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James River Basin - County Histories Barry | Christian | Greene | Stone | Webster Barry County was formed in January, 1835, from Greene County. An 1872 fire destroyed some of the circuit court clerk's records. In Feb, 1835, Barry Co began operation as a political subdivision of Missouri. The newly formed county contained the present counties of Barry, Lawrence, Dade, McDonald, Newton, Jasper, Barton and a part of Cedar Co. The first county seat was at Mount Pleasant, located on Clear Creek just west of the present day Pierce City. By 1840 Barry Co had been pared down to what is the present day Barry Co and the southern half of Lawrence Co. Also in 1840 the county seat was moved to McDonald (now McDowell) where it was housed in the residence of Samuel G Phariss, until 1845.
Cassville is the county seat. In 2001, 34,352 people lived in Barry County, 26.1% of which were under the age of 18. Additional information:
http://gazetteer.hometownlocator.com/CountyDetail.cfm?SCFIPS=29009 Christian County was established in 1859, with Ozark as the county seat. In 2001, there were 57, 270 people lived in Christian County, 27.8% of which were under the age of 18. On
Baldknobbers - During the mid-1800s, most of the area’s men were fighting in the Civil War. While these soldiers were away, there was no one remaining in the Ozarks to enforce the law. Theft and other crimes quickly grew. After the Civil War when soldiers returned home from fighting, some of them formed a secret group known as the Baldknobbers. Their name came from their meeting place, which was on the top of “bald” hills. Bald hills are named as such because they lack trees on their summits. Independent of local law enforcement officials, the Baldknobbers decided who was breaking the law and who required punishment. They would ride at night on horseback to the troublemaker’s house where they gave them a brief trial and administered their punishment. The group soon had 500 members throughout Christian County. The growing cruelty of the Baldknobbers quickly turned the townspeople of Ozark again them. By 1890, the Baldknobbers dissolved and law enforcement was once again in the hands of the county sheriff and his deputies.
Greene County was established in 1833, with Springfield as the county seat. In 2001, 241,926 people lived in Greene County, 22.3% of which were under the age of 18. The Civil War - The control of Springfield changed hands many times between the Union and Confederate armies during the civil war. Two important battles in the James River Basin were the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and the Battle of Springfield. The Battle of Wilson’s Creek occurred onMills - Before the Industrial Revolution when coal-burning power plants provided a major source of energy, running water in a river was used to turn a watermill. The energy produced by the watermill was used to grind corn and wheat into flour. Several mills were built on the James River, the first of which was built in 1822 by Sidney Ingram about 8 miles south of Springfield. In 1859, Sidney Ingram and A.G. McCracken built another mill along the James River on the east side of Springfield. During the Union occupation of Springfield during the Civil War, Mr. Ingram, a Union supporter took control of the mill and kept it running. When the Confederates occupied Springfield, Mr. McCracken, a Confederate supporter, took over mill operations. In 1880 the mill, named Ingram Mill, was destroyed by a tornado. Mr. Ingram rebuilt the mill and ran it until a flood destroyed it in 1909. There were many mills located on the tributaries of the James River. Some of them can still be seen today. Mines - Lead and zinc mines, now abandoned, are found just east of Springfield. Trappers and Native Americans worked these mines before Henry Rowe Schoolcraft visited the area in 1819. The largest of these where white clay was mined, Gumbo mine, was open from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s. When functioning at full capacity, this mine yielded twelve to fourteen thousand dollars worth of white clay per week. Old mines are present throughout the James River Basin. Sequiota Park - Sequiota Park in eastern Springfield contains a cave that was once a local tourist attraction. Mushrooms were grown and stored in the cave, and a state trout hatchery existed just outside the cave for a number of years. Visitors traveled by rail to see the cave, where they were offered boat rides throughout its interior. As residential areas grew near the park, septic tank leakage eventually deteriorated the water quality in the park. The fish hatchery closed in 1959.Stone County was established in 1851 with Galena as the county seat. In 2001, 28,919 people lived in Stone County, 21.4% of which were under the age of 18. Magical Waters - In 1866, the town of Ponce de Leon was the largest city in Stone County with a population of 2000 people. Fountain T. Welch founded the town in 1881 and claimed that a spring along Goff Creek, a tributary of the James River, contained magical water. He stated that it was the fountain of youth and had medicinal power. People came from miles around to bathe in the spring in hopes of achieving eternal youth. Welch built a bath house around the spring, where hundreds of people stood in line to bathe in its waters. Eventually, however, the belief that the spring had special powers died, and the tourists stopped coming to bathe in the water. Another similar story occurred near Bear Creek, a tributary of the James River. Early Spanish explorers found a spring along the creek and named it Reno Spring. In the 1880’s, people believed that the water had special healing powers. Hotels, saloons, and shops formed around the spring. The special water was collected in bottles and sold. However, in the 1890’s, the water was tested by scientists who found that there was nothing extraordinary about the water from the spring. Like at Ponce de Leon, the tourists slowly left the area when they lost their belief that the water was magical. Tomatoes - In the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, many tomatoes were grown in the James River Basin. Tomato canneries sprouted up in the area in the early 1900’s. At least ten tomato canneries were housed in Reeds Spring, MO. However, the soil in the area was quickly depleted of nutrients required to grow large, healthy tomatoes. Eventually the tomato businesses shut down. Galena-the Stone County Seat - Galena, MO was originally called Jamestown. The powder mill run by John B. Williams drew people to Galena. This mill was located on Flat Creek about one mile away from the James River. Table Rock Lake - The James River, which flows into the White River, is currently dammed to form Table Rock Lake. This dam was completed in 1958 to provide hydroelectric power, flood control, and recreation to area communities. On Near Seymour, MO, there are burial grounds of Shawnee Indians who occupied the area in the early 1800’s. The first white settler, William Mooney, arrived in the county in the 1830’s. On |
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Page last updated August 26, 2008 |
By 1845 Lawrence Co was formed and the
county seat was no longer in the geographic center of Barry Co, so the new seat was formed
in what is now Cassville and housed in the William Kerr residence. William Kerr owned the
50 acres which encompassed the town of Cassville in 1845. 
