OLD’N NEWS From Around the County

ELLIOT NEWS, 1/23/1908 from the Huntsville Herald

Miss Miller Fieldings was driving to Dover School House last Friday afternoon, when the tongue of the buggy fell to the ground, frightening the horses so that they became unmanageable and ran away. The buggy was upset and Miss Miller was thrown out, one wheel passing over her arm, but did not break the bone, but making a painful flesh wound…

The box car, which has been used as a depot at Elliott has been taken away, the platform ordered torn up, so it seems that Elliott is to be a deserted place, but everybody is hoping that the mines will reopen soon, and then Elliott will boom.

Elliott – Randolph County’s largest ghost town. It was only a few years after this dire note in the Huntsville paper concerning the demise of the depot that Elliot did cease to exist. The company town got its start about 1878. In 1877 the Osage Coal Company from Iowa sent a Mr. Thomas Fleming to Randolph County to prospect for coal. He found a four foot seam at about 140 feet down near the MK&T Railroad tracks about half way between Higbee and Moberly. A mine shaft was sunk soon after the discovery and in 1879 the company began producing coal. Houses were built near the mine for the miners. It is estimated that the town had a population as high as 400 people at its height.

A list of nearly 80 families that lived in the company owned houses is available at the History Center in Moberly. The town was named for John B Elliott of Boonville. He was one of the stockholders of Osage Coal.

J C ‘ Jake’ Fleming, son of the Thomas mentioned above became a prominent figure in Elliot. He became operator of the company store in 1884. He was also director of the famous Elliot band and he was manager of the baseball team. Jake (JC stood for Jacob Coatsworth) became superintendent of the mine a year or so after his father, Thomas, bought the mine from the Osage Coal Company. The mine then became known as the Elliott Coal Company.

Santiago is another little known name in Randolph County. It was in the Santiago neighborhood, about 3 miles northwest of Elliott, that the Elliott Coal Company miners worked slope mines for a few years. A dummy narrow gauge rail line ran from these mines to a stop on the MKT railroad called Wilcox.

The people of Elliott had a Methodist Church. And the kids first went to the Anderson rural school. An Elliott school was started later that met in the Church building. This building was also built by the coal company. The surnames of some of the teachers are still familiar ones in Randolph County: Wiley Marshall, Forrest Bentley, Miss Anna Andrae, and Miss Nettie McClure who married J. C. Fleming, the grandparents of Dr Will Fleming. Other notable Elliott surnames are Wilcox, Thornburg and Milnes.

The mines stopped much of their activity in 1912. Houses were sold and moved to other sites. The store operated for a few more years, but it and the town are now gone. It is the recollections of several people collected by the Randolph County Historical Society that form the basis for this short note on the history of Elliott. For more detail come in and read the Elliot notebook at the History Center.

WABASH NIGHT at the History Center – Monday, Dec 1, 7 PM

J W Ballinger, Special Projects Coordinator for the Society, has put together a great night of Wabash History. Ralph Gerhard will speak for a short time on the early history of the Wabash. Then there will be a short video about the change from steam to diesel power on the Wabash. Wahaln Kilgore and J W will also be bringing some of their extensive collections of Wabash memorabilia for you to see. The featured showing will be the Brown Shoe Company steam whistle that blew at noon and 1:00 in Moberly and the steam whistle from the Roundhouse at the Wabash Yards in Kansas City. The program is free and open to anyone who wishes to come.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER

It’s easy. Just send $15 or $50 for a regular or patron membership to the Randolph County Historical Society, 223 N Clark, Moberly, MO 65270 and you’ll be a member. You will start receiving the OLD’N NEWSLETTER from then on. Dues are due Sept 1, so if you haven’t paid, please send them in.

The next issue of the OLD’N NEWSLETTER will be coming this week. Feature is a story by Carey Bankhead on the railroad tie magnate T J Moss of Higbee. At his death in 1893 his holdings included river boats, saw mills, railroads and thousands of acres of timber. Other stories have to do with Wabash employees in 1884, WW I soldiers and 1920 business.

HISTORICAL CENTER GIFT SHOP

We have some great gifts for those "hard to shop for" folks. We have history books, genealogical publications, 4th Street Theater goblets and Wabash and Norfolk Southern items, such as T-Shirts, polo shirts, and ball caps. Another good tip is giving someone a membership in the Society? Then they get something all year long.

MICROFILM READER

We have a new baby at the Historical Center. It’s a brand new Canon Microfilm Reader and Printer. Come on in and use it when you can.