USA > Missouri > Nodaway County > Past and present of Nodaway County, Missouri Volume I > Part 31
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The first grain elevator was erected in Maryville in 1877. by J. C. Wat- erman & Company.
The first sewing machine sold in Maryville was in 1868 by G. W. Smith to Mrs. J. Blair : it was a Wheeler & Wilson machine.
The first tailor in Maryville to set up shop was R. F. Connor, who came from Kentucky in 1841. Many years afterward he removed to Clarinda, Iowa.
The first sewing society was connected with the Methodist Episcopal church.
There was no regular dray line in town until the railroad was built from Kansas City in 1869.
Maryville's first brick building was erected in 1852: the one in which Mrs. Jones afterward resided. It was built by John Saunders.
The first society of a temperance nature was the Good Templars in 1854. The meetings were usually held in the old court house.
The first school taught was a private one in the summer of 1847, by Samuel M. Dews. It was a "subscription school." taught in the old log court house. The pupils included John and Richard Saunders, Sarah A. Jackson. Joseph Jackson. Jonathan Ray. Reuben Ray. Sophia Byers, Hosea Torrance, T. P. Torrance. Miles Lewis. Frank Lewis, William Bowen and James Mor- gan.
INDUSTRIAL INTERESTS A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO.
In the eighties the chief industries of Maryville were the flouring mills of J. E. Williams. H. A. Avery, the pioneer carriage maker, who sold his fac- tory to Frank Basman, started this industry and it grew to be a fixture of the city. J. J. Armstrong established the first foundry in 1877 and there he
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made all kinds of medium and light castings from iron, also carried on a general repair shop. The largest plant in Maryville early in the eighties was the Wiles & Avery foundry, who made a specialty of manufacturing listing plows and corn drills combined in one implement. They also made corn cultivators, harrows and many kinds of farm implements. Fifteen men were constantly employed as early as 1881. Then came the woolen mill industry, also doing an extensive business, carding, making yarns, flannels, blankets, jeans, cas- simeres and other kindred fabrics. A planing mill was then in operation, con- ducted by H. G. Hasenor, and his place was the scene of great activity. The largest brewery in northern Missouri -- the "Mount Jo"-was then running to its utmost capacity, but later other systems and combines in beer products of the country cause the city to lose this industry. There were two large grain elevators here then and four of the largest grain operators in Missouri made the city their headquarters. The present court house was erected in 1882: there were fifteen new business houses erected about the public square, and a new school house being contemplated and later erected. The city was then out of debt, owned a good city hall. a Champion fire extinguisher, and the taxation was but two and one-half mills on the dollar of taxable property.
The years 1880-81 were great years for advancement in Maryville. Dur- ing that period there were erected about twenty-five good brick business houses that took the place of the tumble-down shacks of olden times; two fine brick hotels, the Arlington and the Luona: also four hundred handsome dwellings, many of which were architectural beauties, these including the handsome residence of Hon. Alonzo Thompson, which cost twenty-five thou- sand dollars. The banks were doing an immense business, having almost three- quarters of a million dollars on deposit. There were three ably conducted newspapers. The retail trade amounted to about two million dollars in 1882. Hundreds of teams, then as now, were seen hitched about the public square. In many ways those were the golden days for the seat of justice of Nodaway county.
In 1893. the City Directory gave among the leading industries of the city : Tron castings for stoves, sash weights, flues, wagons and carriages. the latter turning out seventy-five vehicles annually. There were also several cigar factories and butter-making plants. At that date the city had four miles of vitrified brick paving on her streets.
MARYVILLE IN 1910.
With the passing of the years, Maryville has come to be a sprightly. highly up-to-date city, and the affairs of the corporation are looked after upon more thoroughly modern principles than obtained a quarter of a century
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ago. It has had a great growth since the days of 1870, when it was first connected with the outside world by the railroad. Before that date, it was tributary to St. Joseph and Savannah, but with the first rush of steam cars came a new and better era, which has steadily kept pace with the march of the times.
Today it has a population of not far from six thousand intelligent people, all trying to succeed by honorable methods in their various callings. It has four excellent banking houses, a history of which appears under the general chapter head of "Banks and Banking." elsewhere in this work. It sustains four ably edited, clean and up-to-date newspapers-dailies and week- lies. See "Newspapers of Nodaway County." It has a dozen churches and a devoted class of church goers. Its public schools are fully up to the standard, and both the churches and schools are treated under separate chapters in this volume. The same is true of its numerous and highly prosperous secret and benevolent orders. It may be said that the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and kindred fraternities have always found here a good class of peo- ple among which to institute lodges. The chapter on Civic Societies will in- clude much of interest along this line. This city is the seat of the State Nor- mal School, a history of which will be found within the Educational chapter.
It has come to be spoken of as the "City of Many Beautiful Homes." The residences erected in the last few years have been of a first-class type and much attention has been paid to the care of the private property, grounds, lawns, etc. Its paved streets and miles of cement sidewalks have added much to the convenience of the populace. Already the business interests have com- menced to crowd out some of the residences. The city has long needed more and better postal facilities and is now happy over the promise of a new spe- cially constructed government building for the office to make its permanent home in.
PRESENT INDUSTRIES.
While Maryville cannot be termed a manufacturing city, but rather a mercantile point, yet the following thrifty enterprises are fast making a show- ing in the line of industries, to which more are soon to be added.
The Martin acetylene lighting system, as patented and furnished to the public, for lighting both town and country homes, by the plant of the in- ventor and proprietor, at Maryville, is one of the recent and most valuable acquisitions of the city's industries. In this factory is produced the best known system for illuminating of this age. It is even stronger and more ef-
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fective, under any condition, than the finest electric systems, and the ordinary gas light fades into insignificance as tested by the standard of this light. It is also very considerably cheaper, hence is being sought after far and near. There are now more than one hundred and seventy-five thousand farms and country homes illuminated by this process. The factory of H. H. Martin & Company is located at No. 214 East Third street, Maryville. The system is styled the "Free Light Acetyline Generator." Other goods of a kindred na- ture are also here manufactured in large quantities.
The Mills of Maryville .- In days gone by the flouring mill industry of Maryville amounted to much. In May, 1868, the mills of George Huebuch were set in operation and for many years turned out their vast tonnage of excellent family flour. The mill then passed into the hands of J. E. Williams and he increased its capacity and was a very successful business man and miller. This mill became the foundation to his now goodly fortune. It was. the only mill in the place for many years and was very popular with all classes.
Later, another mill was started and that, too, did a good paying business. but with the change in systems of flour producing and the shortage of good milling grades of wheat grown in Nodaway county. these mills shut down and now the people are supplied with flour from the great combination mills of the country, the product being made elsewhere and shipped into the coun- ty ; almost every farmer now purchases his flour supply from his nearby grocer. The days of "going to mill" are forever past for the farmer of Nod- away county. The old mill is still operated to good advantage as a feed mill. It is a frame structure propelled by steam and stands in the heart of the city. It was written of this mill in 1882. that "It is running day and night and its four run of stones are producing a better grade of flour than can be had at any mill in northwestern Missouri."
The lightning rod factory of Moore Brothers is another industry that Maryville is proud of. This concern was first started in the village of Gra- ham, Hughes township. this county, in 1900 by the two brothers. D. C. and E. V. Moore, who incorporated in 1906 as Moore Brothers Lightning Rod Company, and in November. 1908. removed their plant to Maryville, locating in the three-story brick factory in which they still operate. It is a structure forty-four by eighty feet in size, situated on the corner of Second and Market streets. They hold nine United States letters patent on rods and the machinery for producing the same. One man with one machine is able to produce four thousand feet of this superior copper rodding in ten hours' work. They sell
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the product in eleven states and have a branch at Peoria, Illinois, and distrib- ute from Newport, Pennsylvania. Topeka, Kansas. and Minneapolis, Minne- sota. Eighteen men are employed in the factory in Maryville.
Rope. Halter and Tie Factory .- This is a novel industry in Maryville, that was established by L. S. Turner. the patentee of a useful and neat line of machine-woven halters, horse ties and other kindred goods, all manufactured from the best of rope by patented machinery and sold to the harness trade throughout the entire country. This business began in 1907 and was incor- porated in 1909 as the Turner Manufacturing Company, sole manufacturers of the Perfection Rope Goods. They make all grades of endless rope goods. The president of the company is A. Lippam, the secretary and treasurer is Nick Sturm and the general manager is the inventor. L. S. Turner. The goods are sold by traveling salesmen, who number about forty-five and operate all over the country, including Florida, Virginia and California. They also do an immense mail order business. Their present factory is situated on the northeast corner of the public square. They employ electricity as a motive power in running their unique machinery. It is thoroughly a Maryville enter- prise.
THE M'DONALD SHIRT FACTORY.
This unique plant is a branch of the larger one at St. Joseph, and was established here in 1906. for the purpose of manufacturing a line of high- grade men's shirts, especially the summer wear of soft, fine goods sold under the trade-mark of "Red Seal" and "Unicorn" shirts. The business com- menced with but twelve girls as workers, but at present eighty find constant employment the year round. The factory is modern in its equipage, built of concrete cement blocks and stands on the corner of Fifth and Market streets, in the center of the city. The weekly output is about six hundred finished shirts. It is managed in an able manner by Louise Williams, who has been engaged in like calling for more than eighteen years. Strikes among her girls so far have been unknown. Kind treatment and fair pay. coupled with intelligence, avert the strikes so frequent in larger cities. The Maryville Commercial Club was instrumental in securing this plant.
THIE CARRIAGE FACTORY.
What is styled the Barmann & Wolfert Carriage and Wagon Works is located on North Main street and has for a score or more years been manu- facturing a first-class line of buggies and wagons, and in more recent years has
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added a full and complete line of factory-made work, as well as automobiles, which they carry in connection with the output of their own shops. Its business is run on better than ordinary principles, as the members of the firm are both excellent business men, who take a just pride in the work they turn out. . \ majority of the local delivery wagons and extra made vehicles of this county have been manufactured in their factory.
ARTIFICIAL ICE PLANT.
The Everhart Artificial Ice Plant was established in Maryville com- mencing with the season of 1909. The works are on Main street, opposite the First Methodist Episcopal church : a part of the land on which they are situ- ated was the site of the old Methodist church. The water from which this ice is produced comes from the great waterworks basin to the east of the city, and hence is from the channel of One Hundred and Two river. When the con- sumer gets this ice, it is double distilled and filtered water frozen into clear, pure ice. It is used at home and also shipped to distant points in Iowa and Missouri, taking the preference to natural ice, because of its purity and less liability of its wasting in sawing and cutting. The daily output of the plant is given at about fifteen tons.
FOUNDRY AND MACHINE SHOP.
The foundry and machine shop of William Armstrong is the same plant established in 1877 by Mr. Armstrong's father and is still doing a large busi- ness in his line. Iron and brass work are finely executed here. The shop and foundry are located on North Market street, the original site.
MARYVILLE BUSINESS COLLEGE.
This institution is one of two like colleges. the other being under the same management and located at Creston, Iowa. It was organized by the Western School Company in 1906 and incorporated in both Iowa and Missouri (Creston and Maryville) in 1908. Its board of directors are Capt. E. S. Cook, president, of Company F. Fourth Missouri Infantry ; A. J. Holt, vice- president : T. E. Walker, secretary : Mrs. E. S. Cook, Miss Lena McCartney and Glenn Neely. This is a great training school that is equipped like a bank, and has "made good" in every instance. It is located at the corner of
(22)
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Fourth and Market streets. It is strictly in the interest of practical education for both men and women. Here are taught bookkeeping, shorthand. teleg- raphy and all that enables one to go out into the world fully equipped as a man or woman of business qualifications. Several hundred students attend this school of educational training annually.
THE EMPIRE THEATER.
This is a modern play-house with a capacity of six hundred and forty people. It was erected on the corner of Second and Main streets in 1903. and is now the property of Messrs. Cook and Sons. who are also interested in the management of the electric light and power company, whose offices are lo- cated in the front rooms of the opera house. This is a neat brick building with all the latest appliances for the production of first-class plays in a city of the size of Maryville. Centrally located, in the theatre season it is well patronized.
Another play-house is the Crystal theatre, on the northeast corner of the public square. This building was a business house and a few years since the lower floor was converted into a theatre and in it are conducted vaudeville and moving picture shows to the merriment of very many. Its price affords an opportunity for the poor as well as the wealthier to see well conducted shows.
MARYVILLE ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY.
About 1887 was the date of the first electric lighting in Maryville, when the invention of Edison was yet in its infancy. A plant was established by home capital and the works were located in the vicinity of the Wabash depot. Soon thereafter St. Louis capital was employed and the plant was moved to its present location on Buchanan street, nearer the heart of the city. This building was erected in 1896. From this plant go forth the wires through- out the entire city, by which light and power are daily and nightly distributed to many hundreds of patrons. The streets are well lighted by the improved arc system. Most of the business places, and many of the better class of residences. are supplied with lights from these works, which are chiefly the property of St. Louis capital. with a few stockholders at Maryville.
THE MARYVILLE WATER COMPANY.
The first attempt at providing the city of Maryville with water from a regular system of waterworks was in 1886, when Cyrus B. Davidson and Adam H. McCormick, of Kansas. and George B. Kinney, of Maryville. organized a company and incorporated the same March 4th of that year. A few days later the concern was transferred. for the sum of five thousand dol-
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lars, to the Maryville Water Company. Bonds were issued and stock sold to the amount of seventy-five thousand dollars, which has been materially in- creased with the passing years. A twenty-year franchise was secured of the city and it is still operating under such franchise, but will soon secure another one. In 1892 the capital was increased to one hundred and twenty-five thou- sand dollars. February 28, 1893, the company met with a great loss by reason of the water tower or stand-pipe collapsing. Then the present water tower was constructed. the same being eighteen feet in diameter, made of pressed steel, surrounded by brick work. The total cost of the plant was about one hundred and forty thousand dollars. The water supply is derived from the waters of One Hundred and Two river, at a point about two miles and a quarter southeast from the standpipe in the city. The pumping station is complete in all its parts. Two immense steam pumps throw the water to the city through the mains. The water first comes from the river, enters a ten- acre reservoir and from there it goes through the sand filtering process and then falls into the immense well and from this is forced by the pumps up to the standpipe in the northwest part of Maryville. The reservoir holds twenty million gallons. The standpipe holds one hundred and twenty-one thousand gallons and the sand filter works at the river hold five hundred thousand gal- lons. There are now almost ten miles of water mains in the system, sixty-six hydrants and five hundred meters in use, while seven hundred customers use the water, at an average of fifty-five gallons a day per capita. The company supplies the two railroads and the city with its water, and also the State Nor- mal School. The rates fluctuate, but at present the flat rate is thirty-three and a third cents per thousand feet. The present local manager is Mr. G. B. Rose- berry.
OTHER ADVANTAGES.
Among the recent railroad building improvements in the city may be named the new vitrified brick passenger station of the Burlington road. It was erected in the winter of 1909-10 and completed in the spring of the year last named. It is a fine, modern structure, with two excellent waiting rooms and all up-to-date conveniences for the traveling public. It stands just to the west of the old depot, which was a disgrace to the city for many years. The old depot is to be used farther down the tracks as a freight warehouse.
Maryville has over twenty-two miles of sewer. eleven miles of paved streets, five public school buildings, a seventy-five-thousand-dollar electric light plant, waterworks for a city of twenty thousand people, free mail deliv-
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ery, paid fire department, a thoroughly modern hospital, ten churches, a busi- ness college, the State Normal School, a conservatory of music, etc. Its bank- ing interests is in the hands of four solid financial institutions. Its people are a liberty-loving, Christianized, prosperous and happy class.
POPULATION.
From the platting of the place in September, 1845. to 1870, it increased to a town of 3.390: by 1880. it reached 4.400: by 1890, owing to various causes, the place dropped back to 4.037: by 1900, it had grown to be a city of 4.577. and at present, spring of 1910, the directory publishers and city officials claim for the city a population of 6,100.
CITY GOVERNMENT.
The town of Maryville was incorporated in 1856, but the act was annulled in 1857. The next effort towards incorporation was in 1859. but probably on account of the oncoming of the great Civil war, it was allowed to lapse. Again in 1866 in regular order it was incorporated, but discontinued in 1869. but soon it was incorporated and has stood since as one of the incorporated places of the county. Perhaps but few cities have gone through so checkered a career in corporation matters as has Maryville. Concerning the "Town of Maryville." the court record has this among other things :
"Now on this day ( July 19, 1869) comes I. V. McMillan, M. G. Rose- berry, et al., and present a petition to this court, setting forth the metes and bounds of the town of Maryville, and its commons, in the county of Noda- way, and praying that they may be incorporated, and a police established for local government, and for the preservation and regulation of the commons appertaining to said town of Maryville, and the court being satisfied that two- thirds of the taxable inhabitants of said town have signed said petition, and that the prayer of said petitioners is reasonable ; it is therefore declared and ordered by the court that said town of Maryville be incorporated, and that the metes and bounds thereof be known and described. as follows:" ( The de- scription will in no way be of interest here, as the boundaries have long since been materially changed ).
The first trustees of the town, appointed at its re-incorporation in 1869. were : William B. Jones, chairman: A. A. Minnier, William Anderson, R. H. Cox and T. L. Robinson, who selected for their clerk. D. L. Palmer, and I. V. McMillan for their attorney.
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In 1880 the place was incorporated as a "city," and up to that date the chairmen of the town trustees had included these: W. L. Johnson, 1875; Henry Graves. 1876: T. J. Johnson, 1877; L. M. Lane, 1878: J. E. Alexander, 1879.
The list of mayors of the city of Maryville has been as follows: S. R. Beech, 1880-82; James G. George, 1882-84; J. T. Welch, 1884-88; C. A. Ellis, 1888-1890 : G. G. Grems, 1890-94 ; F. M. Cooper, 1894-96; Howard Mc- Common, 1896-98; S. C. Mccluskey. 1898-1900; John C. Donnell, 1900-02 ; WV. T. Garrett. 1902-04: Augustus Romasser, 1904-06; W. H. Totterdale, 1906-07, resigned March 29, 1907, and F. R. Robinson was appointed and later elected at the ensuing election in the month of April. 1907, and is still in office, March, 1910, and a candidate for re-election.
The chief of the volunteer city fire department is W. T. Porter. The city now has a marshal and night watch, paid at the city's expense. The city owns its own fire appliances and team, hire a driver by the month, and pay a stipulated sum to each fireman who attends fires and department meetings. The city building is located between Fourth and Fifth streets, on Market street. It is a two-story brick building : the lower floor is for the enginery of the fire department and the second floor is used for a council chamber. A fire department has been connected with the city government since 1879. The city has escaped the ravages of the fire fiend to a greater degree than most cities of the age and size of Maryville.
THE MARYVILLE POSTOFFICE.
The postoffice at Maryville was established in 1845, was kept at first in the old court house and it was the first office established in Nodaway county. The earliest carriers went on horseback and were C. S. Burns and Amos Graham, who continued to go on horseback until 1857. Then a hack was run from Savannah up to 1869: prior to 1859 mail was brought from St. Joseph. In the sixties mail was carried from Clarinda, Iowa. Another statement shows that mail was carried by a hack from St. Joseph until 1859 and from Savannah to Maryville up to 1869.
The rural free delivery of mail was first established in the county March I, 1899, and it run out from Maryville. There are now seven routes running out from this office and the distance they cover is one hundred and seventy- five miles.
Free delivery of mail in the city of Maryville was first established May I. 1900, and at present the number of carriers is three. There are now eight mail trains entering the city each twenty-four hours.
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The office has never met with loss by fire or burglary. The business of this postoffice has come to be very large and the government is now planning to erect a postoffice building, in order to properly care for the increasing volume of business. The present office is kept in a private building on the north side of the court house square. The present postmaster is Scribner R. Beech, while his deputy is Scribner L. Beech.
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