The town of Nashville, located in Nashville township in Barton County Missouri, dating back before the Civil Was and is located near one of the many Texas-St. Louis cattle drive trails and later on the Ft. Scott-Carthage trail and on the Lamar-Nashville trail.

The disadvantage of being on a St. Louis-Texas cattle trail was Texas fever among the cattle. The native cattle built immunity to it and lots of them lived. The pioneers learned the hard way that most of the high grade cattle they brought with them contracted the Texas fever and died.

Nashville is known to have had three locations. There is evidence, and the old-timers insist, that the early settlement was a short distance southwest of the present Nashville before and during the Civil War was recorded. According to the National Archives and record service in Washington D.C., H. Brett was Nashville, Barton Co., Mo. postmaster, from Aug. 10, 1861 to Feb. 28, 1863, when the post office was located, but we have never been able to locate the exact spot where the log house was where Mr. Brett had mentioned.

John & Martha Main acquired a large acreage of land around Nashville in 1858. They lived in a log cabin until they built a quarter of a mile west of Nashville during or just after the Civil War and operated a store in part of it where groceries and dry goods could be purchased. Most of the merchandise was freighted with ox or horseback from Ft. Scott. The oxen were used especially for hauling freight in the summer because bad flies swarmed on the horses and drove them crazy unless you traveled by night.

John Main became judge of the western district of Barton Co. Mo. court in 1866 to 1868. Judge Main and C.H. noted and met the federal requirements to get the post office of Nashville re-established in the first deputy John Main was appointed postmaster on Aug. 21,1867. Undoubtedly this post office was located in part of his home.

List from the National Archives and record service of Washington D.C. of all the Nashville postmasters

John Main ............................... Aug. 21,1867 William H. Crouch .................... July 3,1893

Frank Olive ............…...… ..... Aug. 2, 1870 George R. Royer...................… June 8,1897

Glen Dale ............................. ..Aug.16,1871 William H. Crouch ..............…...Sept. 14,1900

Hawley .......................……… Nov. 23,1874 Eugene Runnels..................... Feb. 25,1901

Dyer..........................….……..May 29, 1876 Claude J. Crouch.................… Dec. 12,1912

W. H. Crouch ..............….….. Aug. 10,1885 Mrs. Ruth E. Crouch................. Jan. 2,1946

A. D Pittenger..................…..... June 20,1889

The Nashville Post office operated: from 1861 – 1863, 1867 - 1959

Office was closed Jan. 31,1959.

The location of Nashville is recorded and was located at the intersection one mile north of the present --Thomas and Samuel (Squire) Baker on Jan. 28, 1869. One general store was operated on the northeast corner of the intersection by Omar C. Hawley. But Nashville did not prosper and soon faded away.

The present Nashville was at first two blocks square and was recorded as Nashville Center by John and Martha on April 29, 1870. Later, on July 25,1883, the west addition of two blocks running north and south that is known as Main Street now, was also recorded by John and Martha Main and was surveyed by ___, the county surveyor. Judge John Main donated the site for the Nashville cemetery, reserving a spot for his descendants. He was also the money lender of the community helping many a pioneer over the rough Den called just Nashville for so long that very few people know that it was ever recorded as Nashville.

He built his home, just west of Nashville. As the story goes, this home was on an Indian trail and periodically, as the Indians went by, one would stick his head in a window and yell "How. " They were friendly and went on their way.

By this time, Nashville began to grow. Johnathon Louthan (who was married to Maggie, one of the older Myers girls), who came with the Myers in their covered wagon, started the first blacksmith shop in the fall of 1866. Marilla Myers, Maggie's sister, married a Baker who was a relative of the Harrison Baker family, which consisted of eleven children (some of whom were married), that had settled just south of Nashville after the Civil War. The Bakers, being a large family, also helped make Nashville history. Getting back to the Myers family, Rosetta married Seneca Adams who soon died and she later married Chris Peterson. Rosetta was Everett Peterson's mother. Emma Myers married Frank Oswalt and still another Myers was J .S., or Sam, who married Ann Hoffman of another pioneer family and lived their entire lives near Nashville.

On thru the years, Nashville had many more blacksmiths. Sometimes, as many as three shops were in operation. We only have a few names of them. They are: Mr. Creamer, Jade Alien, Pete Embry, Joe Church, Dave Kendall, George Lough and Roe Cline. John Knuckles was one of the early blacksmiths who had a novelty shop. He built a treadmill for a big dog to furnish the power to turn the bellows for the forge. Ben Andles is another blacksmith to be remembered. He built a merry-go-round that was operated by horsepower using a horse or a mule. It was put into operation at most of the celebrations. Jim Cline came to Nashville in 1906 to run a blacksmith shop. When he tired of his location or wanted a change, he went to some other town and ran a blacksmith shop for a while, then returned to Nashville. Altogether, he gave the Nashville community 19 years of his service.

Mr. Cline installed the first hand pump gasoline filling station and probably owned the first automobile as he had a one cylinder 1905 Reo.

We have evidence, but we can't pinpoint the exact location of the first schoolhouse or where the first church services were held. The school records are missing before 1870, but at that time, when they built the new school building, these men Frank Olive, A. J. Reed, and M. Baker were the school board that purchased the land for the new site. There is one warrant stub available that shows Jane Baker was a teacher and was paid before the new building was built.

On June 9, 1870 this same board of education purchased from John and Martha Main, lots 5 and 6 of Nashville Center, a site for a schoolhouse, which was immediately built, and A. C. Pittenger was the first teacher. He was hired for four months. That was the legal length of a school term at that time. This board schoolhouse in Nashville Center was a one-room building, with one teacher, and this building was used as a community center for all church services and public gatherings. This included political meetings with many a heated argument sometimes ending in fistfights. Because of such a large enrollment, of up to 110 pupils, it became necessary to build a new school building. In 1897 the first school building was sold and moved to the south end of Main St. and used for a Latter Day Saint Church. We have very little information about the Latter Day Saint Church, except they were a very active organization for a time. Still later, this building became a feed store operated by Mr. Dennison.

The school board then built a new two-room school building employing two teachers. Generally speaking, this was a large school, and in 1930 they offered two years of high school. As time went on, like all rural schools, the attendance gradually decreased to eight pupils, forcing them to consolidate. The district was divided with part of the pupils going to Liberal and part to Jasper.

The school closed in Nov. 1964. The last teacher was Mary Kirby McKee. The last directors were Marvin Burnside, R.V. Leach, and Jim Meadows. E. A. Peterson was clerk. Some of the early teachers were: Jane Baker, A. C. Pittenger, W. T. Kelly, Alex Pittenger, Willis Shapley, Charley Glenn, Thos. W. Martin, Dave Harpole, Myrtle and Fannie Margraves, Buford Parker, Belle Coots, Ada Prunk, A.H. Wood, Wilson, F. Cox, James A. Broomfield, Syril Parmenter, the Tumbull sisters, May Casey, E.G. Carpenter, Mrs. A. J. Morain, Mr. Grigsby, A. W. Baker, Fannie Houston, Mr. Bruce, Louise Shapley, Bill Kyser, Hettie and Carrie Alien and many others. The school records are incomplete, as some of the papers have been cut out of the record books.

There were 33 pupils attending school in 1870 when A.C. Pittenger taught. Their names were as follows: Delila Morain, Eliza M. Morain, Martha S. Morain, Mattie Morain, Sarah M. Morain, Reutha C. Myers, Lillie D. Wood, Laura Baker, Ida Baker, Rosy O. Palmer, Mary J. Oswalt, Issac B. Wood, John W. Wood, Frank E. Wood, H. L. Timmons, Saz McKenny, John W. Baker, Lizzie Jackson, Alfred Palmer, Sarah A. Wood, Alphena H. Wood, Mary Rowe,

Rosetta Myers, Abner Myers, Francis Wood, Geo. Reed, J. T. Reed, Robt. D. Reed, Francis Wood, Harvey Baker, Samuel Myers, Chas. B. Morain and Emma Myers. Mr. Pittenger taught the following branches and the names of the text books used.

Writing 24 'Spencer

Mental Arithmetic 13 Rays Written Arithmetic 8 Rays

Geography 5 Monteyths U.S. History 7 Lossing

Declamation ... 26 McGuffey's

Algebra 2 Ray

A few years after the school closed in 1964, the school property, including the building, was sold at a public auction to the Nashville Christian Church. The church later sold the building and the land is used for a church parking lot.

A railroad survey was made from Minden Mines to Carthage thru Nashville in the middle 1880 but was never built. Later another east/west railroad survey from over by Kenoma thru Nashville to Asbury was made and this road was never built.

Some of the early merchants not previously mentioned were: Frank Olive, Marion Dale, Mr. Peebles, A.D. and A.C. Pittenger, A. Walter, Hal McCune, Crouch and Williams, Gene Runnels, Cap Crouch, Chas. Roseman, Mrs. Shelton, John Dickenem, Red Newsom, John Tiger, Dan and Arthur Jones, Clyde Thomas, George Lough, and Ora Kerr. Jim and Frank Harpole ran a hardware and implement store and in 1888 they sold Wes Martin a Fish Bros. Wagon. Cal Brown ran a harness shop selling out to Charley Reed, who continued to run the store for 10 years. The community was so honest and prompt on paying bills that he only lost $1.00 per year on credit.

There are only two robberies we have been able to find record of. One was Gay Pope's store. Although the ceilings were high, he said it was the first time he had ever reached high enough to clean down all the cobwebs, but when the robber pulled his gun and said, "Stick 'em up!" he stuck 'em up! Ora Kerr's store was also robbed soon after 1910.

In the way of entertainment, Ernest Beattie ran a store and an Airdome picture show. The electricity came from a plant operated by a Model T Ford. It was a used car motor and like many of the Model T Fords, it was unpredictable. Maybe just as the Indians were closing in on the wagon train or the locomotive was nearing the heroine tied to the railroad track, the motor would start missing and die. Darkness would prevail until the old Model T could be started again. The old-timers can remember that this was a Saturday night picture show, but if it happened to rain, it was held the following Tuesday night.For many years, John Bishop and Claude Crouch were the main town bankers. (? I suspect this should be barbers – Larry)

Ailments of the population and the surrounding area were well taken care of by the following doctors: Dr. A.A. Dye, Dr. R..F. Johnson, and another Dr. Johnson (who were not related), Dr. Geans, Dr. Joyce, Dr. Crum, Dr. Ellis, Dr. Schooler, Dr. Coleman, Dr. Williams, Dr. Thompson, Dr. Mangrum, Dr. Long, Dr. Higfill, Dr. McKelvey, and Dr. Abernanthy.