Now the Glasgow Public Library, was built in 1866.  The $26,000 building of Italian Renaissance architecture was funded by the estate of Colonel Benjamin Lewis, who died at the hands of “Bloody” Bill Anderson during the Civil War.  It was the second library in the state of Missouri, and is now the oldest continually operating… Read More »Lewis Library

The world’s first all steel bridge was completed in 1879.  The bridge served adequately for 20 years.  With the increased weight and speed of the trains, a new bridge was built in 1899 beside the original.  The old bridge was then demolished.

Started in 1851, the solid walnut and oak roadway was 26 miles long and went from Glasgow through Armstrong to Huntsville.  Wagons loaded with tobacco, hay, corn, and wheat used the road so consistently that it constantly needed repair  The cost of repairs made operation of the road unprofitable and in the 1860’s the planks… Read More »The Plank Road

The Missouri River bottoms and the deep loess soils are exceptionally fertile and served as a magnet for settlement.  From hemp and tobacco to corn and soybeans, agriculture has shaped the unique environment of Howard County.  This red tile barn is called “Lucky” because people honk as the drive by for “Luck” to be bestowed… Read More »Lucky Barn

The fourth and present Courthouse was built in 1888, after the third one burned in 1886.  It is considered an outstanding example of 19th century courthouse architecture, and has 18 inch thick walls standing on a foundation of locally quarried limestone.  The courthouse square was the sight of a demonstration of the first lawn mower… Read More »Howard County Courthouse

Constructed in 1869 by riverboat Captain Joseph Kinney, the house was built of brick and cypress.  It features marble mantles from New Orleans, black walnut front doors, and hand carved mahogany for the grand staircase.  A few years after completion, the State of Missouri duplicated the architectural plan for the present Governor’s Mansion.

Was erected in 1895 on the Central Methodist College campus.  The impressive four-story building is named for T. Berry Smith in recognition of the long and distinguished service of the former professor and acting president of the college.

Clairborne Fox Jackson, the pro-southern Governor of Missouri, who was ousted by the State Convention, was for many years the cashier of the state bank in Fayette.  Sterling Price lived and farmed in Howard County from 1831 – 1833.  He married Martha Head from Roanoke.  Three confederate Generals were from this area; John Bullock Clark,… Read More »The Civil War

New Franklin native Lee Edgar Settles is credited as the composer of the Missouri Waltz, adopted by the state as the official state song in 1949.  In New Franklin and neighboring towns, Settles was known to have played the waltz long before it was published.  He was playing the tune in a Moberly hotel when… Read More »The Missouri Waltz

In 1816 a group of men obtained 50 acres and had the land platted for the town of Franklin, named for Benjamin Franklin.  By 1819 Franklin was growing faster than any other town along the Missouri River.  It was the point of organization of the early caravans to Santa Fe.  William Becknell and Benjamin Cooper… Read More »The Santa Fe Trail