Lingo, Missouri

Lingo is a ghost town in Macon County, Missouri between the [Brush Creek (Missouri)|] and Mussel Fork of the Chariton River. Originally known as Peabody's Woodyard, Lingo was started in 1873 by two brother-employees of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, George and Thomas Jobson, when a low grade coal was discovered. Miners from Bohemia in Europe were hired to get the coal, as they were accustomed to this type of mining. This brought the population of the town to between approximately 1,500 and 2,000 at one time.

In 1892, the town was sold to Armour and Company, a meat processing company still around today. During the course of this ownership, a strike was started in the company. All the houses in the town were painted yellow to show the support of the strike. As coal was no longer a main source of power due to people going more to oil burning engines, the mine was closed. Many of the houses were moved to other towns with their owners. The depot was moved by the railroad to another town.

In 1973, the town celebrated its 100th Anniversary. A weekend of gatherings were held, and the news of it even made it to the Kansas City papers. Today, remains of the mine can still be seen as you cross the tracks. There are only about 15 to 20 people remaining, but many of the mailboxes still tell of the Bohemian ancestry. Out of the twenty or so streets that were in the 1800s, only 2 of the original remain (Main, Lewis).