Columbus, Missouri

Columbus, Missouri is a township located in Johnson County, Missouri. It includes forty-two square miles.

In 1818 and again in 1819 Pleasant Rice visited the area during a hunting trip. He returned home with 260 gallons of wild honey and named the nearby creek Honey Creek. He arrived with his family in the spring of 1828 and settled on Honey Creek Section 10, Township 47, Range 27. This made him the first settler to the county. The U.S. Patent for the land was issued on March 6, 1929 for 80 acres at a cost of $1.25 per acre.

The first child born in the county was Virlinda Ann Rice born April 7, 1829. The first death was that of Mrs. Chitwood.

Rice was followed by Nicholas Houx and several negros in the fall of 1829. He was the first slave holder in the county. His house was built on the west half southwest quarter section 22, township 47, range 27. Rice died in 1834 and was the first buried in the old cemetery at Columbus.

Coulumbus was the county seat for Johnson County, Missouri. The court would meet at the residence of Nicholas Houx and the first election was held in 1832. Also in 1832 a post office was established.

The town was laid out in 1836 and the first store was built that year by William Beaty. The town also had a tannery kept by Houx, a blacksmith shop, a mill, and a whisky shop. The wisky shop was quickly moved out of town by P.L. Hudgens who laid out the new town of Blackwater also in 1836.

On January 7–8, 1862 Columbus and several farm houses were burned by the Kansas Redlegs (see Jayhawkers) during a skirmish with bushwhackers. Three Redlegs were killed.

The town was defined by court order on May 12, 1870.

Churches

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Reverend J.B. Morrow was the first pastor of the area and regular monthly meetings began in 1829. The first church building erected was a log church built in 1831. A preacher's institute was organized and taught by Morrow and existed from 1834-1836. A brick church was built in 1847 for a cost of $800.

The Church of Christ

With opposition, Elder D. Young organized The Church of Christ. It was reorganized in July 1865 and a building was built in 1868 at a cost of $2,000.

The M.E. Church, South

Columbus does not appear in the Methodist records until 1843. This church met in the Cumberland Presbyterian building as it did not have a building of its own.

Cemeteries

Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery

Located on the east side of Highway M this cemetery is the resting place of many of the first settlers to Columbus including Pleasant Rice.

Christian Cemetery

The Christian Cemetery is located on the west side of Highway M and on the north side of the Christian Church.

References

The History of Johnson County, Missouri. Kansas City Historical Company: Kansas City, MO, 1881.

External links

Coordinates: 38°51′31″N 93°53′27″W / 38.85861°N 93.89083°W / 38.85861; -93.89083