Brazeau (; ) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in southeastern

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States.

Etymology

The community is named after the nearby

Brazeau Creek Brazeau Creek is a stream flowing through Perry County, Missouri and emptying into the Mississippi River. Name Brazeau Creek was named for Joseph (Jean) Brazeau (also spelled Obrazo) a merchant from St. Louis, Missouri in the years 1791–179 ...

, which in turn was named for Joseph Brazeau (also spelled Obrazo), a merchant from

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri, in 1791–1799, or by a member of his family.

History

Some of the earliest Americans to put down roots in

were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Scots-Irish

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

settlers from

Rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, r ...

, Iredell, Cabarrus, and

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

counties in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

who settled Brazeau in 1817. There, they opened land in the Brazeau Creek drainage basin. In 1804, Brazeau was estimated to have had 88 inhabitants. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Brazeau was established on September 2, 1819, and a log church was erected. After a fire destroyed the log church in 1832, a new frame church was built in 1833 to replace the lost structure. A brick church, which is still in use, was built in 1854. An academy was established in the same year until public schools became prevalent in the 1880s. The people of Brazeau are said to have helped the Saxon-Lutheran immigrants from Germany during their first hard winter of 1839, saving them from possible starvation. The Brazeau Post Office operated from 1879 until its closing in 2011. The small town once boasted a general store, a bank, and a

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

dealership. Today, the small town is home to Hemmann Winery, established in 2003, which occupies the former general store.

Geography

Brazeau is located approximately southeast of Perryville and about north of

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citie ...

, as well as being about from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

Notable people

Edward Robb Edward Robb (March 19, 1857 – March 13, 1934) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri. Born in Brazeau, Missouri, Robb attended the common schools, Brazeau (Missouri) Academy, Fruitland (Missouri) Normal Institute, and the University of Mis ...

(1857–1934), a U.S. Representative who was born in Brazeau and attended Brazeau Academy

Gallery

File:Brazeau, Missouri 1.jpg, Brazeau, Missouri File:Brazeau, Missouri, 3 school museum.jpg, School Museum File:Brazeau, Missouri, 5 blacksmith.jpg, Old Blacksmith shop File:Brazeau, Missouri, 7 Brazeau Hall.jpg, Brazeau Hall

References

Unincorporated communities in Perry County, Missouri Unincorporated communities in Missouri 1817 establishments in Missouri Territory {{PerryCountyMO-geo-stub