Catawissa, Missouri

Catawissa is a small unincorporated community in Franklin County, Missouri, United States, on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, 39 miles from St. Louis, Missouri.ref|History It was founded in 1839 and initially had four stores.ref|Gazeteer It is located at the junction of Route N and Route O, southwest of Pacific. It has never been incorporated and has always been a township. Its post office opened in 1860.

* Latitude & Longitude: 38°25'29" N, 90°46'57" W (38.42472N, -90.7825W)GR|1
* Survey: T. 43 N., R. 2 E., Sec. 34
* Elevation: 530 ft.
* Population 2,201 (2000 Census for Zip Code 63015 - Catawissa)GR|2

As of 2007, the community consists of two churches (Baptist and Catholic), a post office, a school (Nike Elementary School), a state conservation area (Old Wooden River Bridge on north bank), a farm supply store, a bar, two gas stations (Wayside and Speedie Mart), one closed gas station (R&S) and several small shops. A strip mall is under construction at the intersection of Route N and Route O.

Catawissa is the site where Bertha Gifford poisoned at least three and as many as seventeen people between 1911 and 1928. The house where most of the murders took place is still standing on Old Bend Road about one mile from the Meramec River.Fact|date=October 2007

References

#Note|History cite book | title=History of Franklin County | pages=340
#Note|Gazetteer cite book | title=Gazeteeer of Missouri | year=1839 | pages=204

External links

* [http://www.stjames-church.com/history.html History of St. James Catholic Church in Catawissa]
* [http://198.209.8.180/lochist/moser/franklinco.html Directory of Cities, Towns, and Villages Past and Present in Missouri]
* [http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/depots/franklin.cfm Collection of Photos of St Louis San Fransico Railroad Depots]