Villages of Crawford County, Missouri - LEASBURG

Leasburg is one of the oldest settlements in the county. According to land
title records at the county seat in Steelville much of the land around and
including Leasburg had at a very early date been acquired by William
Harrison. He is known to have established himself in the IocaIity about
1835, which was shortly after his brother Benjamin settled Harrison's Mills
[Anthony's Mill].

Sometime between 1841 and 1845 William Harrison went away to war. We became
involved in the War with Mexico and William Harrison like many other young
adventurous Americans believed that we should annex Texas and drive the
Mexicans across the
Rio Grande.

After his return he sold his land in the immediate vicinity of the village
and built a little store about two miles toward the river on what was later
called the Scotia Road. Finally he moved across the river.

On September 13, 1830, Harrison Station post office was established, but
because of the post office at Harrison Mills being so near and the names so
similar the postoffice authorities at Washington decided that it would be
wise to change the name. At first the name given was spelled "Leasburgh",
but according to post office records the name was officially given as
Leasburg on July 11, 1892.

The first postmaster was Andrew A. Harrison, a brother of William Harrison
the founder of the settlement. He served until October 19, 1861. The
following year Samuel Lea became postmaster and served until July 29, 1880.

The first plat and survey of Leasburg was filed April 20, 1869, at the
direction of Andrew Pierce, junior, who was the managing director of the
South Pacific Railroad Company. A few months later this plat was cancelled
and a new one made. However, in the first plan the railroad official surely
envisioned a well laid town with wide streets. Through his foresight, Front
Street along the raiIroad was to be one hundred feet wide. Elm, Oak, Pine,
Walnut, Cedar, Maple, Locust, Hickory, and the streets from First to Tenth
inclusive were to be eighty feet wide.

The permanent origin and development of Leasburg is credited to Samuel Lea,
rather than to the Harrisons. Samuel Lea came to the site in 1858 and the
next year built a log cabin twenty-four by twenty-six feet within the
present limits of Leasburg.
In 1860 he bought a large portion of the present townsite from William H.
Harrison, paying him $2,500 for the property. In that same year he built
the first frame house in what soon became the town and opened a general
store to become its first merchant.

During the year 1859 the railroad was constructed through the vicinity and
little houses were built along the track, perhaps the first being the
little box-type station which stood for many years. Directly across from it
the Lea residence, store, post office, and hotel--all in one
building--dominated the other structures.

The exact location of these early homes cannot be determined but they
probably included the homes of the Walls family, Pat and Dennie Mullen,
O'Briens, Wallaces, McGraths, Pat Fitzgerald, and the first blacksmith
whose name was Whitehead. The greater number of these early Leasburg
families were Irish immigrants who came as laborers on the railroad.

Scarcely had the foundations of the little homes settled when the Civil War
began and later came Pricels devastating raid through Missouri. The story
of the Battle of Leasburg, on September 28-30, 1864, is told in another
chapter.

For many years after the Civil War Leasburg seemed to be satisfied with a
status quo enistence. In 1890 the community had ninety inhabitants which
was only slightly more than the population at the close of the Civil War.
Sometimes there were weak efforts to do something about the economy but it
appears that too many of the older residents had a desire to look backward,
reminisce about the past, and bask in the blessedness of cheap rent, low
taxes, and low cost of living.

The coming of the automobile and the lack of a bridge across the Meramec
were factors in bringing a slow but sure decline in the growth of Leasburg.
When Highway 66 was built two miles north of Leasburg it sealed the doom of
the little town.

A ray of hope came when the Crawford Electric Cooperative brought light and
power to the vicinity. Efforts were made to acquire a small factory but the
need of city water delayed the progress at least for a time.

By the fall of 1949 the Business Men's Club of Leasburg had become
relatively inactive. The club held a meeting in the John Slaton Sale Barn.
At this meeting a new club was organized and Harold Meadows was elected
president; James Andereck, vicepresident; and Ray Remmert,
secretary-treasurer.

Ten years later this organization with the support of several other
organizations succeeded in lifting the little town of Leasburg from the
throes of apathy and despair to a crusading effort to again put Leasburg on
the map.

The first project was the installation of a sorely needed fire siren. Past
experience had proven that the protection of lives and property against the
ravages of fire was important to a community.

The second and very important project was the drilling of a deep well. This
was completed in 1957 after the citizens of the town voted a bond of $4,000
to complete the project.

The Leasburg Fire Department organized January 25, 1957, and the firemen
proceeded at once to construct a firehouse on ground donated by Louis
Fulton at the north limits of town.

The postmasters in Leasburg from the beginning, September 13, 1860, to 1961
were: Andrew A. Harrison, Samuel Lea, John West, John Mc Ginnis, CharIes H.
Bowden, John R. King, Luther A. Evans, J. E. L. Koehn, Floyd 0. King, Helen
R. Land, and Don Knight.

The Leasburg School District was organized in 1863 and Moses Harmond was
the first teacher, who, tradition says, taught in a log building.

On July 3, 1883, John West, Thomas N. Reeves, and Patrick Fitzgerald, the
school directors, acquired from Ruth Lea a plot of ground on which to
construct a school building. The little school faced south and was on the
property recently owned by Robert
Burton. Mrs. Amy Lewis, Bill Land, Bill Lea, Tom Fitzgerald, and Pearl West
attended that school.

On June 30, 1888, directors W. J. Land, J. C. West, and Patrick Fitzgerald
bought two lots from the Frisco Railroad and built a new school. The lots
were purchased for five dollars and the lumber for the building was hauled
from Casey's Mill at Scotia. This lumber was clear yellowpine and was
purchased at the mill for fifty cents a hundred feet. On June 12, 1905,
this school building was sold for $300 to Grace M. Waller. More recentIy it
was the home of Miss Elsie Ray.

On October 6, 1904, J. M. DeIaney, John Ives, and William Crabtree,
directors of the district, bought from John C. West and wife, Jennie a plot
of ground 180 feet wide and 140 feet long for $100. A two story brick
buiIding was built on the site. The building consisted of two classrooms
downstairs and an auditorium upstairs. Again, on May 22, 1939, the peopIe
of Leasburg approved a bond issue of $4,000 to remodel the old brick
building. This was done by removing the upper room which had been used for
an auditorium and converting the first floor into an auditorium, and adding
four classrooms, a hall, and basement.

Ten years later Leasburg joined Bourbon R-I under the reorganization plans
and since that time high school students have been transported to the
Bourbon center.

A bond issue of $26,000 was approved on February 4, 1958, to enlarge and
completely renovate the Leasburg building for the use of the area's grade
children.

A two-year Job high school was maintained by the Leasburg School District
from 1925 to 1943. Loyd Breuer was the first high school principal employed
in this newly organized high school district. The first graduates were
Alvin Land, Joe Land, Sherman Land, Wendell Evans, James Knight, and
Katherine Schroeder.

There followed as principal during the next eighteen years Irvin F. Coyle,
T. H. Leaver, Arthur Naugle, Logan L. Steen, Lawrence Grace, and W. C.
Harris.

Following is the list of grade school teachers at Leasburg from 1907 to
1943:
Josie Bacon Walter Downing Harvey Moutray
Viola Baldwin Mrs. T. S. Elliston Ralph Palmer
Adah Blair Susie Fleming Evelyn Perkins
Mrs. Irene Brand E. W. Gravatt Orpha Perrigue
J. H. Brand Belle Harmon C. B. Pounds
Augusta Brown Mary Hyfsha Carrie Roberts
Freda Bryan Helen Jeffries Fred Rohrer
0. E. Burke Emma Kruse Zelma Rohrer
Hester Carpenter Gloria Land 0. R. Shelton
Melva Coffman J. H. Land Fern Sprinkle
Mrs. Irvin Coyle Joe Land Ethel Spurgeon
Estoria Lee Crow Marie Leaver Irene Stewart
Anna Daniels Clarence Leezy 0. J. Stewart
Mary Ann Davidson Laura McBrayer Irene Summers
Joe Doms Hazel Mais William P. Summers
Mrs. Joe Doms Clara Mason Anne Caroline West
Mrs. Bessie Dorrill H. L. Moutray

Leasburg held a centennial celebration in 1959 and a portion of the booklet
was dedicated to one of their most noted physicians, Dr. William Fewell
Irwin. Although he was the community's fourth physician his name is revered
because of his long and faithful service to the community.

The time of arrival of the Leasburg doctors is not readily available but
they served in order as follows: Doctors Mont Hamlin, Lafayette D. Rennaux,
A. E. Snow, W. F. Irwin, ----- Gaines, -----O'Malay, -----Goldberg, and
-----Walton.

Leasburg during the years had three druggists but all of them failed to
establish sufficient clientele to assure a permanent drugstore business in
Leasburg. These pharmacists were Doctors ----- Gaines, Bayard Maxwell, and
Ollie Oliver.

In the early days the hotel in Leasburg was the most important business in
the little town. These were the times of railroad building, Civil War
activities, and days in which the very important salesmen were popularly
called "drummers." These salesmen traveled by railroad or hack and always
took room and board at the hotel for several days while calling upon his
nearby customers.

Samuel Lea built the first hotel in Leasburg and operated it for many
years. His store, wareroom, family living quarters, and Iodgings for paying
guests were all under the same roof. The visitor, or customer, entered the
store from a porch or platform which extended almost to the railroad track.
Just back of the store proper was the wareroom. To the rear of the wareroom
was the dining room. The
floor area back of the dining room was divided into two rooms, used as
living quarters for the family. Two upstairs rooms which were over the
family living quarters were rented to travelers. Just outside the dining
room door was the rock-walled cistern which was eight
feet in diameter and twenty-two feet deep. The hotel garden is now the site
of the Orville Cresswell home.

It was in this hotel that GeneraI Thomas Ewing, junior, set up his
headquarters during the Battle of Leasburg in 1864. The Lea Hotel was
located directly across the railroad track and on the south side of the
track from Leasburg's depot, the old freight house.

Samuel Lea had no chiIdren but he reared Benjamin Lea, the son of his
deceased brother John. He also reared the two orphan sons of his brother,
George Lea. George Lea's sons learned telegraphy in the freight station.
Samuel Lea died in 1880 but others carried on until the building was
destroyed by a fire. At the time of the loss of this old landmark it was
occupied by Bill Pinnell. Today there is nothing to mark the site except
the old cistern which is still being used.

On June 25, 1895, the old hotel grounds were acquired by William T. Hill
for the sum of $500. Mr. Hill erected a new building and called it The
Exchange Hotel. On November 10, 1897, he sold it to Elliot Davis for
$1,000. William Davis bought the hotel November 21, 1898, and renamed it
the Jefferson Hotel. A few years later Harvey and Ella Knight acquired the
property and operated a hotel for several years.

When the depot was moved east to a new location the old hotel seemed to
lose its importance and was finally closed. The building was wrecked in
1930 and the lumber was used eIsewhere by Jim Cresswell.

About 1903 another hotel was erected in Leasburg near the railroad
crossing. It was built of brick and was not only built but operated by
Smithy Jackson. The last days of the hotel business in Leasburg were marked
with success when Larry Mullen and
his wife, Clara, became known far and wide for their hospitality and fine
food.

The Hotel Mullen closed its business and the ending of the hotel business
in Leasburg was another dark day for the little town. Today the building is
used for an old folks rest home.

The Bank of Leasburg was established March 16, 1906, with a capital stock
of $10,000 subscribed by L. A. Evans, Leo Fisher, J. W. WaIIer, Daniel
Foster, Justin Perrigue, William FitzgeraId, Edward L. Perrigue, James A.
McGinnis, E. L. West, Elliot Davis, John R. King, James N. Smith, Thomas
Hogg, A. J. Barnett, C. M. Fitzgerald, Mark H. Kelley, and J. C. West. The
first board of directors consisted of J. W. Waller, E. L. West, Leo A.
Fisher, J. C. West, and James N. Smith.

On 0ctober 2, 1934, the bank was moved to Steelville, Missouri, and the
name changed to Community Bank. The first cashier of the Bank of Leasburg
was James N. Smith; Luther A. Evans became cashier in October 1906 and
served for several years. He was followed by E. W. Gravatt who was
transferred to Steelville when the bank was moved.

The churches through the years have played an important part in the lives
of the people in Leasburg.

The Leasburg Assembly of God Church was dedicated June 11, 1939, and the
first services were held in the newbuilding which had been constructed on a
lot donated by Ola Swanson.

The First Baptist Church was organized by Reverend J. R. H a m I i n
September 20, 1920, with thirteen charter members.

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Leasburg was built and consecrated in
1883. The first burial in the Catholic Cemetery was in 1867.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1887. The first building
stood on a site now known as the Cullen lot. Because it was too close to
the stock pens along the Frisco loading docks the church was moved south of
the tracks on the old Scotia Road
just a few blocks south of the original site. After a few years the
membership decreased and the building was sold July 4, 1957.

During the one hundred ten years of Leasburg's history the little town has
had many problems, many disappointments, and has not always changed to meet
the forward trend of civilization. in 1860 the population was about 90; in
1960 the official figure was 176; and in 1970 it was given as 218.

During the past forty years the bank has moved away, the teIephone exchange
closed, the highway has by-passed the town, passenger train service ceased,
and other smaller businesses moved on leaving the community without a
drugstore or a doctor,
poor facilities for recreation, and lastly, the moving of the school center
left little local activity for the younger generation.

Leasburg, when it recovers from its losses shall rise again. Someday when a
bridge is built across the river providing a shorter route to Steelville,
when the recreation area in the Huzzah country and the Pea Ridge mining
development grows, when the Meramec Dam has been built, and the town grows
and adds, to its facilities some factories; these things should instill a
spirit of growth into the citizens and it may return to the hope and
challenge that it once had when it boasted of rivalry with Bourbon.

Some of the merchants and other businessmen in the past were Knight and
Alexander, Frank Blair, James Moore, Hugh Garrison, Kort Koehn, Bob
Lockhart, Woodrow Avery, Joe Dulaney, Howard Mondy, James Knight, Larry
Mullen, Santa HamIin, Don Vaughn, Fred Fife, Fred Lea, William Lea, Ralph
Myers, Roy Garrison, Robert Metzger, Leroy Maes, Jones Brothers, Ted
Dobkins, Strothcamp and Farris, Edna Cole, Harold Meadows, Clyde Eaton,
Helen Land, Fair Pinnell, George T. WaIters, John King, Clonts Brothers, J.
R. Stephens, Wayne Record, and Frank Wevers.

------
CRAWFORD COUNTY AND CUBA MISSOURI
James Ira Breuer, 1972 p. 48-57 (part)

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