Pleasant Hill, Missouri
[Side A]
Pleasant Hill dates back to Missouri's early pioneer days. As early as 1823, there was a trading post located two miles east of the present town that was operated by a French Canadian by the name of Blois.
In 1828, David Creek settled on land in this part of Missouri that had been ceded by treaty to the U.S. Government by the Assuage Indians three years earlier.
William Wright and his wife, Melinda, came to this part of western Missouri from Kentucky in 1836 and established a mercantile business with Methodist circuit rider William Ferrell.
W.W. Wright platted the first addition to be recorded as the "Original Town of Pleasant Hill" on October 8, 1844, on the ridge near what is now the Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Pleasant Hill was an overnight stop for the stagecoach routes between Fort Scott, Kansas and Lexington, Missouri. A 3-story brick tavern erected by the Wrights in 1846 was a popular haven for travelers and is said to have had a "beacon" on top of a 12-foot pole that welcomed weary travelers to town.
The town of Pleasant Hill was chartered in 1855 and Dr. Logan McReynolds was its first mayor.
Bitter fighting between southern guerrillas and federal troops during the Civil War led to [O]rder No. 11 which required people living in Cass County and three other counties on the Missouir-Kansas
border to vacate their homes unless they could prove their loyalty to the [U]nion.(Continued on other side)
[Side B]
(Continued from other side)
The Christian Church built in 1848 was used to house federal soldiers during the Civil War and was later burned by "Bushw[h]ackers." The Presbyterian congregation was divided by the Civil War and two churches were built side-by-side on High Street.
Southern Colonel Hiram Bledsoe commanded "Bledsoe's Battery" at Civil War battles in Missouri, Tennessee and Georgia. After the war, he served on the Cass County Court and Missouri Senate. He was buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery after his death in 1899.
Work on the Pacific Railroad was finally completed all the way across Missouri in 1865 and the railroad brought new prosperity to Pleasant Hill. Although land between the hills was low and swampy, First Street was laid out parallel to the tracks and the business district moved from "Old Town" to what is now downtown Pleasant Hill.
The Kellogg greenhouses were built in 1880 and for many years were considered the largest west of the Mississippi. During its heyday in the early 1900s, Colonial Poultry shipped millions of laying chickens to locations all over the world.
Lemuel Green and his two sons, Ralph and Lawrence installed a 500 kilowatt electric generator in Pleasant Hill in 1917 and founded what
would become Missouri Public Service Company.Erected 1999 by Pleasant Hill Downtown Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Missouri, Pleasant Hill Downtown Association series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 8, 1844.
Location. 38° 47.152′ N, 94° 16.41′ W. Marker is in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, in Cass County. Marker is at the intersection of Veterans Parkway (AKA Lake Street) and Paul Street, on the right when traveling south on Veterans Parkway (AKA Lake Street). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: At the Town Park, Pleasant Hill MO 64080, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Historic Building 1948 (within shouting distance of this marker); 110 South Lake Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Col. Hiram Bledsoe (within shouting distance of this marker); The Civil War in Pleasant Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); 100 Veterans Parkway (within shouting distance of this marker); Defenders of Freedom Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 111 First Street (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pleasant Hill.
Also see . . . Historic Pleasant Hill MO. (Submitted on September 8, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 768 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 8, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.