Peggy Smith-Hake's
"Window to the Past"
County Events of Yesteryear... by Kelly Warman-Stallings​
(article published to "Window to the Past" website, January 2014)
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My mother, Peggy Smith Hake, was very instrumental in helping to acquire and preserve photos of Miller County's past events. Below is a few photos that I downloaded from the following websites: ancestry.com; googleimages.com; and, millercountymuseum.org. A brief history of events per town/settlement accompanies the pictures I have selected to share.
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Aurora Springs....
This picture, featuring a group of strawberry pickers, was taken 8 June 1926 on the farm of W. J. Rowe, 4 ½ miles east of Aurora Springs, which was incorporated as a village in 1881 . As you can see, even the children were employed to help with this fruit picking venture in the early part of​ the 20th century.
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Brays/Brays Mill....
This picture was taken in 1938 near the old settlement of Brays (founded in the 1840's). Until the early 20th century, baptisms at Bray's Union Church were performed in the now gravel-choked Bolin's creek just south of the present church building; in later years the Big Tavern Creek was the scene of multiple baptisms; and the swimming pool behind Bray's mill also served as church baptistery.
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This picture was taken in 1938 at a Sunday school picnic at Brays Union Church in the Bray's community, located a few miles east of Iberia.
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Brumley....
Jesse Marion Witt (pictured on left) from Brumley, was a Miller County Civil War veteran, serving in the Union army as private of the 6th Regt. Mo. Cav. Volunteers. ​​He enlisted in 1861 when he was just a teenager and was discharged after the war ended in 1865.​ During the course of his Civil War days, Jesse was captured by the enemy, arrested for desertion, imprisoned in Jefferson City, then [after being released from prison] continued to fight with the Union forces until the war ended. ​​His is an extraordinary story of a Brumley farm boy who went to war as an innocent adolescent and returned home a ragged, war-torn man beyond his teenage years.
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This picture below was taken in the early 1900's. In 1916, Matt L. Martin (pictured below) was the rural mail carrier out of Brumley, founded as a settlement as early as 1880. ​​At that time there were two mail routes out of that office, running every other day. One route was 31 miles and the other was 32 miles long. Matt Martin ran both rotating routes during this era.
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Eldon....
City of Eldon - 1888
Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot
City of Eldon - 1910
Rock Island Railroad Depot
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In 1886, the Missouri Pacific depot in Eldon was destroyed by a fire and a new train station was erected in 1888. Many people relied upon the railroad for services, such as shipping and receiving farm and merchant goods, as well as the use of passenger services. As you can see in the pictures above, the Eldon train depot underwent a transformation, and a second story was added prior to 1910. The town of Eldon was platted in 1882 when the railroad bypassed Aurora Springs, the county's then largest town.
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Hoecker...
Steamboat "Frederick" (out of Tuscumbia) aiding in construction of the railroad bridge [that would span the Osage River] at the small settlement of Hoecker, circa 1903. First known as Brouses Bend, this small river settlement sprang up in 1902 as a result of the construction of the railroad.
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Hoecker Railroad Depot Abandoned railroad bridge
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Iberia....
This picture was taken around the turn of the 20th century [perhaps earlier] at Iberia's Turkey Day. Well renowned resident, Squire John Ferguson (the white-bearded man with cane), is pictured here in front of the crowd. Iberia was in existence as early as the late 1830's and finally incorporated as a village in 1875. While Iberia no longer celebrates a "Turkey Day", the town has recognized a yearly "Fall Fest" for many years now.
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Iberia Academy Events:
Alumni Hall was a well built girls dormitory at the institution known as Iberia Academy in Iberia, Mo. This dormitory contained a parlor, music room, dining room, kitchen, china closet, and three rooms for Professor and Mrs. Smith (founders of the institute) on the first floor. The second and third floors were dormitory rooms for the young ladies and female teachers. The Girl's Cottage had a kitchen and several rooms for the girls to live in. Alumni Hall had a furnace, but the cottage was heated with ordinary wood-heating stoves. (Note: people in the picture are unidentified.)
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In Iberia, the new Academic building was built and dedicated in 1920. In May, the cornerstone was laid with special services on campus. It took the joint effort of the townspeople, the Alumni, and Professor Smith to make this new building a reality, but they did join forces and with the untiring task of fund raising, a beautiful new Academic building was erected.
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This picture of the Iberia Academy Football Squad was taken in front of the Girl's dormitory in 1923. I was unable to find the names of the gentlemen pictured here. ​​If anyone can identified them, please feel free to send an email​​ to the following address: kelstal@hotmail.com
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The students of the Junior College at Iberia Academy, November 1928.
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Back row: Stanley Conner, Norman Benage, George Victor Arnold, *Sam Prock, unknown; Front row: Mable (Workman) Fancher, Lovene Shelton, *Ruby Mace, *Gretchen Pemberton, Jennie (Brumley) Schultz, Dorcas Louise (Ferguson) Campbell, Wilma (Lawson) Link.
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*These three are the second graduating class of Junior College, 1929. The others graduated in 1930.
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Old Bagnell....
This picture was taken in the early 1900's at Old Bagnell. In 1883, the original town of Bagnell was surveyed by William Bagnell along the railway, and the small settlement was given his name. You can see the many railroad ties stacked and scattered about. Bagnell was once referred to as "The Tie Capitol of the World".
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Olean....
This picture was taken in the early 1900's at the old Franklin General Store in Olean. The village was first called Proctor, then Cove, and later Chester before the name of Olean was bestowed upon the small town. The store [above] was later owned by the A. J. Haynes. Was they stocking up during the cold, winter month or out for a ride in the snow and passing through town?
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