TIDBITS OF LEWIS COUNTY HISTORY
Lewis County was formed on January 2, 1833 from Marion County. Monticello is the county seat.
Lewis County originally included the current counties of Scotland and Knox.
Lewis County was named in honor of
Governor Meriweather Lewis.
Lewis County Firsts
The first term of the Lewis County Court was held at the house of John Bozarth, below La Grange, which was then the temporary seat of justice. The court convened on Wednesday June 5, 1833.
The first merchant -- a Mr. Everett who had a small store on Smoot's Landing.
The first miller was John McKinney in 1830. Other people that had mills were John Bozarth, J.E. Trabue, John B. Carnegy, John G. Nunn, John McPheeter, Benjamin P. Curd, Lewis Tracey, and Isaac D. Daniels. Mr. Daniel's mill was later owned by the Green family and run by Senator James S. Green and his brother General Martin E. Green.
The first steam mill was built at Tully in 1841 or 1842 by John Nelson of Kentucky.
The first county seal was adopted in September 1835.
The first brick house was built by John La Fon in 1836 near La Grange.
Canton is the oldest town in the
county (1830). Edward White built the first house in Canton
and it was used as a tavern. Canton was incorporated as a
town on January 28, 1851.
Early Townships
| Allen | Benton | Canton |
| Central | Dickason | Highland |
| Mount Pleasant | Union |
Later Townships
| Canton | Lyon | Reddish |
| La Belle | Dickerson | Union |
| Highland | Salem |
Note: The following listing includes cities, towns, boroughs and communities based on the US Postal Service mail delivery.
Canton city, Durham, Ewing city, La Belle city, La Grange city, Lewistown town, Monticello town ,Steffenville, Williamstown
Early Towns, Villages and Hamlets
| Argola | Augusta | Benjamin |
| Bunker Hill | Canton | Deer Ridge |
| Derrahis | Dover | Durham |
| Egypt | Ewing | Fenway |
| Gilead | Hardin | Jerusalem |
| Kennonsville | La Belle | La Grange |
| Lewiston | Lewisburg | Lewistown |
| Lonetree | Maywood | Midway |
| Monticello | New Court | Noll's Block House |
| Oneida | Oyster | Santuzza |
| Sellers | Sharpsburg | Steffensville |
| Tolona | Tully | Waconda |
| Weber | Williamstown | a |
**Source Information--A Directory of Towns, Villages and Hamlets, Past and Present of Lewis County, Mo., compiled by Arthur Paul Moser, February 1982. No copyright. Information can be used by anyone.
Covered Bridges in Lewis County
There were 11 covered bridges in Lewis County at one time, all built between 1845 and 1875. Not one remains today. The covered bridge across the Wyaconda, north of LaGrange, was built in 1851. It was 180 feet long, with a center pier, a 14 foot floor and was 12 feet high to the square. It had aone quarter pitch roof, requiring 36, 000 shingles. The lattice was 2 x 12 white oak and was fastened together with wooden pins, one inch in diameter; 5,040 pins were used in the bridge. The pins for wooden bridges were made by men who followed the trade, traveling from one bridge to another. The side walls were of one-half inch black walnut. The bridge was torn down in 1889. With the exception of the floor and shingles, the timbers were as sound as the day it was built. These old wooden bridges had to be covered for protection from the weather, as there were many joints, all fastened together with wooden pins, and they were made from rough sawed lumber that could not be protected by paint.
Taken From "History of LaGrange, Mo. Sesquicentennial 1832-1982". Submitted by Cathy Orrick Luders
From the book "HISTORY OF LEWIS, CLARK, KNOX AND SCOTLAND COUNTIES, MISSOURI", 1887 .
Pg. 29 reads as follows:
In 1829 there was a
considerable immigration into the county, more than in the
previous five years. By the close of the year cabins were
plentifully sprinkled along the bottom as far north as six miles
above Canton, and through the timber, chiefly along the Fabius,
six miles west of the river. One party, that came this year
into what is now Union Township, was composed of John G. Nunn,
grandfather John Wash (a revolutionary soldier), his son, John
Wash, Jr., Thomas Creacy, John A. Gerhart and his father, Peter
Gerhart and Elisha Whitlow and their families; a Mr. William
stopped in Marion. All were from Cumberland County,
Kentucky. The party reached Lewis County in the month of
October. As they crossed the S. Fabius, a little northwest
of Maywood, they came upon a recently abandoned encampment of the
Sac Indians. The fires were still smoking, and
nearby was a fresh grave, which it was learned was that of a
squaw. The low mound was covered by a canopy, or shed, made
of strips of bark resting upon four posts or forks.
Submitted by Angela DiBlasi
| Elected County Officials | |
|---|---|
| Name | Position |
| Nancy Goehl | Presiding Commissioner |
| Don Neil | County Commissioner, Northern Dist. |
| Jesse Roberts | County Commissioner, Southern Dist |
| Jules DeCoster | Prosecuting Attorney |
| Jerry L. Davis | County Coroner |
| Harold Crane | County Surveyor |
| Bill Schlager | County Treasurer |
| Wayne Priebe Jr. | County Assessor |
| Robert E. Veatch | County Collector |
| Sharon Schlager | County Clerk |
| William B. Smith II | Clerk Circuit Court |