Keytesville, Missouri
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Keytesville is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Chariton County, Missouri Chariton County is a County (United States), county located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,408. Its county seat is Keytesville, Missouri, Keytes ...
, United States. The population was 440 as of the 2020 census. Keytesville is the hometown of U.S. Army General
Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (26 August 1901 – 19 April 1987) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer and diplomat during the Cold War. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Air ...
, who commanded the "Screaming Eagles"
101st Airborne division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...
during the
Normandy invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...
of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Confederate General
Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
, who attacked Keytesville during an unsuccessful cavalry raid across his home state, had previously operated a hotel there.


History

The town is named for James Keyte, an
Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...
and
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
preacher who purchased a large parcel of land in 1830 and, two years later, donated fifty acres of it to Chariton County to establish a seat of county government.''Historical, Pictorial, & Biographical Record of Chariton County, Missouri'', Pictorial and Biographical Publishing Co., Salisbury Missouri, 1896 Until then, county business had been conducted from "Old Chariton," a village near the confluence of the
Chariton Chariton of Aphrodisias () was the author of an ancient Greek novel probably titled ''Callirhoe (novel), Callirhoe'' (based on the subscription in the sole surviving manuscript). However, it is regularly referred to as ''Chaereas and Callirhoe'' ( ...
and
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...
Rivers that was plagued by disease-spreading mosquitoes and subject to repeated flooding. James Keyte constructed the first home in Keytesville, and the first business as well. Both were log structures, with the second doubling as a post office. Keyte also created the town's first industry when he constructed a mill near his home on Mussel Fork Creek. The first courthouse was constructed in Keytesville between 1833 and 1834. As a two-story, four-room brick building, it survived until September 20, 1864, when it was burned down by Confederate raiders during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Isaac Redding added Keytesville's first hotel in August 1842. Keytesville was incorporated on February 3, 1868, by the state of Missouri, and incorporated as a Missouri 4th-class city in March 1883.


Confederate raid

On September 20, 1864, Confederate General Sterling Price arrived on the outskirts of Keytesville with a force of 250 men, among them George Todd and other members of
Quantrill's Raiders Quantrill's Raiders were the best-known of the pro- Confederate partisan guerrillas (also known as " bushwhackers") who fought in the American Civil War. Their leader was William Quantrill and they included Jesse James and his brother Frank. ...
under the command of Major John Thrailkill. This action was part of Price's 1864 campaign that extended across the state from eastern Missouri to the Kansas City area. When Thrailkill's force arrived, Keytesville was defended by a small Union detachment of 35 men from the Missouri militia, commanded by Lieutenant Anthony Pleyer.''The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of the official records of the Union Army.'', Written and published by the United States War Department. pp. 427-430 Many local residents were sympathetic to the Confederate cause. Early on the morning of September 20, under a flag of truce, Thrailkill demanded the surrender of the Union troops, promising fair treatment. Unable to persuade his men to fight, Pleyer surrendered. Price paroled the Union garrison, and six men promptly joined his force. Confederate forces then briefly occupied the town, commandeering supplies from various merchants, burning down the courthouse, and executing Chariton County sheriff Robert Carmon and William Young, a Union scout and alleged spy.


Late 19th century

In February 1866, a contract was awarded for construction of a replacement courthouse, a two-story brick building with cupola. Built at a cost of $40,000, it would serve the county until it was destroyed by fire on August 27, 1973. By the mid-1890s, Keytesville had an estimated population of about 1,100 citizens and two newspapers, the ''Chariton Courier'' and ''Keytesville Signal''. Businesses included the Keytesville Roller Mill, a large water-powered grist mill on Mussel Fork Creek; two banks; a building and loan association; two hotels; a distillery; general mercantiles; and restaurants. Because of the town's location north of the
Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...
line, Keytesville merchants encouraged the construction, in 1889, of a streetcar line. Hugo Bartz and J. J. Moore, secured land and financing for the project, which when completed consisted of two miles of track and a large barn for horses and rolling stock, constructed for a cost of $10,000. Two horse-drawn passenger coaches and a large flatcar for freight delivered new arrivals at the Wabash depot to the town.


Keytesville today

The town has a business district, a
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
, and
chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
, swimming pool, insurance sales, bank, convenience store, law offices, chiropractor, restaurant, auto repair, agricultural services and medical clinic. The town has various service clubs and organizations, including the
Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...
. There are three sites in Keytesville listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
: the First Presbyterian Church, the Chariton County Jail and Sheriff's Residence, and the Redding-Hill House. Price Park has a statue of
Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
sculpted by Allen George Newman. A new Chariton County Courthouse was constructed in Keytesville in the summer of 1974 and occupied the following July.


Government

Keytesville, a Missouri 4th-class city, governs by a mayor-council system. Voters elect two aldermen from two wards, each serving a two-year term, and a mayor at-large, also for a two-year term. The Keytesville Fire District, a volunteer force, provides fire protection for the town and surrounding rural area. law enforcement duties are handled by the Chariton County Sheriff's Department. The department headquarters and county jail are located in Keytesville. The city of Keytesville operates two parks. One of the parks provides camping with full hookup available.


Education

Keytesville R-III School district serves the town of Keytesville and surrounding rural area. Education in the community dates to before the Civil War, but records indicating the exact date were lost in an 1861 fire at the county clerk's office. In 1889, what might be considered the first modern-style school, a large 2-story building, was erected at a cost of $13,000. By 1909, Keytesville school was rated a first-class school by the state of Missouri. In 1949, a large number of the rural schools were combined with Keytesville to form the current district. The current high school was constructed in 1959, with the current elementary school added in 1967. In 2010, the district had a total of 153 students K-12, and a graduation rate of 90-percent. The school mascot is the Tiger and school colors are black and gold. Keytesville competes athletically in the Carroll-Livingston Activities Association. Its enrollment places the Tigers in Class 1 under
Missouri State High School Activities Association The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) is the governing body for high school activities throughout the state of Missouri. Approximately 580 high schools are members of MSHSAA. The MSHSAA conducts championship-level activ ...
guidelines.


Geography

Keytesville is located at the intersection of
U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...
and
Missouri Route 5 Missouri Route 5 is the longest state highway in Missouri and the only Missouri state highway to traverse the entire state. To the north, it continues into Iowa as Iowa Highway 5 and to the south it enters Arkansas as Arkansas Highway 5 as pa ...
. It is east of Brunswick and west of Moberly.''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1st ed., 1998, pp. 29-30 According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 471 people, 225 households, and 124 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 275 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.5%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.6%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4% Native American, and 0.4% Asian. There were 225 households, of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.9% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 46.4 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 31.5% were from 45 to 64; and 21% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 533 people, 253 households, and 129 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.31%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 3.94%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.19% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.19% of the population. There were 253 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.0% were non-families. 45.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 26.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $35,568. Males had a median income of $25,156 versus $16,071 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $14,699. About 10.9% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people from Keytesville

* Jane Hadley Barkley, wife of U.S. vice president
Alben Barkley Alben William Barkley (; November 24, 1877 – April 30, 1956) was the 35th vice president of the United States serving from 1949 to 1953 under President Harry S. Truman. In 1905, he was elected to local offices and in 1912 as a U.S. rep ...
*
Cal Hubbard Robert Calvin Hubbard (October 31, 1900 – October 17, 1977) was an American professional football player and Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire. After playing college football at Centenary College and Geneva College, Hubbard played in the Na ...
, member of both the
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
, NFL Top 100, and
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...
*
Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
, Missouri governor and Confederate general * Lyda Southard, serial killer *
Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (26 August 1901 – 19 April 1987) was a senior United States Army Officer (armed forces), officer and diplomat during the Cold War. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Air ...
, U.S. Army general and diplomat


19th-century Keytesville

File:KeytesvilleMo1.JPG, A portion of the Keytesville business district in 1896 File:KeytesvilleMo3.JPG, Sneed's Hotel, Keytesville, 1896 File:KeytesvilleMo5.JPG, Big Spring Distillery, Keytesville, Missouri. Makers of "Old Chariton Rye" and "Ole Kentuck" whiskey, 1896 File:KeytesvilleMo4.JPG, Hotel Snyder, Keytesville. Note the horse-drawn streetcar in the right corner, part of Keytesville's streetcar rail system


References


External links

* Historic maps of Keytesville in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
{{authority control Cities in Chariton County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Cities in Missouri