Within two hours, Col. David Moore's pro-Union Home Guard claimed victory over Col. Martin Green's pro-secessionist State Guard. After a short pursuit, Moore's men returned to care for their 23 casualties. That afternoon, the State Guard returned . . . — — Map (db m149960) HM
In the early 1860s, the prospect of war divided Missouri. Many of Missouri's settlers came from Southern states. Some owned enslaved people and many held strong views favoring slavery or "Southern rights." Despite this, a statewide convention held . . . — — Map (db m149943) HM
Isaac Gray platted the town of Athens in 1844 and built the first grist and flour mill on the Des Moines River under the management of Charles Toms. Arthur Thome purchased the mill in 1846 and added a sawmill operation. In 1849, Thomes sold . . . — — Map (db m149836) HM
Aug. 5, 1861
Northernmost battle west
of Mississippi River
"Only when man's differences
have been resolved can he
rise to his rightful place"
Robert Eisenhart — — Map (db m149834) HM WM
By the 1850s the town had expanded and commercial buildings were being constructed on top of the bluff at Athens. A list of businesses and organizations (circa 1853-1860) reveals the extent of the town's growth.
Wm.B. Armstrong, general . . . — — Map (db m150597) HM
Home Guards were groups of pro-Union men who stayed close to their communities to protect against secessionists. These men seldom had army-issued weapons and served without pay.
David Moore recruited and trained the First Northeast Missouri . . . — — Map (db m149939) HM
Some of the heaviest fighting during the Battle of Athens on Aug. 5, 1861, occurred around Jane Gray's house and the nearby cornfield. According to eyewitnesses, several bullets struck the home during the fighting.
Gray's house stood on this . . . — — Map (db m149832) HM
In the spring of 1861, pro-Southern Missouri Gov. Claiborne F. Jackson called up the Missouri State Guard to oppose pro-Union Home Guard and U.S. Army troops. Martin Green, a Lewis County judge, farmer and sawmill operator, answered the call by . . . — — Map (db m149961) HM
Located at the northwest corner of Thome and Spring streets, the store was one of six general stores operating in Athens prior to the Civil War. It was an ideal commercial site because of its location in the Spring Street business area on the Thome . . . — — Map (db m149935) HM
Arthur Thome, an immigrant from Kentucky, built this house in 1853. Joseph Benning acquired it in 1858.
A cannonball fired from the artillery of the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard hit the house during the Aug. 5, 1861 Battle of Athens. . . . — — Map (db m149835) HM
A. 5:30 a.m.: The roar of State Guard cannons began the Battle of Athens. Most of the shot flew over the heads of the Home Guard troops, though one struck the home of Joseph Benning and another blasted the depot across the river at Croton, Iowa. . . . — — Map (db m149946) HM
Missouri's first northern border county, organized in 1836, is named for explorer William Clark. In 1839, Iowa Territory and the State of Missouri mobilized troops on the nearby border in a boundary dispute called the Honey War for the bee trees . . . — — Map (db m144553) HM
Archaeological investigations at the Iliniwek Village are critical for a number of reasons. While several known Illinois villages have been excavated, Iliniwek is the earliest and provides information unique to the earliest phases of culture . . . — — Map (db m290817) HM
Historic Accounts
Several early explorers left accounts of Illinois lifeways. Foremost among these was Sieur Pierre Deliette, nephew of Henri de Tonti, who lived in the Illinois Country for over 3o years between 1687 and ca. 1721. His memoir . . . — — Map (db m290884) HM
On this property is the site of a village once inhabited by Indians of the Iliniwek Tribe. The liniwek, or Illinois, were one of the three most significant Indian groups occupying Missouri at the time of first European contact. It is the only . . . — — Map (db m290815) HM
For many years, the Indians of the interior had spoken to Europeans of "a great river named Mesippi." In 1672, Jean Talon, assistant to the Governor-General of New France, authorized an expedition to find and explore the unknown river. He . . . — — Map (db m290886) HM
Where Did The Illinois Originate?
We know little about the Illinois before their early encounters with Europeans. They belong to the same language family (Central Algonquian) as the Miami, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo, Pottawatomi, and Mascouten. We . . . — — Map (db m290813) HM
When first contacted by Europeans in their own territories, the Illinois numbered about 12,500 and were located in several villages scattered from Lake Superior to the Arkansas River. The largest of these was the village site you are . . . — — Map (db m290811) HM
Imagine living in a long, wide house with 26 relatives. Perhaps your parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins all live under the same roof.
The members of the Illinois at Iliniwek lived in just this manner in . . . — — Map (db m286623) HM
