the ball all the way down 
until it rests on the light powder charge. Place a priming cap over the nipple and fire the rifle. 
This will clear the projectile out of the barrel. A flintlock model has a removable touch hole. With 
a small screwdriver press gently on the hole until it pops out, pour a light powder charge, and pop 
the hole back in place. Then push the ball until it rests on the charge and fire the gun. It is very 
dangerous to fire a muzzle-loader if the projectile is not seated well against the powder charge. 
This accounts for 99% of all accidents involving loading of a muzzle-loader.

Talking about cleaning a muzzle-loader, Mr. R. O. Gill says, "Oh my God it's a terrible job!" Since 
black powder and pyrodex are very corrosive, the gun must be cleaned the day it is shot or two to 
three days at the most. First use the ramrod and very hot soapy water to swab the barrel out very 
well. Then take hot clean water and rinse out the barrel. The reason for using very hot water is 
that the barrel will dry by itself and will not rust. Finally, take a lightly oiled cloth and run 
up and down the barrel. Mr. Mihalevich believes to insure total accuracy capability one must clean 
the barrel after each shot. He uses a liquid called "moose milk" that he received from some hunting 
friends in Oregon. It is a mixture of water soluble oil, water, and herbal essence soap. After each 
shot, wet a patch with this and run it down the bore a couple of times. When the patch is turned 
over it will be black from the powder residue inside the barrel. Then run three or four dry patches 
down the barrel and it is ready to shoot again. There are also several commercial brands of bore 
cleaners and solvents that can be used. Many people use pyrodex believing that they can get away 
from cleaning after each shot. Still Mr. Mihalevich believes if one is going to shoot primitive 
weapons, then one should use primitive powder, which is black powder. But to insure every shot will 
be the same, the gun must be cleaned so the powder will not disturb the riflings and make the 
projectile shoot off key.

Hunting game with muzzle-loaders has the same rules as hunting with modern rifles. Mr. Gill said 
that there is talk of opening a season in Missouri in which only hunters with muzzle-loaders can 
hunt for game such as deer and turkey. The only major difference between muzzle-loaders and modern 
rifles is that with muzzle-loaders the hunter has only one shot, so a lot of preparation goes into 
making sure that the gun, powder, and projectile are all perfect.

The National Muzzle-loading Rifle Association sponsors meets all over the country in which hunters 
shoot at targets much like modern rifle shoots. In these contests participants are only allowed to 
shoot the patched ball, no maxi- or mini-balls. Also participants are not allowed to use optical 
sights, only iron sights. Three or four years ago there was a primitive hunting club in Queen City 
but it disbanded due to lack of membership. The closest primitive hunting grounds to Adair County 
is at Rebel's Cove.

Mr. Mihalevich says that a muzzle-loader is as much a piece of art as a painting on the wall and 
when he is hunting with his muzzle-loader, he feels like he is back 100 years in time. Maybe others 
will have the urge to buy a muzzle-loader and experience the same joy as Mr. Mihalevich and Mr. Gill.

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Preserving A Heritage

The quilting world has seen various changes in the last century. Quilts have developed from being a 
necessity to being a work of art. Over the years costs have risen and new techniques have been 
developed. Quilting is truly an art that many people take for granted.

Quilt-making has been around longer than grandma and apple pie, especially in Northeast Missouri 
where we are largely an agriculture area. Most of the families in this area are accustomed to 
quilts and have several in their homes.

Although it is natural to imagine grandma sewing by the fire, the technique of quilting originated 
many centuries ago. It was practiced in ancient Egypt and in ancient China. It spread from Europe 
to the colonies as a matter of course.

The basic patchwork technique came to America in the 17th century. As immigrants flocked to America, 
they brought with them very few items and at that time quilts were a basic necessity. They were a 
necessity in the early American homes because of the cold winters and a constant supply of bedding 
was needed in the pioneers' poorly heated log homes. The technique of quilting developed because 
three layers are warmer than one.

by Gayla Hill

During the 17th and 18th centuries the design of bedcovers tended to develop from a base and flow 
outward and upward as in the typical Tree-of-Life design. In the 19th century it gradually gave 
way to more formalized patterns.

The main idea was for them to be warm and to withstand wear, they were patched and repatched, 
nothing was wasted Every scrap and remnant of leftover fabric was saved. Thrifty housewives were 
loath to throw away bits of cloth. Quilt-making epitomizes the American woman's spirit of 
conservation, ingenuity, and appreciation for fine things.

As the westward movement began, quilts were transported across the country. A great number and 
variety of names were given to quilt designs. It is not unusual to find patterns of the same design 
having many different names. Furthermore, the same name would be used for several totally unrelated 
patterns.

The important era of American quilt-making extended from about 1750-1860. The principal types of 
quilts are patchwork. They are pieced, which joins many small sections at the edges; and appliqued, 
on which the top layer has contrasting pieces of fabric sewn onto it. Applique was for the "best" 
quilts and the pieced quilts were for everyday. Designs spread as women borrowed ideas from each other 
and took patterns with them when their families moved.

[photo caption] Mrs. Archie Cooper used scrap material to make her award-winning Autumn Leaves quilt.

A popular feature of frontier life was the quilting bee, the most popular way of putting a quilt 
together. They were a special occasion for the whole neighborhood. The women would gather around the 
quilt to visit and exchange news of the community while the men were working; in the evening 
everyone would play games. It was a social pleasure second only to a religious gathering. Bees were 
also used to raise money for neighborhood and church projects.

Crazy quilts became very popular during this time, making use of waste materials. They were made of 
scraps of silk, satin, velvet, and embroidered pieces. Then during the 1840s and 1850s the making of 
the quilt into separate blocks led to a special type of quilt. This was known as a Signature, 
Autograph, Friendship, or Bride's quilt and was made for a special person. Since then a number of 
other quilts have grown in popularity such as the Wedding Ring and the Flower Garden quilt.

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[photo caption] These quilts were chosen by Bettina Havig for the 1984 Heritage Quilt Project, The 
quilt on the bed, made in 1870 by Louisa Snyder Novinger, belongs to her grandaughter, Catherine 
Novinger Reese. It was selected to be in the book Missouri Heritage Quilts and also as a part of 
the 1985 state tour. The Bears Paw quilt in the corner, made approximately 1865 and owned by 
Trevia Tucker, received an honorable mention from Ms. Havig.

In about 1935, quilt kits containing fabric pre-cut in standardized designs came onto the market 
in large quantities and the hand of the individual maker became less evident. Quilting by hand 
tends to be more creative than machine because designs can be more ornate and varied.

In this area of the country, there are large number of women who carry on the tradition of quilting. 
To name them all would be impossible because there are many different types of people interested 
in quilts.

One such person is Mrs. Gladys Cooper, an avid quilter, who has achieved great success with her 
quilts. She said, "I believe quilting just grows on you!" Her Autumn Leaves quilt, which was made 
from scrap material and organized into similar colors, traveled to Guam where it entered a quilt 
show to help Special Olympics. It was the most studied and photographed quilt at that show. In 
1986 it took first place at the quilt show held in Kirksville, sponsored by the Hand of Friendship 
Thread-binders. It also won "Best Overall" at the Adair County Fair.

Another example is Mrs. Trevia Tucker who travels to auctions with her husband, Tommy, searching 
for the older quilts to buy. "I make any minor repairs that are needed before I resell the quilts. 
We look for patterns and colors and rely on the quilt's personal appeal. I believe you must have 
the love of the quilts and the love of the old materials when you buy a quilt."

One last example is Mrs. Faith Hiatt. It is remarkable how one woman can complete the number of 
quilts she does in one year, she is constantly quilting. She has also found the time to teach 
quilting lessons at the Kirksville Area Vocational Technical Center.

The cost of quilts seem to have become astronomical. It is hard to envision the amount of time and 
love that has gone into making a quilt, especially when asked to pay the price. The quilt's value 
depends upon the delicacy of the stitching, the quality of the materials, the patterns, the colors 
of the design, its age and condition are also involved. Also, the size of the quilt and the skill 
of the quilter must be taken into account. The cost of the material varies depending upon the size 
of the quilt. The price could range from $25-$ 100 for materials alone. Mrs. Cooper feels that "an 
awful lot of money is wrapped up in a quilt besides the hours that it takes to quilt it! No one 
would pay you what it was worth; they would not pay you by the hour If you quilted by the hour it 
would be a very expensive quilt." Another expense that must be figured into the price is the cost 
of traveling either to buy a quilt or to sell one. According to Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, "It usually 
takes a whole day and often we go home with only one quilt and sometimes none. Our auto expense and 
cost of our meals must also be figured into the quilt's price."

Not everyone has the patience or desire to quilt. Mrs. Tucker said that some people who quilt think 
in terms of one quilt a year while others who really devote time to it could complete one in less 
time. Mrs. Hiatt is an excellent example of this, she completes around 15 quilts a year. Mrs. Cooper 
also felt she could complete several quilts a year along with doing her housework.

[photo caption] Mrs. Archie Cooper's quilt, the Tree of Life, won first place at the Adair County 
Fair in 1978.

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Which brings up another point. The women that quilt must still take care of their families and meet 
their other responsibilities. To Mrs. Cooper, "The frustrating part is that everything else takes 
my time when I would rather be quilting." Some people find it difficult to sell the quilts after they 
are completed. They know how much love has gone into every stitch and they would rather keep the 
quilt in their family. Families pass quilts from generation to generation trying to preserve their 
families' heritage, Mrs. Cooper said, "Quilting is a little like your autograph, it is yours 
personally and you can pretty well tell anybody's quilting. To fully appreciate a quilt, you have 
to make one!"

Quilts should never be stored in plastic or airtight containers, Wrap them in a cotton covering, 
such as an old sheet or pillowcase, to protect them from coming into contact with the wood of the 
storage areas and to filter light and dust. Do not store quilts in paper boxes because wood-derived 
products such as paper contain a natural acidic quality which damages the quilts. Store the quilts 
in normal temperatures and humidity since the excessive heat of attics or moisture of basements may 
cause irreparable damage. Quilts should also be opened and refolded differently three or four times 
a year to prevent crease line damage.

Washing heirloom quilts at home should not be attempted without first consulting an expert. They may 
be quite fragile and not be able to stand much treatment. Washing is hard on them and they rarely 
look as nice afterwards. It is recommended to wash quilts in the bathtub using a gentle detergent 
and swishing them around until the water is no longer discolored. It is also suggested to carry the 
quilt outside and let dry on tall grass. Several people should carry the quilt so as not to break 
the threads. However, most of the newer quilts are made from sturdy fabrics and can be washed more 
often. A special effort should be made to preserve the quilts already in use around the house.

When admiring a quilt, think of the heritage it contains. Mrs. Cooper summed it up by saying, "As 
you make a quilt you are making history. You are preserving history and a life, too!"

[photo caption] In the late 1940s Mrs. Cleo Cooper used a kit, that had pre-cut color blocks, to 
quilt this Broken Star pattern.

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Scenes from the Past

Northeast Missouri has several buildings that played a part in the War Between the States. They 
still stand as a constant reminder of the history that is forever present in our area. In 
Scotland County, one such house still stands.

Jacob Maggard was born in Kentucky in 1815. In 1836, 21 years later, he moved to Scotland County 
and built a house three miles northeast of Bible Grove. The house is a large, two-story brick home, 
pictured to the right. The house resembled the old plantation homes of the South It has two 
fireplaces, one on the east and one on the west side of the house. A large walk-in hallway 
downstairs contains the stairway. At the top of the stairway is a door which leads into the upper 
level hallway. Each floor has four large rooms and the hallway equally divides the house.

On July 18, 1862, the Battle of Vassar Hill occured. It was the largest Civil War battle that took 
place in Scotland County The battleground was located halfway between the Maggard farm and Bible 
Grove. Major John Y. Clopper led the 11th Calvary of the Missouri State Militia, and the Confederate 
forces were under the command of Colonel Joseph Porter. Major Clopper in his commander's report 
wrote, "...they had an ambush well planned, and drew my advance guard into it, in which my men 
suffered severely...the bad condition of the roads, and the constant rainy weather have had the 
effect of exhausting my men and horses. The enemy were well concealed in dense under-brush, and I 
must give them credit for fighting well." (HISTORY OF LEWIS, CLARK, KNOX, AND SCOTLAND COUNTIES, 
reprinted 1981, pp. 519-520) A total of 83 men were killed or wounded. The Union took their 
casualties to the Maggard home which was converted into a hospital. The 23 dead soldiers were 
buried on the Maggard farm, many where they had been shot.

The farmhouse has changed owners several times since it was first built. It has stood more than 
100 years of weathering and wearing. Jacob Maggard probably never dreamed that his home would be 
a part of the history of the area. This hallowed farm reminds us of the men who lost their lives 
in the Battle of Vassar Hill.

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Photos by Denny Smoyer

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[photo caption] Conrad, Mark, Norman, and Arthur Ornes (left to right) were born in Brooklyn, New 
York. All, except Arthur, rode the train of promise to Missouri in 1910. Several years later, 
Conrad traveled from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Sedalia, Missouri, for this portrait with 
his younger brothers. At that time Norman and Mark lived in Stover, Missouri, while Art lived in 
Sedalia.

Train of Promise

Between 1853 and 1927, approximately 150,000 homeless orphans escaped the overcrowded slums of New 
York by boarding a train bound to Midwestern farmlands. Norman Ornes, a resident of Brashear, 
Missouri, was one of the 6,000 children to come to Missouri on these trains of promise . . . the 
orphan trains.

Norman's story begins like so many others. Born in 1902 in Brooklyn, New York, he was the fifth 
child of a Norwegian couple who had immigrated to the United States in search of a dream. But times 
in New York were hard then. The economy was depressed and the rapid, birthrate caused the population 
to boom. Many immigrants, like the Ornes family, ended up in New York's lower east side. Mr. Ornes 
remembers many boats and a lot of water and thinks they lived in a basement by the waterfront.

Disease ran rampid in this poverty-stricken area. Norman's mother was one of the many who caught 
tuberculosis and died when Norman was 5 years old. Unable to care for six children, his father was 
forced to make what had to have been one of the hardest decisions of his short life. He took his four 
younger children - Conrad, Mark, Norman, and Arthur - to an orphanage where they might have a chance 
for a better life Norman's father died shortly after The oldest child, Chris, was hired as a 
messenger boy in a bank, while the only sister, Bertha, worked as a nurse caring for a wealthy 
family's children.

They were among the lucky ones; most children were merely abandoned. It was common for a baby to be 
found in a trash can or floating in the river. Those who did survive sold papers, polished shoes, or 
turned to petty crime. Boys often joined street gangs and girls were sometimes forced into 
prostitution. It is estimated there were at one time 30,000 children roaming the streets of New 
York City alone.

Hearing the desperate cries resounding from New York's streets and orphanages, a dedicated social 
worker, Charles Lor-

by Dana Kollar

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ing Brace, founded the New York Children's Aid Society in 1853. Mr. Brace did not think orphan 
asylums did anything to correct the problem Instead, they were merely temporary housing until a 
child could be considered an adult. According to a quote in the August 1986 issue of The Smithsonian, 
Brace believed, "The family is God's Reformatory; and every child of bad habits who can secure a 
place in a Christian home is the best possible place for his improvement."

With this in mind, the Children's Aid Society began dispatching orphans to homes in rural New York 
and surrounding states. The response was overwhelming. In September of 1854, 47 boys and girls 
ranging from 7 to 15 years began the first historic journey west on what was later named the "orphan 
trains."

It was not until February 1910 that the Ornes boys rode the train of promise. Earlier Conrad, Mark, 
and Norman had been placed with a Mrs. Yarington who ran a boarding school outside of Long Island. 
She was like a mother to the boys and they attended school for the two years they were on Long Island 
Arthur was only a baby and did not go to Long Island or to the West on the orphan train. Instead, he 
stayed in the New York orphanage for a short time.

One can only imagine what was going through the minds of these youngsters as they boarded the train. 
Some cried as the hope of their parents' return dissolved when the train pulled out of the station. 
Others like Norman were filled with excitement and anticipation. "All I thought about was coming 
out West and seeing the cowboys and Indians; and I was disappointed when there weren't any."

The trip was arranged by the Children's Aid Society and the cars were chaperoned by one of their 
aides. Boys and girls were usually separated and a nurse or doctor would ride ahead in the baggage 
coach. All were made to look very presentable; spotlessly clean and dressed in new clothes. When 
Norman and his two brothers reached St. Louis, they were taken to a department store and furnished 
with new, fashionable suits.

The Children's Aid Society did not require blood tests, and there were no waiting lists. There was, 
however, a certain procedure followed. First, if the natural parents were alive, they had to 
relinguish custody to the Society. An agreement which stated that the child would be raised in a 
Christian atmosphere, would receive an education, and would be treated as a member of the family 
had to be signed. Prospective parents had to give character references and the paper was then filed 
with other Society records.

By today's standards, the method of finding suitable homes was rather primitive. Towns were scouted 
and advertisements that announced the trains' arrival were put in newspapers and post offices. An 
article headed "Homes Wanted For Children" in the January 10, 1906, issue of The Princeton Telegraph 
stated, "A company of orphan children of different ages will be at Sheets Opera House in Princeton 
on Thursday, January 18th The object of the coming of these children is to find homes in our midst, 
especially among farmers where they can enjoy a happy and wholesome family life and where kind care, 
good example and moral training will fit them for a life of usefulness."

Local committees were established to mail applications to prospective parents who either met the 
children at the train depot or at another designated place, usually a church or opera house. Here, 
the children were lined up, and people could either pick them on the spot, or talk with them and a 
Society representative at length before making a decision.

This had to be a grueling experience, especially for those who were not quickly chosen, Some people 
might feel a child's arms and legs to decide if he would be a good worker. The children that were 
not picked simply kept going from stop to stop until they were.

[photo caption] Young Norman Ornes' pet sheep gave him experience that later proved valuable when 
he began raising sheep on his own farm in Brashear, Missouri. Mr. Ornes also raised hogs, an animal 
he had never actually seen before coming to Missouri on the orphan train.

Conrad, Mark, and Norman were not "lined up." After receiving new clothes they were taken from 
St. Louis to Versailles, in Morgan County, and then to Stover, Missouri. Mr. Ornes explains, "There 
were three brothers in Stover; two of the brothers the first day came and saw they wanted two of 
us. They had an older brother who lived at Cole Camp, so he came to take Conrad. All of us ended 
up in homes that were within eight miles of each other."

Conrad then moved to live with a lady in Cincinnati, Ohio, who offered to give him the best possible 
education. He became a chemical engineer, worked in a chemical plant, and taught at the University 
of Cincinnati. He is still living in Cincinnati.

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Norman and Mark saw each other practically everyday. They lived within a quarter of a mile of each 
other and went swimming regularly at a nearby creek As a young man, Mark went to Kansas City and 
worked in a dairy, married, and returned to Stover where he was a dairyman until he died.

Young Norman quickly adjusted to life on the farm of his foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.G. Parker. 
He was given a lamb of his own to care for and became acquainted with pigs, an animal he had never 
seen before, while he did his chores. He learned that "butta" was now called "butter," and he even 
changed his name. Not liking his original Norwegian name, Gustave, especially when it was shortened 
to "Gussy," he started calling himself Norman.

Mr. Ornes was not adopted, but said, "I was treated very well, as well as their older daughter; just 
like one of the family." After graduating the eighth grade from a small country school called Haw 
Creek, Norman moved with his foster parents to Brashear, Missouri. He was 15 and in this year, 1918, 
he came down with a bad case of the flu. He knew he wanted to be a farmer so after he recovered 
Norman started farming. He now has a 200-acre farm in Brashear and is the proud father of three sons, 
Allen, Marvin, and Harold, and one daughter, Norma.

Whatever became of the baby Ornes? By coincidence, the wife of a Missouri Pacific engineer who lived 
in Sedalia, Missouri, heard of him and made two trips to New York to get Art and then adopted him. 
Now Arthur Townsend is a retired music instructor living in Arcadia, California.

Although it is unfortunate the six Ornes children were split up, life was certainly better in the 
Midwest, and they did keep in touch. They have all visited each other and try to write around 
Christmas time. Mr. Ornes remembers his older sister, Bertha, writing and telling them all to be 
good boys. She later contracted a fatal case of pneumonia.

The oldest brother, Chris, became secretary of the same bank where he started working as a messenger. 
He then moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, and worked as a secretary for a New Jersey trust company.

Ernest and Floyd Howes came to Missouri in 1909 and were two such successful protegees of the New 
York Children's Aid Society. After arriving in LaPlata, Missouri, the two boys were adopted by Mr. 
and Mrs. H.G. Howes. They attended school in Kirksville and later Ernest began working for the 
highway department while Floyd farmed land east of Kirksville. The late Mr. Ernest and his wife, 
Melvina, had one son, Gene, and a daughter, Betty. Floyd and Flossie Howe, both deceased, had one 
daughter, Ellen.

Some graduates of the orphan trains did not fair as well as Mr. Ornes and the Howes. Hoping to be a 
part of a new family, they instead found they were only considered free labor. The Society kept in 
touch with the children they had placed and a survey done in 1910 found only 5% returned to New York, 
while 87% had "done well."

The orphan trains were assuredly a Christian effort and the story from beginning to end is touching 
and nothing short of inspiring, Mr. Ornes feels, "It was a good idea to get them out of that situation 
and into a place that wasn't as populated." What might have caused some people to be pessimistic or 
bitter, is accepted as just a fact of life for Mr. Ornes. He simply describes the attitude of himself 
and his brothers while riding the train of promise as "footloose and fancy free." From a basement 
in Brooklyn to a farm in Brashear, Norman Ornes has made the most of his opportunities and is a 
shining example to us all.

[photo caption] Ernest and Floyd Howes, of Kirksville, Missouri, were featured in the February 1914 
issue of The People's Home Journal regarding their journey on the orphan trains.

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[photo caption] When customers bought small amounts of candy, sacks advertising the Jones' Candy 
Kitchen were used.

[photo caption] Emery and Ada Jones worked in the store together during the 24 years it was open.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

"Emery Jones and his 17 year old son, Carlos, opened the Jones Candy Kitchen in the opera house. And 
when my sister and I got old enough that our mother didn't have to stay home with us, we all worked 
in the store. It was a family affair," recalled Jaunita Fulks.

The Jones Candy Kitchen opened on September 22, 1922, in the south end of the Baxter Theater 
Building at Novinger, Missouri. There was not a grand opening celebration and from the outside it 
may have looked like any other candy store, but this store was unique. All of the candy and ice 
cream was made by Emery Jones, proprietor, and his son, Carlos.

Before deciding to open the Jones' Candy Kitchen, Emery Jones worked for several years in two or 
three of the Novinger mines as a weigh boss. He set his mind to learning how to make ice cream 
and candy to sell. Mr. Jones felt that the candy business would be interesting and give his family 
something to do together. "With his determination and ability, we knew he would be a success," 
said Mrs. Fulks, Mr. Jones' youngest daughter.

Emery and Carlos Jones made a variety of candy. "They made cherry chocolates that were out of this 
world," said Leona.

Brown, Mr. Jones' eldest daughter Maple, strawberry, vanilla, carmel, and many other flavors of 
chocolate-filled candies were made. All of the chocolates in the store were hand-dipped by either 
Carlos or Emery Jones "Bonbons, fancy box chocolates, and all kinds of candies were our specialty," 
remarked Mrs. Fulks.

In 1926, Emery Jones purchased the Union Bank Building. The Jones Candy Kitchen was then moved from 
the previously rented Baxter Theater Building to the bank building down the street.

The Union Bank Building was a one-story brick building, and the candy was made in the back room. 
Equipment in the store included a soda fountain, cigar case, large candy case, and an ice cream 
cabinet. Farther back in the room were booths and the lunch counter. The entire building was heated 
by a coal or wood heating stove. "When you walked in the door, to the left was an ice-cooled 
chocolate case. Cakes of ice were put in the top and the chocolates were displayed below. The ice 
kept the chocolate cool and looking nice in the summer," explained Mrs. Fulks.

Sweets were not the only items sold at the Jones Candy Kit-

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chen. There was also a lunch counter. "My sister and I used to have to get up at 5:30 every morning, 
go down, and have breakfast for the coal haulers. By the time we got our breakfast ready, they all 
came in and we couldn't eat ours until about noon," remembered Mrs. Fulks. Sandwiches, chili, and 5 
and 10 cent hamburgers were sold for lunch. The specialties were the tenderloin and brain sandwiches.

On July 1, 1946, Emery and Carlos Jones decided to retire from the candy making business. The store 
held a special place in the hearts of several people and touched the lives of many. For 24 years, 
people came from far and near for a taste of Emery Jones' special homemade chocolates and ice cream.

by Karla Baugher

[photo caption] Ada Jones, center, and her daughters, Leona and Jaunita, waited on customers at the 
Jones Candy Kitchen.

[photo caption] Carlos Jones helped make the box chocolates for which the Jones Candy Kitchen was 
so well-known.

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[photo caption] The Craggs and Taylor Store, located on the east side of Chicago Avenue, sold 
canned goods and bulk products from 1913 to 1938 During the store's existence, their meat counter 
was the only refrigerator in town.

[photo caption] This is an aerial view of Gibbs in 1948. This year the town will celebrate its 
centennial anniversary; celebrations have been scheduled for August 8.

A Centennial Anniversary

by Jonathan Walker

Centennial celebrations are being planned this year in Gibbs, Missouri. This small village is tucked 
away in the Wilson Township of Adair County. It originated as a result of the Santa Fe Railroad 
building a straight line of track between Kansas City and Chicago.

Gibbs is located seven miles from La Plata and ten miles southeast of Kirksville. The name Gibbs 
came from Frank W. Gibbs, who donated the land that was to be used as the depot and stockyard for 
the Santa Fe railroad. He formed the Gibbs Town and Land Company which sold the land which is 
currently Gibbs. Frank and his wife, Emma, had three children. The third child, Lonnie, born on July 
16, 1887, was the first boy born in Gibbs. Frank founded the village in 1887, but it remained 
unincorporated until 1894.

Gibbs became a major shipping port for the surrounding communities. "The people from three 
neighboring counties used the railroad to ship livestock out, especially on Sundays," remembered 
Dale Benner, a banker in Gibbs for 20 years. Mr. Benner's wife, Ivy, recalled, "One would have 
been amazed at the amount of livestock that was shipped out of Gibbs." Cattle and hogs were sent 
north to Chicago after farmers would drive the stock in on the old dusty roads. The hogs were 
brought to town in a wagon; they did not have trucks at this time. Gibbs became the first in the 
county to have an all-weather road. Besides the livestock, farmers brought their grain and surplus 
supplies to a grain elevator owned by Perrin and Co. of Chicago. A carload of apples was shipped 
out on the railroad, while a company would come in and ship out logs at little expense Strawberries 
and eggs were sent to the larger metropolitan areas for sale in grocery stores.

As the railroad reached its peak of double tracks in 1908, so did the population of Gibbs with 168 
people. Besides the shipping aspect, the railroad provided jobs. When it was first built, men and 
horses were brought in to level the land where the tracks were to be laid. When the second track 
was built in 1908, additional crews were hired to maintain the tracks. The depot was open all 
night; there were two night men and one day man. The railroad added to the prosperity enjoyed by 
Gibbs through other jobs such as, foreman, assistant foreman, and timekeeper. The railroad was a 
mainstay in the economy of Gibbs.

In the many years that the Santa Fe passed through Gibbs, from 1887 to the present, only one major 
accident has occur-red. On August 12, 1894, two passenger trains collided at full speed. One of 
the engineers failed to understand his order to stop and ran head-on into the other train. Two 
of the men were killed, the engineer and an express manager, and eight others were injured. Having 
only one major wreck was very fortunate considering the fact that up to 35 trains could pass 
through in a 24-hour period.

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[photo caption] Ed Moncrief owned a blacksmith shop located near the railroad.

[photo caption] In the 1900s the cement factory was owned and operated by Myrt Hasher, shown on 
the right.

Beside the railroad, on the east right-of-way, is an underground pipeline which pumps oil from 
Texas and Oklahoma While this was being dug in 1908, the workers lived in big tents. Mr. Benner 
said, "There was one guy who made his living off the pipeline; he owned land down south of Gibbs. 
The pipeline would have leaks and the company would pay him for the damage."

During the early years there were only a few basic establishments. The first business established 
was a store built by T.E. Elmore and his brother George in 1888. As the people's needs increased, 
so did the number of businesses. By 1900, a grain elevator, post office, bank, and grocery store 
were added.

The Gibbs Saving Bank was first started as a stockholders' organization. It consisted of only the 
necessities, a vault and the counter to meet people, The bank eventually performed all of the 
functions of a present day bank. It has safe deposit boxes, made farm loans, paid checks on accounts, 
and had time deposits.

The bank changed hands five times between 1901 and 1907. It was sold to Mr. Crass and Mr. Elmore in 
July of 1901 with a capitol stock of $5,000; it was then purchased by Frank Myers in February of 
1903. Mr. Myers sold the bank to his son, J.H. Myers, in December of 1905. Young Myers sold the bank 
to Mr. Allison and Mr. Miller on April 30, 1907. Mr. Campbell bought the bank and retained it longer 
than any other owner. During these six years the capitol stock remained at $5,000. During the 
Depression, the bank overextended itself and went bankrupt.

At the corner of Main Street and the new Highway V, the post office is one of the few survivors to 
pass into the 1980s. The reason for its survival was the method of receiving and sending the mail. 
Mrs. Benner stated, "They hung the mail up on posts and the mailman on the train had a way of 
grabbing it, so that the train did not stop." From the train the mailman could also deposit the mail 
onto the post. In the early days, the post office was the center of society life. Women would 
congregate in the spring and fall waiting for their mail-order packages to

[photo caption] The railroad played an important part in the establishment of this small village. 
The railroad gang is pictured in front of the depot in the early 1920s.

[photo caption] The location of the post office has remained the same even though the buildings 
have changed. This building was built in 1957.

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arrive One postmaster, Hattie Young, ran a hat shop out of the small building. Terry Elmore, 
Alberta Knotts, Dan Houston, and Charlie "Chick" Spenser were among the carriers who had the route 
out of Gibbs for several years.

One of the largest grocery stores was Craggs and Taylor's General Store. They carried everything 
from shoes and dress material to coffee and canned goods. In the 1920s, bologna was sold for 15 
cents a pound and bananas were 6 1/4 cents per pound. Mrs. Benner remembers that the store did not 
have many different types of food, but "it was a good variety." Their meat counter was the only 
electrical refrigeration in town.

During the towns "high point" which was before the Depression, there were other types of stores. 
Two hotels were needed to accommodate people coming to and from Gibbs on the railroad. Union Hotel, 
located near the depot, was more widely known. Mr. Benner said, "They had their name established; 
they were known throughout the state. Whenever the salesmen would come in, they stayed overnight 
there. " The other hotel was located downtown.

When the telephones were installed, a telephone office was established. Each residence was given its 
own code; for example, one house would have two short rings, or another might have two short and 
one long. It was easy to answer a call for someone else and was a common occurrence. After the lines 
came from LaPlata, the people were given country lines with three or four phones on each line.

In the early years there were two blacksmith shops, where farmers sharpened their plows, shod their 
horses, and made different parts for their machinery. Will Young had a furniture store, undertaking 
business, and harness store simultaneously. Lucky McGraw and Ernie Spencer each had a restaurant. A 
funeral parlor was once run by the county coroner, Foster Easley, and his son, Byron. Frequently 
the pre-burial activities occurred at the deceased's home in the front yard. Besides the county 
coroner, there was also the town doctor. In 1897 the doctor's name was Alleedom, succeeding him 
was Doctor Duff.

Gibb's religious history has included four churches at one time. Services were last held five years 
ago in the Christian Church, the only church left standing. The Christian Church was organized on 
March 1, 1905, by Elder J. L. Hollowell with a membership of 26. Church services were held in the 
upstairs of a rented downtown building for two years, while a new church was being built on Main 
Street. The church was completed and dedicated by E. M. Richmond on August 29, 1909. The building 
was never torn down and remains in its original position.

Two other churches were torn down, the North and the South Methodist. Mrs. Elsie Shuman, a former 
teacher at Gibbs, stated, "The Methodist Church split over the issue of slavery during the Civil War, 
before 1861." The North Methodist Church held services the second and fourth Sunday at 11:00 a.m., 
while the South Methodist held services the second Sunday at 11 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m. The United 
Brethren met on the first Sunday at 11 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m. This church was a branch of another 
United Brethren Church, located halfway between Millard and Gibbs, The Church was divided over the 
subject of secret societies. Those who believed that one could attend secret societies went to 
Gibbs. They built a Brethren Church, a one-room building not much larger than a residence.

In 1924 it was struck by lightning and burned.

The Gibbs School developed out of the Union School, which was located one mile northwest of Gibbs 
near the Union Cemetery. Before the Civil War a log school was built and a subscription school was 
conducted there. The first free public school was opened in 1867 with an enrollment of 30 students. 
In 1900 the school went from a seven-month term to an eight-month term. The school building itself 
has been rebuilt and moved several times. In 1900 the building was finally moved to its present 
location in the northwest corner of town and another room was added.

The small two-room schoolhouse contained first through fourth grade in one room, and the fifth 
through eighth grade in another. Mrs. Elsie Shuman, teacher at Gibbs School in 1918, recalled, 
"I taught everything, little kids six years old through eighth grade: reading, arithmetic, spelling, 
geography, history, and a little science as you could work it in. The country schools started at 
9:00 a.m. and ended at 4:00 p.m. Everything was scheduled; one grade would read at 9 in the 
morning and 15 to 20 minutes later another grade would be reading. " During the 1965-66 school 
year the last classes were held in Gibbs because of the consolidation with Brashear School. The 
building was razed in 1975.

Citizens of Gibbs would not have said that they lived a life of "all work and no play," but by 
today's standard that is how it would be termed. The people worked on the farm almost six days a 
week and went to town on Saturdays. The work day lasted from dawn to dusk and for every able body. 
Usually, the children were left to do the household work. The people in town also worked six days 
a week.

On Saturday nights, there would be a crowd in town when the weather was good. Mr. Benner 
remembered, "One would be surprised the people that would come in and stay to 10 or 11 o'clock; 
it became a holiday in town." During the 1940s, free movies were shown in an opera house until 
the merchants could not afford them anymore. In the summer, the churches had ice cream suppers and 
the University of Missouri sponsored a contest in which the Santa Fe Railroad, through the College 
of Agriculture at Columbia, gave a $50 scholarship for the best ten ears of corn shown. During the 
winter, there were parties at different homes where dancing and card games took place.

During the summer everyone looked forward to the week-long fair held in Gibbs. Organized in 1921, 
it was held in the town's park. A stage was produced for bands and actors to play for crowds. A 
carnival and athletic events were also happening. Local residents participated in the boxing and 
wrestling events. Everyone brought their livestock and craftwork to be judged. Although there was 
a great turnout, the fair lost money, until finally, in 1928 the fair had to be cancelled. "One 
would be amazed at what good fairs they had; there were not that many places to go in those days; 
it was like a community place," stated Mrs. Benner.

In 1987, the Town Board called a meeting concerning a block grant from the state. The money was to 
support a park located where the school once stood. Mrs. Ronna Magruder led the effort towards a 
matching grant of $1,260. Using all types of fund-raisers and even a drawing for an afghan, the 
money was raised. A barbecue grill and a backstop for the baseball field were purchased, plus 
swings, a teeter-totter, and

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other playground equipment will be installed.

During this process, the fact was uncovered that in May of this year will be the centennial 
anniversary of Gibbs. After this discovery, an attempt to return the cemetery to its original 
appearance was made. The final burial had taken place in 1912 and the area was last cleaned in 
the 1940s. Two months were spent raking, brush hogging, and cutting the vegetation. A cemetery 
board was established and donations were taken for the upkeep. The graves of two Civil War 
veterans are in this cemetery. During the past year, Mrs. Magruder has researched the history of 
Gibbs and will be publishing an in-depth book sometime in May.

Today the village of Gibbs is waning. The rural clinic, which had existed since 1949, was moved 
to a newly constructed building in 1963. The expansion was to no avail; it was discontinued in 
1970. A new concrete bridge was built in 1979 to replace the old wooden bridge which had stood 
since the turn of the century. None of the previous businesses are in existence today; in December 
of 1970 the final business, a grocery store, closed.

Two main events caused the town to become merely a shell of its former self. The first was the 
Depression. Many people were forced to leave Gibbs to find work in other towns. Mr. Bennie Fudge 
transported teenagers to Iowa to shuck corn for extra money. Many people came to Kirksville for 
jobs. The second major event was World War II. Males between ages of 16 and 45 were drafted. The 
women became the work force in the community. Many moved to larger towns because of working 
conditions. Mr. Benner said, "Everyone that lives in Gibbs works in Kirksville or some other place." 
Today this agricultural community is faced with the economic problems facing most of the Midwest. 
"Some people were out of work, some died off, and some went away as was with most towns," remembers 
Mr. Benner. "Now there is no one to take their place."

A stranger passing through Gibbs today would not recognize this once active community, centered 
around the railroad, and accented by the business. The village expanded according to the growing 
importance of the railroad. Then as railroad became a dying dinosaur, the town began to dwindle 
away. Those citizens that are still in Gibbs are anxiously waiting to celebrate the centennial 
anniversary.

[photo caption] In 1979, a new concrete bridge of Route V was constructed to replace this narrow 
wooden bridge which had stood since the turn of the century.

[photo caption] Services in the Christian Church, located east of Highway V, were discontinued 
five years ago.

[photo caption] In 1963, this building was constructed as a rural clinic. It is currently being 
used as a town hall.

[photo caption] In the early 1920s, several stores lined the east side of Chicago Avenue.

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DOC SAVAGE

People living in the difficult times of the Depression era could forget their despair with an 
inexpensive adventure story in which they knew good would triumph over evil. These 10 cent, 6,000 
word, Doc Savage pulp magazines supplied the necessary escape. Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, was 
one of the thrilling fictional characters created by Lester Dent, a native Missourian born in 
LaPlata, Missouri. Though Mr. Dent died in 1959, his wife, Norma, still resides in LaPlata.

Lester Dent was born the only son of Bernard and Alice Dent and at the age of two, he and his family 
moved from LaPlata to Wyoming where Lester's parents had lived prior to his birth. While in Wyoming, 
Lester was taught by his mother, a former school teacher, and attended school from the fourth grade 
on. When Lester was 14 years old, his family inherited the Dent estate in LaPlata, Missouri, and 
Bernard Dent moved his family to their hometown in Macon County. Lester graduated from high school in 
1923; he then went to a business college in Chillicothe, Missouri, majoring in telegraphy. Later he 
began working as a telegrapher for the Associated Press and it was during this period that he met 
and married Norma Gerling.

Lester Dent's interest in writing began when he heard of a friend's success in getting a short 
story published. Mr. Dent failed to have his first 13 short stories published but his 14th attempt 
was accepted by Top Notch magazine. Shortly after his story was published, the editor sent a letter 
to Mr. Dent summoning him to New York to begin writing for the magazine. Norma Dent described their 
move to New York on New Year's Eve, 1931, by saying, "It was during the Depression and people were 
out of work and times were really bad; it did look like we were undertaking a risky thing to quit 
a job and go some place to make a living writing."

Mr. Dent's most notable writings were his Doc Savage novels. The destroyer of evil and protector 
of all that is good, Doc Savage had superhuman powers. The author, Mr. Dent, in describing his 
character said, "I took Sherlock Holmes with his deducting ability, Tarzan of the Apes with his 
towering physique and muscular ability, Craig Kennedy with his scientific knowledge, and Abraham 
Lincoln with his Christliness. Then I rolled 'em all into one to get  -  Doc Savage."

Throughout the Doc Savage series, five important characters accompanied Doc on his adventures. 
Colonel John Renwick, "Renny," is a 6-foot-4 engineering specialist who frequently uses the 
expression "holy cow." He is one of the most accomplished boxers in the world and as a source of 
exercise, knocks down doors with his bare fists. William Harper Littlejohn or "Johnny," is an 
expert in the areas of geology and archeology and his command of language is extremely precise. 
The weakling of the crowd, Major Thomas J. Roberts or "Long Tom," who worked with Thomas Edison, 
is considered an electrical genius and spends most of his time inventing the devices used in the 
adventures. He is characterized as having a terrible temper. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodget 
Mayfair, nicknamed "Monk," has the build of a gorilla and is one of the greatest modern chemists 
of his time. In developing this character, Mr. Dent wrote, "What Long Tom can do with electricity, 
Monk can duplicate with chemicals." Brigadier General Theodore Marley Brooks, known as "Ham," is 
by far the most intellectual of the clan, having a law degree from Har-

[photo caption] Pilots and salesmen for the Dent's aerial photography business, Airviews, Inc., 
gather for a dinner meeting in LaPlata, Missouri. This picture was taken in 1951.

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[photo caption] Lester Dent with his wife, Norma, relax in the basement of their home. He acquired 
a first-class radio operator license and built his own transmitter. Mr. Dent used the call sign WOCBL.

[photo caption] DOC SAVAGE, THE MAN OF BRONZE was Lester Dent's first Doc Savage novel. It was 
later made into a movie in which this airplane was used.

vard. It is often Ham's quick thinking that bails Doc's group out of trouble.

Not only did Lester Dent write about adventure, he lived adventure. He and his wife owned a two 
masted, 40-foot schooner named the Albatross which they sailed down the coast from New York to 
Florida. Mr. Dent was an expert deep-sea diver and went treasure hunting on several occasions.

Mrs. Dent explained that they once held a contest for local high school students who were asked to 
write on the topic "What would you do if you were President?" and the winner was awarded a trip on 
the Albatross. The contest was won by a student from Novinger, Missouri, who was given an opportunity 
to go on one of the treasure hunting excursions.

Mr. Dent was a world traveler, and once while visiting Austria, the Nazis invaded and detained him 
for taking unauthorized photographs. In preparation for a novel, Lester went mountain climbing to 
more effectively write about the experience. He once went gold prospecting in Death Valley and was 
admitted into the Explorers Club of New York along with the distinguished Admiral Byrd. Lester Dent 
had a pilot's license and kept up with the latest advances in science and technology. He had a 
radio operator's license and took rigorous courses in electricity and plumbing.

Mr. Dent would frequently write 18 hours a day accomplishing approximately one book a month. There 
were 182 Doc Savage stories written and 165 of them were attributed to Lester Dent while others 
were completed by ghost writers chosen by Mr. Dent himself.

Lester Dent was one of the earliest writers to use a formula, which he invented himself and used 
in the Doc Savage series. Each story had a 6,000 word manuscript which was further divided into 
1,500 word segments. In the first 1,500 words, a murder method was chosen, characters were 
introduced, locale determined, and a physical conflict devised for the hero. Problems were 
compounded for the hero in the second section with another physical conflict and a twist in the 
plot. In the third segment, the hero corned the villain and made some headway, only to be buried 
with further problems in the final 1,500 words. At the end of the fourth segment the hero 
extricated himself by using skill, training, and brawn. Details of Dent's successful formula were 
reprinted in detail in Robert Winberg's publication, THE MAN BEHIND DOC SAVAGE.

by Corey Pritchard

[photo caption] Lester Dent owned five airplanes that he used for his aerial photography business. 
Both Lester and Norma Dent had pilot licenses.

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Over the years, some of the material from Dent's writings has been used by others. Similarities can 
be found between the characters Doc Savage - Clark Savage Jr., the Man of Bronze, and Superman - 
Clark Kent, the Man of Steel in Jerry Siegel's writing. The character who most resembled Doc Savage 
is Batman who was also a scientific genius, inventor of gadgetry, and whose Batmobile was almost 
identical to Doc's roadster. It was suggested, in Brad Danach's Time Magazine article, that a 
substantial portion of Ian Fleming's material for the movie "Dr. No" was lifted from Lester Dent's 
novels.

In 1940, Lester and Norma returned to LaPlata where they began a dairy. Later they started a small 
aerial photography business, which they operated out of their home. The business soon became too 
large and was moved to the LaPlata square. Mr. Dent's pilots took aerial pictures of farms 
throughout Missouri and three of the surrounding states, then his salesmen would sell them to the 
farmers. Lester Dent owned five planes that he used for the business, based at the Kirksville 
Municipal Airport, and had a staff of 15 to 18 salesmen, 7 to 8 office girls, and 3 pilots. "We had 
a very complicated system and it was very successful," said Mrs. Dent.

Mr. Dent had a home which he designed himself built in LaPlata. It included many uncommon 
conveniences such as an electric garage door opener, an intercom system, and closet lights 
activated when the doors opened. The townspeople found the home very unique and referred to it 
as the house of gadgets.

Lester Dent's final publication was the short story, "The Savage Challenge," printed in the 
February 22, 1958, edition of the Saturday Evening Post. Shortly after, Lester Dent died. According 
to Mrs. Dent, "Really, this is what he was working for the whole time and he felt like he had 
reached his goal when he sold his story to the Saturday Evening Post."

This prolific writer, who used his own fascinating life experiences in writing his stories and 
novels, was to be awarded the Missouri Writer's Guild Award in 1946 for the most successful 
Missouri writer of the year and in 1977 a movie adaptation of his first novel, "The Man of Bronze" 
was released.

His wife, Norma, still resides in LaPlata where she helps to perpetuate the memory of her husband 
and recently donated much of his collection to the University of Missouri. It is a tribute to 
Lester Dent that of the over 200 titles being printed at the height of the Depression, his works 
have endured through the years and are being reprinted today.

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WATER WITCHING

Many modern sciences started as superstitions or myths; however, many of these myths have died. In 
today's world of laser technology and penetrating sound waves, the idea of dowsing for water has 
almost been laid to rest. But in Adair County there are a few old-timers who say water witching 
is not a superstition. They say it works!

Witching is the practice of using different instruments to locate water underground. The historical 
team of Barrett and Besterman estimated that witching has been in use for at least 500 years. 
Some people think that Moses was the first person to witch water when he brought water from a rock 
with a stick, but Georgias Agricola, a town physician in Bohemia, was the first to keep any 
accounts of water witching when he recorded his experience in 1556. His works were published in 
the book DE RE METALLICA.

Witching is used to find various underground objects. Traditionally it has been used to find water, 
but recently the uses have grown to encompass numerous hidden substances. A dowser sometimes tries 
to find minerals, water pipes, and even lost jewelry.

Most witchers throughout the United States use a fork-shaped stick. Almost any kind of stick will 
work, but the most prominent is that of a fruit tree. Peach and apple are quite popular while the 
hazel and elm limbs enjoy lots of success also. A bent copper rod is another device used to locate 
hidden objects. A curved piece of No. 9 wire is also used, but not as often. It seems that most 
people think that No. 9 wire will not work for them, so they never try it. In the case of the bent 
rod and forked stick, there are many different ways to use them.

To actually dowse for water, learning a method to operate the different tools is the first step. 
The forked stick ranges in size from small to large. After finding a stick, the extra foliage is 
stripped from the forks. The stick is then held with a fork in each hand, It can be held with the 
open end pointing toward the dowser or the ground. Holding the sticks tightly, the dowser walks 
over the area of ground in which he would like to find water. When the witcher is near a vein, the 
stick starts to go down. This continues until the stick is pointing straight into the ground, which 
means the vein is directly underneath.

The use of the No 9 wire is quite similar to that of the forked stick. The wire is slightly rounded 
but otherwise straight It is also held with two hands. As it is passed over a vein, it will bob up 
and down, but then it will be pulled toward the ground.

Many plumbers use the copper rods to find where water pipes are. One or two rods are used, with the 
rods bent at right angles. When one rod is used, it is held with either hand. The free hand is then 
cupped around the first hand. As the dowser passes over water, the rod turns in the dowser's hand in 
the direction the vein runs. When two rods are used, the same happens except the rods point toward 
each other and then cross.

A few men and women in Adair County have used dows-

[photo caption] Ivan Peterson, witcher for 60 odd years, illustrates the forked stick method of 
water witching. Mr. Peterson stops over a hidden pipe in his yard. The stick has started to move 
toward the ground.

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ing in their lifetime. In the 1800s and the early to mid-1900s, many of the wells in Adair County 
were found by witchers.

Ivan Peterson, a retired farmer who now resides in Kirksville, could be classified as an 
experienced witcher. He has been witching ever since his grandfather showed him how he found water 
in his native Sweden. Mr. Peterson was in high school at that time and "all the kids in the 
neighborhood wanted to know how it worked and what it was." People started asking him if he could 
find water for them. "In the drought years, I probably witched 60 or so wells for people," he 
recalled. Mr. Peterson uses a forked stick to locate the water. "As a general rule, I walk from 
southwest to northeast when witching. Sometimes when the stick turns down the bark will come off 
right in your hand."

"I did a lot of witching," he said, "but I never charged anybody." Most witchers do not charge to find 
water. Some do, because it is their job and part of their livelihood. "I've always heard that if you 
charge people, you could not find water anymore," said Wayne Morehouse. Mr. Morehouse lives north of 
Sublette and has witched ever since he saw a neighbor doing it some 40 years ago. "When he left I 
probably walked around for an hour, trying to see if it would work for me." Mr. Morehouse generally 
uses a piece of No. 9 wire, but sometimes he uses a copper rod. Mr. Morehouse recalls the time he 
found a buried water pipe for a Kirksville city worker. "I watched him drill for half an hour. 
Finally I went up to him and said, 'For a case of beer I'll find that pipe.' He asked me how I was 
going to find it and I told him that that was my business. I got out my wire and walked to where he 
had been digging. There were holes all over. After a couple of minutes my rod started bouncing up 
and down. I told him to dig four feet and he would find his pipe. He dug for about ten minutes 
before looking at me and saying, 'Looks like I just lost a case of beer.' " Mr. Morehouse also uses 
his rod to tell how deep a vein is. The number of times the rod bobs is how many feet deep the water 
is.

Gordon Collett has witched ever since he learned that it would work for him. "I was in college, when 
one day my dad and I were trying to find water for the horses. I had never done it, but I had read 
about witching. Dad got a stick, but it didn't work for him. I tried and it worked. We found three 
springs that day." The Collett farm has a historical spring where Chief Keokuk and his braves drank 
when they came down the Chariton River. Mr. Collett, through witching, has found three other springs 
joining to form that one. In the 1940s Mr. Collett found the well that is located in the Girl Scout 
Camp west of Kirksville, "That well is the deepest I ever found. It was 243 feet deep." Mr. Collett 
finds the depth of the water by multiplying by nine the distance from when the stick first moves 
until it is completely down. He also witched a well for Edward Polovich of Route 3. "Gordon witched 
the well for us 20 years ago," said Mr. Polovich. "We dug 13 feet and hit limestone. After we 
dynamited the rock the water was running everywhere. We dug four more feet and found enough water 
to supply the house ever since." The stick does something somewhat strange for Mr. Collett. "When 
I am over dead water, water in a pipe or a pocket underground, the stick turns up instead of down."

Most scientists think that there is nothing to water witching. "At this time there is no scientific 
explanation whatsoever," said Dr. John Hoffmann, Kirksville High School science instructor. He has 
had people try to locate water for him, but they have failed. Others say it has to do with 
electrical currents found in a person's body. "Not all people can find water," said Mr. Morehouse.

This author was twice invited to try to locate water, once with a forked stick and once with a copper 
rod. Although I could not find any with the stick, I was able to locate a vein with the copper rod. 
This doesn't mean that water witching works, but, along with seeing others witch, it sure made me 
stop and wonder.

[photo caption] Wayne Morehouse located a water vein on his farm. Notice the rod has turned 
downwards, pointing toward the vein.

by John Hill

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Adair County's Own

The Adair County Historical Society was established in 1917, functioned until about 1940, then 
dropped from sight due to lack of interest among the public. On July 8, 1975, during the 
Bicentennial celebration of the American Revolution, the Society was re-established and Samuel A. 
Burk was chosen to be president. Mr. Burk wanted the public to take more interest in preserving the 
history of Adair County. At that time in 1975 the Society had a maximum of 166 charter members. The 
Society has had five past presidents since its re-establishment in 1975.

The current president, Emil Green, stated, "The Adair County Historical Society has no permanent 
location at this time. Although the Museum is located on the third floor of the Adair County 
Courthouse, most of the contents of the Museum have been donated by the people of Adair County who 
feel these items have some sort of historical interest to the public and should be preserved." This 
facility, staffed by the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) volunteers, is open to the public 
from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday of each week. There is no charge but contributions 
are welcome.

The Society has its own set of by-laws, which are a set of less restricting, small yet enforcing 
laws. It belongs to the State Historical Society.

Since its beginning the Society has had a major interest in geneology. The Society has sponsored 
workshops on geneology and all have been successful. In April of this year the Society will sponsor 
another workshop on geneology to be conducted by the Missouri State Geneological Society. If you 
want to trace your roots, but don't know how, this program can show you the proper way to start. 
They also can give you some very important information that will make the process of tracing your 
roots much smoother.

There is an annual dinner meeting held in the fall. The main purpose of this meeting is to review 
what has happened over the past year, and also to acquire new members. Single memberships are 
$3.00, family memberships are $5.00, sustaining memberships are $25.00. If you are interested in 
becoming a member contact Emil Green of Rural Route #5, Kirksville, Missouri.

"Dr. David March, a historian of the first class," stated Mr. Green, "helped the society out a 
lot. Dr. March taught at NMSU, and also wrote a book on Missouri history that is used in a lot 
of schools as a learning tool."

The Society makes available two books: THE ADAIR COUNTY ATLAS has a record of all the landholders 
of Adair County in 1975, and the PLATTE BOOK OF 1895 which also has records of Adair County's 
landowners. They can be purchased from any officer of the Society for $10.00.

"The Society doesn't exist to make money," stated Mr. Green. "The Society exists to help the public 
and to foster the interest in the history of Adair County. Also to help those people who want to 
come together and participate in helping others, whether it be in geneology or the loaning of 
materials for the public to use or view."

The Society is out there for the public, so come join and enjoy. They could use your support.

by Brian Walker

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