Neosho (officially City of Neosho^[3])(pronounced /niːˈoʊʃoʊ/; originally IPA: [niˈoʒo] or [niˈoʒu]) is the most populous city in and the county seat A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there. Parts of the Canadian Maritimes also use the term shire town. In England, Wales and Ireland, the term of Newton County, Missouri Missouri mirrors the demographic, economic and political makeup of the nation with a mix of urban and rural culture. It has long been considered a political bellwether state. With the exceptions of 1956 and 2008, Missouri's results in U.S. presidential elections have accurately predicted the next President of the United States in every election, United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. In 2008, the population was estimated at 49,775 and the surrounding Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 172,933 in 200 Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Located in southwestern Missouri on the southern edge of the Midwest The Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America used by the United States Census Bureau in its reporting, Neosho lies at the western edge of the Missouri Missouri mirrors the demographic, economic and political makeup of the nation with a mix of urban and rural culture. It has long been considered a political bellwether state. With the exceptions of 1956 and 2008, Missouri's results in U.S. presidential elections have accurately predicted the next President of the United States in every election Ozarks The Ozarks are a physiographic, geologic, and cultural highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the south half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwest and North central Arkansas. The region also extends westward into northeast Oklahoma and extreme southeast Kansas. The population was 10,505 at the time of the 2000 census The Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census. This was the twenty-second federal census and was at the time the largest.

The name "Neosho" is generally accepted to be of Native American Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. The terminology used to (most likely Osage Osage is a Siouan language spoken by the Osage people of Oklahoma. Today only "a handful" of fluent speakers of Osage exist, all over seventy-five) derivation, meaning "clear, cold water", referring to the natural freshwater springs A spring is a component of the hydrosphere, namely any natural occurrence where water flows to the surface of the earth from below the surface. Thus it is where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface found within the original city limits The term city limits refers to the defined boundary or border of a city. The terms town limits and village limits mean the same as city limits, but apply to towns and villages. Similarly, the term corporate limits is a legal name that refers to the boundaries of municipal corporations. The limits of a municipality may be expanded through. Nicknamed "City of Springs", this uninterrupted availability of fresh water made the area ideal for settlement for the original inhabitants of the area as well as the settlers who founded the city. Much of Neosho's history revolves around these springs, including its onetime place as an agricultural center as well as the location for a National Fish Hatchery. Neosho is also known locally as "Gateway to the Ozarks" and, since the 1950s, "The Flower Box City Neosho (pronounced /niːˈoʊʃoʊ/; originally IPA: [niˈoʒo] or [niˈoʒu]) is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area".

Originally inhabited by indigenous The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North, Central, and South America, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples. They are often also referred to as Native Americans, Aboriginals, First Nations , Amerigine[dubious – discuss], and by Christopher Columbus' geographical and Native Americans Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. The terminology used to, Neosho was first settled by people of European The European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe descent around 1833^[4] and incorporated A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which they are located. Often, this event is marked by the in 1878.

Neosho has made a number of contributions to the cultural fabric of America by producing and inspiring several individuals Neosho (pronounced /niːˈoʊʃoʊ/; originally IPA: [niˈoʒo] or [niˈoʒu]) is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area who are notable in U.S. history The first residents of what is now the United States emigrated from Asia over 15,000 years ago by crossing Beringia into Alaska. Archaeological evidence of these peoples, the ancestors of the Native Americans dates to 14,000 years ago including painter and Regionalist muralist Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche department of southern France. Many ancient murals have survived in Egyptian tombs (around 3150 BC, the Minoan palaces (Middle period III of the Neopalatial period, 1700-1600 BC) and in Pompeii(around 100 BC - AD 79) Thomas Hart Benton Thomas Hart Benton was an American painter and muralist. Along with Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry, he was at the forefront of the Regionalist art movement. His fluid, almost sculpted paintings showed everyday scenes of life in the United States. Though his work is perhaps best associated with the Midwest, he created scores of paintings of New, ragtime Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published as popular sheet music for piano. It was a composer and pianist James Scott, and celebrated African-American Predominantly Protestant ; some Roman Catholics. Minorities practice Islam and other religions inventor An invention is a new composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social behaviors adopted by people and passed on to others and botanist Botany, plant science, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Botany covers a wide range of scientific disciplines concerned with the study of plants, algae and fungi, including structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, chemical properties, and evolutionary George Washington Carver George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born before slavery was abolished in Missouri in January 1864. Neosho has also played a key role in several historic events, including Missouri's secession Neosho (pronounced /niːˈoʊʃoʊ/; originally IPA: [niˈoʒo] or [niˈoʒu]) is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area during the Civil War Union blockade – Eastern – Western – Lower Seaboard – Trans-Mississippi – Pacific Coast and serving as home to the rocket engine program Neosho (pronounced /niːˈoʊʃoʊ/; originally IPA: [niˈoʒo] or [niˈoʒu]) is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area responsible for carrying the first American into space Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (Rear Admiral, United States Navy, Ret.) was an American naval aviator and astronaut who became second person, and the first American, in space. Ten years later, he commanded the Apollo 14 mission, and was the fifth person to walk on the moon and carrying the first men to the moon A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on September 13, 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Today, Neosho is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance, particularly in the historic downtown area. Through a combination of private investment and public resources, the historic city center is seeing a number of restoration and revitalization projects aimed at restoring the original charm, upgrading the infrastructure, and generally improving the quality of life of downtown Neosho.

Neosho also seems poised to play a pivotal role in America's transition to alternative energy Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels. Neosho's Crowder College has been deeply involved in education and research since the early 1980s, building the first solar-powered vehicle A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered by a type of renewable energy, solar energy. This is obtained from solar panels on the surface of the vehicle. Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the sun's energy directly into electrical energy. Solar vehicles are not practical day-to-day transportation devices at present, but are primarily to successfully complete a coast to coast journey across the United States in 1984. In the spring of 2009, the college is scheduled to break ground on the MARET (Missouri Alternative & Renewable Energy Technology) Center, a facility entended to provide an experimental platform to develop alternative energy systems.^[5]

History

Settlement: 1829–1845

Starting in the late 1820s, European A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe and is the descendant of European immigrants or founding colonists. This includes people via African, North American, Caribbean, Central American or South American nations which have a large European diaspora settlers A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads. Settlers are sometimes termed "colonists" or "colonials" and—in the United States -- "pioneers" of English Traditionally Christianity, mostly Anglicanism, but also non-conformists and also Roman Catholics (see Catholic Emancipation). Agnostics, atheist as well as other religions. (see Religion in England), Scottish Christianity ; other minority groups; agnostics and atheists, and Irish The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see Prehistoric Ireland), with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded have legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir descent began moving into the area which was to become Neosho. The first known of these settlers was Lunsford Oliver who arrived from Tennessee The State of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians. What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later part of the Southwest Territory. Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. In the in 1829 and located near Shoal Creek giving his name to the adjacent prairie Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, and the steppes of Eurasia, Oliver's Prairie. His nearest neighbors were in Springfield Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Greene County. On July 1, 2008, the estimated population was 156,206. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 426,144, and includes the counties of Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk and Webster. Springfield is near the population center of the United sixty miles to the east. Starting two years later, in 1831, came Nathaniel Turner, John Smith, Joseph Ross, Campbell Pure, Blake Wilson, Levi Lee, Carmac Ratcliffe, and George McInturf, the latter of whom built a corn mill A gristmill or grist mill is a building in which grain is ground into flour, or the grinding mechanism itself. In many countries these are referred to as corn mills or flour mills, the first mill of any kind in the area. Soon afterward came Mathew H. Ritchie and John W. McCord, the former of whom founded the town of Newtonia near Oliver's Prairie and the latter of whom settled near Walbridge Spring with Levie Lee and founded the town Neosho twelve miles to the west. During these early years the entire area was called "Six Bulls", a coloquialization of "six boils", referring to several large streams flowing through the area, including Shoal Creek, Center Creek, Indian Creek, Spring River, and North Fork.

Education received early attention in the county. By 1835, at least three schools had been established along Shoal Creek and a Mr. Billingsley taught near Neosho. The earliest known organized religious effort dates to 1836 when Methodist Circuit The Methodist Circuit is part of the organisational structure of British Methodism,or at least those branches which are derived from the work of John Wesley. It is a group of individual Societies or local Churches under the care of one or more Methodist Ministers. In the scale of organisation, the Circuit is about mid-way. Upwards, Circuits are riders visited the area holding meetings in log cabins A log cabin is a small house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." "Log cabin" generally denotes a simple one, or one-and-one-half story structure, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less. In 1843, the Rev. Anthony Bewley was appointed to the Neosho and Granby circuit, effectively establishing the first permanent churches in the area. Rev. John W. McCord was involved in organizing Neosho Presbytery, a Cumberland Presbyterian The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States. The word Cumberland comes from the Cumberland River valley where the church was founded congregation at New Salem Campground on May 15, 1837.^[6] These early settlers were sometimes visited by the Native Americans Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact political communities. The terminology used to who recently been relocated from Georgia Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama and by Florida in the south; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mountain range in the vast Appalachian Mountains system. The central piedmont to the Indian Territory The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the use of Native Americans. The general borders were set by the Indian Intercourse Act of 1834, a few miles to the west, and who periodically came into the area on hunting expeditions.

Newton County was originally contained in Crawford County Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1990. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 22,804; a 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 23,970. Its county seat is Steelville. The county was organized in 182 and afterward in Barry County Barry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 34,010. Its county seat is Cassville. The county was organized in 1835 and named after William Taylor Barry from Kentucky, a United States Postmaster General. It was separated from the Barry County on December 31, 1838, and established as a county under its present name, given in honor of the often fictionalized American Revolutionary War veteran Sergeant John Newton the fellow of Sergeant William Jasper of Fort Moultrie fame. It then included the present counties of Jasper, McDonald, and Barton, which were successively created from it.

The first county court session was held at Reed's residence on April 13, 1839. John Reed, Hugh Shannon, and Jacob Testerman sitting as judges under appointment by Lilburn Boggs the Governor of Missouri. John Reed was made presiding judge, Thomas Mosely, Jr. clerk, John Haskins assessor, and Isaac Gibson sheriff. Townships were established and roads laid out by this body. On November 12, the commissioners reported Neosho as the permanent seat of justice and James Wilson was appointed a special commissioner to lay out the town. The first elected county judges were Edward V. Warren, Larkin Newton, and Samuel V. Warren, and Samuel M. Cooley, with Milton Sexton as clerk in 1840. That same year, Milton Sexton, as superintendent, built the first courthouse, a log structure occupied in March 1841. In 1840, Lemuel B. Hearrell conducted a school on Hickory Creek, which at times numbered forty pupils. In 1841, Charles S. Yancey became circuit judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District, to which Newton County was attached. The first state representative was John Wilson. In 1842, he opened the first school in Neosho and taught Latin and higher mathematics. The Southern Methodist presence in the area dates to 1845.

During the 1840s, mining became a part of Neosho when lead was discovered. Neosho's early commercial development was dominated by lead and zinc mining and Newton County established one of Missouri's earliest commercial operations. Lead was transported by wagon from Neosho to Indian Territory, then shipped down the Arkansas River and Mississippi River toNew Orleans.

Realignment: 1846–1861

In 1846 a strip two miles wide was detached from northern Newton and attached to southern Jasper County. A survey of the community was undertaken in 1846 by F. M. Duncan which laid out the courthouse square and surrounding blocks. According to the survey, the town covered an area of about 40 acres and was laid off beginning at the "west edge of the large spring and...northeast of a large white oak", which included land originally belonging to John McCord. Part of McCord's relinquished land was returned to him, which he then subdivided because of its close proximity to Neosho. This subdivision, later incorporated into the city limits, is still called "McCord's Addition to Neosho". On August 20, 1847, Neosho was legally incorporated with William C. Jones, Jackson C. McKay, Samuel Rice, William B. Holmes, and William B. Mooney as trustees. A Baptist congregation was organized at Neosho in 1847, with the Rev. W.H. Farmer as pastor who served until 1859.

In 1849, McDonald County was created by an act of the state legislature from the southern portion of Newton County reducing it to its present dimensions. The same act named John Williams of Taney County, James Williams of Barry County, and Chesley Cannifex of Greene County as commissioners to locate the seat of justice within five miles of the new geographical center of the county and made the temporary seat at the home of John Reed, one and one half miles east of the present site of downtown Neosho. Later the same year a log jail was built.

The design of the courthouse square followed that of the Shelbyville Square Plan which has lots arranged to face a central courthouse block. A brick courthouse built in 1850 at a cost of $3,000 replaced the earlier log structure and over the next decade numerous residential and commercial buildings were constructed in and around the courthouse square. The first newspaper printed in the county was the Neosho Chief, founded in 1854 by J. Webb Graves. It afterward became the Neosho Herald and was removed in 1861 to Arkansas where the material was captured by the Union Army.

By special act passed on August 3, 1854, Congress laid out a monthly Pony Express mail route from Neosho to Albuquerque, New Mexico with an annual budget of $17,000. Although following the Mexican-American War, this region had come to be of great commercial and military importance, the line was not a commercial success. In March of the following year the route was changed to run from Independence, Missouri to Stockton, California, via Albuquerque.

Civil War: 1861–1865

During the entire course of the Civil War the county was overrun by both Union and Confederate forces. Severe engagements were fought in and around Neosho, Newtonia, and Granby, some places repeatedly, while frequent skirmishes occurred between small groups and raids by predatory parties were a frequent occurrence. The schools were all closed during the war and most of the school buildings were destroyed. The new courthouse was occupied by troops of both Union and Confederate troops during the war and was destroyed about 1862. The county records were later found intact in a cell in the jail where they were concealed by R.W. Ellis, the county clerk in 1861, before he departed to join the Confederate Army. On July 2, 1861, during the Civil War, the Neosho State Guards Captain Henderson Jennings assisted in the capture of Captain Conrad and a company of Colonel Sigel's Third Missouri Infantry Regiment which had recently occupied Neosho taking quarters in the courthouse.

On October 21, Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson and the Confederate members of the Missouri General Assembly who had fled from Jefferson City on the approach of the Union troops, held next to their last session there. On October 28, 1861, they set up a provisional capital which convened in Neosho. Jackson and the Missouri General Assembly met in the Masonic Hall and numbered thirty nine members of the House and ten of the Senate. An ordinance of secession was passed and the event was celebrated with cannon firing by General Price's troops who occupied the adjacent hills. The results of the vote were accepted by the Confederate government and Missouri was admitted as the 12th state of the Confederacy. However, the pro-Union State Convention had already reconvened, and with the support of the federal government and troops, had summarily deposed Jackson and the refugee representatives, and had set up a their own provisional government with Hamilton R. Gamble as governor.

General Sterling Price made an effort to reorganize a Confederate campaign in Missouri, but any chance for concerted pro-Southern action ended when he was defeated in March 1862 at Pea Ridge.

During 1862 various engagements between the hostile forces occurred in the vicinity of Neosho. In 1863, Neosho was garrisoned by Union troops, part of the time with loyal Native American soldiers occupying the courthouse. On October 4, 1863, a portion of the town was burned by Confederate General Shelby who appeared before the town with 1,100 men and, after shelling the courthouse, received the surrender of Captain McAfee and 200 men. Resulting Confederate casualties included 7 dead, 22 wounded.^[7]

There was no court held from May 22, 1861 until June 19, 1865 when Tipton O. Wood, Frederick Gallimore, and James R. Pearson sat as a county court with W.I.I. Morrow as clerk and Harvey Conly as sheriff, all temporarily commissioned by the Governor. In 1866, elections were held and order was established. And, starting in 1866, a board of education was organized consisting of Lyman Beebe, J.H. Price Sr., R.V. Keller, E.H. Benham, Hubbard F. Jones and Edwin Ebert. A school site was purchased and the old building repaired.^[8] In 1867, a small two-story building was erected for courthouse purposes and the county officers were provided for there and in private buildings until 1878, when a substantial stone and brick building was completed at a cost of $16,250. In 1887, a jail was built. The first circuit court session was held at the house of Judge John Reed on July 22, 1839, Judge Foster P. Wright presiding.

Debate flourishes to this day regarding the legitimacy of these actions. Jackson would continue serving as the governor in the Confederate held portions of the state. But by the end of the year, the Union forces would occupy almost all of Missouri and Jackson took refuge in Arkansas. A Union victory at the Battle of Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas in early 1862 solidified Union control of Missouri for the remainder of the war.

In 1863 much of the original downtown was burned to the ground by retreating Confederate forces.

Reconstruction: 1866–1899

Following the Civil War, Neosho became a prominent commercial center of southwest Missouri during the late 19th century. The population of the small community grew in size from approximately 500 to 2,725 between 1870 and 1900. During these decades dozens of brick commercial buildings were built around the central courthouse square containing a wide variety of private businesses including lumber yards, livery stables, general stores, and hotels. In addition to retail shops and stores the city also boasted numerous manufacturing companies such as wagon factories, mills, and even a cigar factory. A new brick courthouse was constructed in 1878 followed by a county jail in 1888.

The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad reached Neosho in 1870. The A& P eventually became the San Francisco and St Louis railroad. In 1878, Neosho was incorporated and the first permanent courthouse was constructed in the center of the town square. In 1887 the Kansas City-Fort Smith and Southern Railroad entered Neosho. The KCFS& S served the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, the oldest Federal Fish Hatchery still operating today, which was built the following year. This railroad was eventually sold to the Kansas City Southern Railroad which still operates and runs through Neosho today.

In the 1882, after the vineyards of France, Spain, and Portugal were struck by the deadly phylloxera louse, it was determined that grapes bred by Neosho winemaker Hermann Jaeger were resistant to the louse. His work proved to be a savior for the great vineyards of Europe. Working with other scholars and grape growers, Jaeger supplied cuttings from his Monark Springs vineyards to help replant those lost in Europe. For his contribution to the grape and wine industries of France, Jaeger was awarded the coveted French Legion of Honour, the highest award that that nation can bestow on a civilian.

By 1898, there were 101 schools in Newton County with 139 teachers and 7,618 pupils. The permanent school fund was $23,260.28. The population of the county in 1900 was 28,001. By the turn of the century the city Neosho was a thriving community connected by three rail lines and exporting a variety of products and agricultural produce. The courthouse square continued as Neosho's commercial and governmental center well into the 20th century. Numerous commercial building were constructed from 1900 to 1930 including the four-story Haas Building on the north side of the square. The Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad ran from the Arkansas resort town of Eureka Springs to Neosho where it connected with the Frisco and Kansas City Southern tracks in 1908.

Early 20th Century: 1900–1934

On the Wednesday, August 5, 1914 there was a head on collision between gasoline-electric motorcar No. 103 of passenger train No. 209 of the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad Company carrying passengers and locomotive No. 805, a regular passenger train of the Kansas City Southern Railway Company, near Tipton Ford, a few miles north of Neosho. Motorcar No. 103 was carrying about 105 gallons of gasoline at the time of the collision. Forty-three passengers on the motorcar were killed, many of them burned beyond recognition, and several others were injured and the motorcar was entirely demolished.^[9] Two days later a funeral was held on the Newton County courthouse lawn for over thirty unidentified individuals, who were buried in a mass grave in the Neosho I.O.O.F. cemetery.

New Deal & World War II: 1935–1951

During the Great Depression the federal government assisted in the completion of the Neosho City Hall and Municipal Auditorium, as well as the current Newton County Courthouse. Funded by the Works Progress Administration, the original courthouse was razed in December 1935 to make way for the current Carthage stone Art Deco-style courthouse which was designed by architect Neal C. Davis, a Newton County native. Construction of the new courthouse began in April 1936. A memorial tablet replaced the traditional cornerstone, which was no longer a construction component, and ceremonies took place July 30, 1936. U.S. Senator and future president Harry S. Truman, Grand Steward of the Grand Lodge of Missouri, was the speaker. In 1938, another Davis-designed, WPA-funded project, the Auditorium and City Hall project was completed as well. This building underwent an extensive, multi-million dollar restoration and modernization completed in September 2008.

Neosho is the home of Fort Crowder, originally established as Camp Crowder south of town in 1941 at the height of World War II, the post was to serve as an armored training center. By 1943 the army had acquired 42,786.41 acres (173.151 km²) in Newton and McDonald Counties. As it was constructed, it was re-designated as a U.S. Army Signal Corps training center. It was named for Enoch Crowder, a Missouri general who was instrumental in developing the draft for World War I and the Selective Service. The post also served as an infantry replacement center and had a small German prisoner-of-war detention facility.

Some of the soldiers stationed at Camp Crowder went on to find greater fame, including Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, Mort Walker, Tillman Franks, and Jean Shepherd. Writers for the 1960s-era The Dick Van Dyke Show, made the post the setting where Rob and Laura Petrie, portrayed by actors Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, met; Rob was a sergeant in Special Services and Laura was a USO dancer. Well-known to its residents for being muddy and swampy during the rainy season Camp Crowder served as a model for Cartoonist Mort Walker, who was stationed there, for the fictional "Camp Swampy" in his long-running newspaper comic strip, Beetle Bailey.

Camp Crowder was deactivated in 1951 and placed in a caretaker status. While the core of the post was retained, many of the wood temporary barracks were declared surplus and sold. The base's movie theatre was disassembled and reassembled on the campus of what is today the University of Missouri - Kansas City where it was the Kansas City Playhouse until being torn down for a new theatre. A portion of its wall that contains statues of Comedy and Tragedy are landmarks on the university campus. The permanent barracks, were obtained as surplus and formed the core of the community college campus for Crowder College.

The Flower Box City: 1952–1968

Since the 1950s Neosho has been locally well-known as "The Flower Box City", the name dubbed after the city earned the All-America City Award in the 1950s. In 1955 the town applied for and received a $5,000 grant from the New York Community Trust for a civic beautification project. Local companies provided lumber at cost, and the Jaycees formed an assembly line to build more than 200 wooden flower boxes. Pet Milk Company donated 400 used, wooden barrels for container gardens, and town nurseries supplied plants at reduced rates. The city even dressed up trash cans and parking meters around the courthouse square with flower baskets.

The effort earned Neosho a coveted All-America City Award from Look magazine and the National Municipal League in 1957. The Flower Box Promotion Committee has supported beautification ever since, awarding 'Beauty Spot' prizes each spring and summer to homes and businesses with outstanding yards, flower gardens, and flower boxes.

Life magazine photojournalist Wallace Kirkland covered the event for the magazine. A life collection of his photographs from this assignment, many previously unpublished, can be found in the Life photo archive, hosted by Google.

In the early 1950s, local congressman Dewey Jackson Short, senior member of the House Armed Services Committee secured authorization and some funding to build two permanent barracks and a disciplinary barracks and reactivate the former Camp Crowder as a permanent installation, Fort Crowder. Its mission was to be a permanent home for the Army's military police training school. With Short's defeat in the 1956 election, the fort was deactivated again.

As that took place, about 2,000 acres of the post was turned over to the U. S. Air Force to construct Plant 65, a rocket engine manufacturing facility that was operated by contract to North American Aviation, later known as Rocketdyne. This facility was to become Rocketdyne's primary manufacturing and testing complex for the H-1 rocket engine component of the Saturn V rocket, popularly known as the Moon Rocket, used in NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs until its contract ended in 1968.^[10]

Recent events

On April 24, 1975, a major tornado caused massive destruction, killing three. A motel, apartment complex, and mobile home park were all destroyed along with dozens of homes and businesses.

Neosho made national news in the United States following the August 12, 2007 shooting at a downtown church, where a disgruntled parishioner entered the First Congregational Church during the Sunday afternoon service for the local Micronesian community and took the occupants hostage. After releasing the children from the church he opened fire on the remaining occupants, killing three including two fellow parishioners and the pastor and wounding several others before being apprehended by members of the local police.

Other noteworthy events

• 1870 - the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad reaches Neosho.

• 1878 - First county courthouse is built in the center of the downtown square. Neosho is incorporated.

• 1887 - Kansas City, Fort Smith and Southern Railroad reaches Neosho.

• 1888 - Neosho National Fish Hatchery is built and telephone service comes to town.

• 1892 - E. R. Matters establishes his jewelry store - today, one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the state of Missouri.

• 1938 - Scenes from the 1939 film Jesse James, starring Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda are filmed at the Kansas City Southern railroad depot, with many locals serving as extras.

• 1966 - The landmark Big Spring Inn burns to the ground. Arson is suspected, but never proven.

• 1978 - Neosho is named recipient of the All-Missouri Certified City Award.

• 2006 - Neosho is announced as one of ten cities selected as first annual inductees into Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's DREAM Initiative, a state-funded downtown revitalization and economic assistance program. Other 2006 cities were Cape Girardeau, Excelsior Springs, Hannibal, Hermann, Kennett, Sedalia, St. Joseph, Washington, and West Plains.

• 2007 - 3 people are killed and at least 5 others injured when Eiken Elam Saimon takes about 30 people hostage at First Congregational Church.^[11]

• 2007 - The body of a girl is found in a cave near Neosho. Six days later, her stepfather and one of his close friends were arrested and charged in her death.

Famous sons

Neosho is the birthplace of:

• Thomas Hart Benton - painter and Regionalist muralist
• Donn Clendenon - Major League Baseball first baseman; World Series Most Valuable Player for the 1969 champion New York Mets
• Hugh Armstrong Robinson - aviation pioneer
• James Scott - ragtime composer and pianist
• Russell Burr, athlete, coach, psychologist known for his works on Pickett's Charge

The Neosho area was also home to several notables, including:

• George Washington Carver - celebrated African-American inventor & botanist
• John Q. Hammons - hotel magnate & philanthropist
• H. Waldo Hatler - World War I hero and Medal of Honor recipient
• Hermann Jaeger - Missouri wine pioneer & French Legion of Honor recipient

Neosho also served as a stopover in the lives of other celebrated individuals, including: cowboy philosopher and humorist Will Rogers who, as a young man, briefly attended Scarritt College; Dick Van Dyke who was stationed at Camp Crowder during World War II, inspiring fictionalized events portrayed in The Dick Van Dyke Show, episode #6, November 6, 1961 on CBS; and Billy James Hargis, a sometimes controversial Christian evangelist. Also stationed at Camp Crowder was cartoonist Mort Walker who used Camp Crowder as the inspiration for Camp Swampy in His cartoon series Beetle Bailey. Noted writer Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy currently makes her home in Neosho.

Geography & climate

Geography

Neosho, elevation 1035 feet, is located in the extreme southwest corner of Missouri.

The springs of Neosho

Although by Missouri standards the springs of Neosho are not large, there are many of them. Big Spring, Neosho's largest and arguably most well-known spring is located near the historic downtown in the city's main park, the aptly-named Big Spring Park. This spring issues at the base of a high bluff of Mississippian limestone from a series of cavernous openings developed along a bedding plane, flows through the city park. Many other springs can still be found throughout the city including Bell's Iron Spring and Hobo Springs.

Bartholic, Elm, Hearrell, and McMahon Springs supply water to the Neosho National Fish Hatchery. The flow of these four springs, as they arrive at the hatchery is about 2,000,000 gallons per day.^[12] While Hearrell Spring is at the hatchery, water from the other springs is piped several miles by pipeline to the hatchery.

• Big Spring - a limestone water, clear and cold, rushing from beneath a rocky cliff and forming a swift creek or river capable of running many mills. Currently the only spring accessible to the public.

• Bell's Iron Spring - also known as Walbridge Spring, 900 feet east of the Big Spring, rising in the valley and capable of supplying a city of 50,000 people.
• Brock's Spring - on the eastern line of Neosho.
• Sevier's Springs - two soft water springs just south of Brock's Spring.
• Hearrell Springs - on the southeast line of the Neosho producing the same quality of water as the Big Spring and one an equal quantity.
• Carter & Clark Springs - in the northern part of town. Considered by early residents to have medicinal qualities.
• Bethesda Spring - in the northeast section. Also historically famous for its purported healing properties. The water is always about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, soft and clear.
• Birch Spring - a strong spring just south of the Bethesda Spring.
• Merlin (or Mertin) Springs - three springs north of the Bethesda spring, rushing from beneath the cliff and each producing a different water. *McElhany Springs - forming a bold stream of freestone water in the western part of the town.
• Hobo Spring - also known as Williams Spring, west of downtown.

Climate

Neosho lies near the geographic center of the contiguous United States, in an area with a high concentration of freshwater streams and lakes. This makes for a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa) with moderate precipitation and extremes of hot and cold. Summers can be very humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico, and during July and August daytime highs can reach into the triple digits. Winters vary from mild days to bitterly cold, with lows reaching into the teens below zero a few times a year.

Neosho is situated in "Tornado Alley", a broad region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains and Canada collides with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the formation of powerful storms. Neosho has had many severe outbreaks of tornados, including an EF4 tornado hit the Neosho area on May 10, 2008 and traveled about 80 miles in 2 states, as well as a major tornado that caused massive destruction on April 24, 1975 with three killed, many injured. The region is also prone to ice storms, such as the 2007 ice storm during which hundreds of thousands lost power for days and (in some cases) weeks. The White House declared 34 counties in Missouri disaster areas. Damage in Missouri totaled $352.9 million (2007 USD).

Cityscape

Cultural institutions

• Newton County Historical Society Museum
• Longwell Museum
• Thomas Hart Benton Collection
• Neosho National Fish Hatchery - oldest operating Federal Fish Hatchery
• Big Spring Park
• Morse Park
• Bicentennial Park

Historic district

A large portion of downtown Neosho, described as the Neosho Commercial Historic District, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Also listed in the register is the Second Baptist Church, located several blocks north of downtown and built in the Victorian Gothic style of 1896. Since around 2001, in an ongoing effort to revitalize downtown Neosho, through both private and public means portions of the historic district have undergone restoration & renovation efforts including new street lights, renovated storefronts and new sidewalks.

Historic resources

Neosho currently has three properties listed with the National Register of Historic Places:

• Neosho Commercial Historic District
• Neosho High School
• Second Baptist Church of Neosho

Culture

Entertainment & performing arts

• Neosho Civic Center (also known as "The Civic", formerly the Neosho Municipal Auditorium)

Media

Radio

• KBTN, 1420 AM - country, news
• KNEO, 91.7 FM - Christian

Newspapers

• Neosho Daily News
• The Post
• Newton County News

Legends & folklore

Confederate gold

Legend suggests that Confederate gold is buried somewhere within the town. Some believe that a cave holds both the remains of the soldiers as well as the gold itself. Others contend that the cave, adjacent to Big Spring Park, was closed after a number of local children were lost forever while exploring the cave in the early 20th century.

The spooklight

The Spooklight, also called the Hornet Spook Light or Devil's Promenade, is a mysterious visual phenomenon allegedly experienced by witnesses in a small area known locally as the "Devil's Promenade" on the border between Newton County, Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri, a few miles northwest of Neosho.

Economy

Industry

• BASF
• La-Z-Boy Incorporated - Recliner and sofa assembly plant
• Premier Turbines - Aircraft engine repair and overhaul facility
• Jarden Consumer Solutions
• Leggett & Platt-Talbot Division - Diversified wire products manufacturer

Local Businesses

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 10,505 people, 4,136 households, and 2,725 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 703.6 people per square mile (271.7/km²). There were 4,510 housing units at an average density of 302.0/sq mi (116.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.99% White, 1.04% African American, 1.61% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 1.00% Pacific Islander, 2.73% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.23% of the population.

There were 4,136 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,225, and the median income for a family was $37,790. Males had a median income of $27,672 versus $20,632 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,847. About 8.7% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Neosho's municipal organization provided for under the city charter shall is a home rule council-manager government.

Education

Public Schools

• Neosho R-5 School District
• Crowder College (A. A., A. A. S., A. S.) (N. C. A. C. S., Regional Accreditation)

Private schools

• Neosho Beauty College
• Neosho Christian Schools (K-12)
• Ozark Bible Institute and College (B. B. L., B. B. S., B. C. E.)
• Trinity Learning Center

History of Schools in Neosho

The first public school in Neosho was opened under the leadership Lemuel Hearrell in 1842 in the old Masonic hall.

Most of the school buildings in Neosho were destroyed during the American Civil War. In 1866 the first school board was organized and the schoolhouse known as 'old brick' was repaired. It was located on the hill where the current Central Elementary is. In 1872, a new schoolhouse was constructed north of the 'old brick'. Also in 1872, the school board purchased lot 6 in the Hennings addition for a black school.

A new school was constructed on the same site as the original brick building in 1883 to replace the one built in 1872. The building was a two-story, eight-room structure that had two towers that were visible from the downtown square. The Third Ward School was constructed in 1891, as well as, Lincoln School for the blacks. The M. E. Benton School was constructed in 1898. The Third Ward School burned in 1898 and was rebuilt in 1899. It was renamed Eugene Field School after the St. Louis poet. In 1913, the Board purchased the old Scarritt College north of the square for the purpose of constructing a new high school which opened in 1916.

In April 1927, the school board decided that only experienced teachers would be hired. They also decided that there would be no employment of married women and teachers were not allowed to attend public dances. It was recommended that the Bible be read each day with no comment.

The old Central School building was razed and a new one built in 1930. The M. E. Benton School, named for Maecenas Eason Benton, U.S. Representative for Missouri and father of Thomas Hart Benton, was completely changed in 1937, and a new building for Eugene Field was constructed at the same time. A new high school was constructed for Neosho in 1953 on Neosho Boulevard (renovated & added on in 2007-2008). The same year the old high school building was repurposed as Intermediate School.

Neosho had the unique distinction of never being a consolidated school until the era of reorganization in the 1960s. At which time Belfast School, Jaybird School, and Hammer School were consolidated into the Neosho R-V School District. To meet the demand of growing enrollment, South Elementary School was built in the 1960s. The site of the original Benton School was moved to a new location in 1990. Neosho Middle School was then built west of the Neosho municipal golf course. Today, Neosho serves a quarter of the rural school districts which were in Newton County in 1910.

Transportation

• Jefferson Lines

• Kansas City Southern Railway

• BNSF Railway

Sister city

• Pohnpei, Micronesia^[14]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ http://www.neoshomo.org/DocumentView.asp?DID=88
4. ^ http://www.nr.nps.gov/multiples/64500304.pdf
5. ^ http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/review_meeting/pdfs/prm2008_boyt_crowder.pdf
6. ^ http://www.cumberland.org/HFCPC/Presby/Neosho1837.htm
7. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=omwUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PRA2-PA544,M1
8. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=omwUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PRA2-PA543,M1
9. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=B64XAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA29,M1
10. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=JnoZTbVLx0MC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA98,M1
11. ^ http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/229422.html
12. ^ http://www.dnr.mo.gov/pubs/WR29.pdf
13. ^ "Neosho, Missouri". Weatherbase. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?refer=&s=679532. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
14. ^ http://www.neoshomo.org/CivicAlerts.asp?AID=39&ARC=54

Further reading

• Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, by Howard Louis Conrad
• Neosho, the First Century, 1839-1939, by Larry A. James
• Neosho: The story of a Missouri town; a short history, by Mary Cozad
• Neosho, Missouri, Under the impact of army camp construction: A dynamic situation, by Lucille Tremlet Kohler
• Historical Atlas of Newton County, Missouri, by John P. Edwards
• Pioneers of the Six Bulls: The Newton County, Missouri, saga volume X pioneer families, by Larry A. James

External links

• Neosho Forums - A popular local chat board.
• City website
• Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce
• Newton County Historical Society - Official Website
• Neosho-Missouri Facts and Data
• National Register Documentation Form
• Depression-era photograph collection at Library of Congress
• Images of Neosho in Life magazine's photo archive

• Neosho, Missouri is at coordinates 36°51′20″N 94°22′35″W / 36.855448°N 94.376462°W) Coordinates: 36°51′20″N 94°22′35″W / 36.855448°N 94.376462°W)

Categories: Cities in Missouri | Newton County, Missouri | County seats in Missouri | Joplin metropolitan area

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