County: Adair
County Missouri
Organized: in Jan 29,1841 from Macon County
Courthouse: Adair
County
Tradition says Adair County's first courts met in
a schoolhouse two miles south of Kirksville. The first courthouse, which cost
$1,000, dates from 1843. It was a low, one-story, brick temporary building, located
on a lot across the street from the square. John B. Earhart was the builder, and
John D. Callison, a carpenter. Caleb Barnett was superintendent. The first
court held there met July 3, 1843.
 The Square was reserved for the permanent
court-house. The court ordered the first permanent building in February 1852 and
initially appropriated $2,200. William H. Parcells was appointed superintendent and
was sent to Knox County, just east of Adair County, to get the plan for its recently
completed building at Edina. Adair County then adapted the foursquare design and
built it on the public square. On March 8, 1852, the contract was awarded to Galyon
and Douglass, who completed the work in 1853. The first floor contained offices: a
few additional rooms and the courtroom were on the second floor.
http://www.adairchs.org/BattleofKville/1stAdaircourthouse.htm
Fire destroyed this courthouse April 12, 1865, and
the county remained without a courthouse for 30 years. For may of these years, the
public square was known as the "Park." An illustration from the atlas of
1876 shows a portion of the square filled with a geometric pattern of trees.
http://www.adrcohs.org\pictures\ThanksCraig.htm The
third and present Adair County courthouse dates from the turn of the century.
As Adair Countians contemplated a new courthouse,
some proposed a different location where only one main facade would be necessary.
This would reduce construction costs considerably and leave the square for a public
park. But, in April 1896 the people voted to put the building on the square.
Several bond issues failed before one inspired the
majority of voters, on August 3, 1897, to finance $50,000 for building a replacement.
Notices placed in local newspapers by the county judges illustrated the Johnson
County courthouse, with the enticement that Adair County could have a comparable building.
Published by University of Missouri-Columbia
Extension Divison - by Marian M Ohman, Coordinator, Art History Programs
Named for: John Adair, govenor of Kentucky
- Adair, John (1757-1840)
Born in Chester County, S.C., January 9, 1757. Served in the Continental Army during the
Revolutionary War; delegate to Kentucky state constitutional convention, 1792; member of
Kentucky state house of representatives, 1793-95, 1798, 1800-03, 1817; Speaker of the
Kentucky State House of Representatives, 1802-03; U.S. Senator from Kentucky, 1805-06;
served in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812; Governor of Kentucky, 1820-24; U.S.
Representative from Kentucky, 1831-33. Died in Harrodsburg, Ky., May 19, 1840. Original
interment in unknown location; reinterment in 1872 at Frankfort Cemetery,
Frankfort, Ky. Adair counties in Iowa,
Ky. and Mo. are named for him.
- ADAIR,
John, senator, was born in Chester county, S.C., in
1759, He was a volunteer in the revolutionary army; was made a prisoner and
obliged to endure very great suffering. In 1787 he removed to Kentucky,
where he became prominent in the public affairs of that state, distinguished
himself in Indian fights by his bravery and sagacity, and was made register
of the Kentucky land office in 1805. He was a member of the convention that
framed the constitution of the state of Kentucky, and was a representative
in the state legislature and speaker of the house. In 1805-6 he was United
States senator. At the time of Aaron Burr's treason, Adair
was thought to be connected with it, and for a time he was rather unpopular,
but people shortly became convinced that Adair had
sympathized with Burr simply from his belief that the government was
sanctioning his action. In 1813 he was aide to Governor Shelby in the battle
of the Themes, and two years later he served under General Jackson as
adjutant-general at the battle of New Orleans. He was prominent in politics,
was elected governor of Kentucky in 1820, serving four years, and from 1831
to 1833 represented his district in Congress. His name is held in high
esteem throughout Kentucky, and Adair county
was named in his honor. He died May 19, 1840.
County seat: Kirksville 63501 Kirksville 63501
- Population (1990): 24577; land area 568
square miles.
- Census Bureau: Adair County
-- Tiger map, demographic data
- Adair
County -- Department of
Community Development, University of Missouri-Columbia
Robert L Webb
bwebb9 at juno dot com
is collecting Early Church History of Adair County, and I am certain he will be
glad to share with us what he finds. I have forwarded his request for a
picture, in case anyone has one. Any information on these churches I am
sure he would appreciate. Send to me too!
David Wortman was the first moderator of the "Hazel Creek Association"
in 1854. Hazel Creek Church, though, was organized in October 1843, by two
other ministers, and it is the only Primitive Baptist church still in existence
of all those which once made up the Association. Spring Creek
was one of that group. Hazel Creek is about 3 miles west of Greentop, in
Adair Co., Missouri. I think it might have met in Schuyler Co., during part of
its history. Elder Wortman helped organize Oak Hill Church in Davis Co.,
Iowa, and Des Moines River Church, near Eldon, in Wapello Co., Iowa, and he and
Elder John Hill were both members of Lick Creek church in Van Buren County,
Iowa, according to our earliest records. I wonder if a request could be put on
the Adair County page, for anyone who might have a photo or snapshop of the Oak
Hill Primitive Baptist Church, which was near Mark, in Davis County, Iowa.
Cleone Stidmon, of Kirksville,
Mo., told me gave me a snapshot of the present condition of the abandoned old
school where Spring Creek church once met. It is in pitiful condition. She
said the cemetery is accessible but you would need walking shoes.
Apparently, someone has been over and checked, because she said that David
Wortman's stone is there. She also mentioned that the records of the church and
of the Hazel Creek association have been located (if I understood
correctly). Some of the church members are planning to make copies of all
of the records. It seems there is still quite a bit of interest in the
history of Elder Wortman and the churches where he was a member, as well as the
Broyles cemetery, etc.
Robert Webb
Bibliography
Missouri was a part of the Louisiana Purchase and
became a territory in 1803. Settlement in the Kirksville area began in the 1820s, with
more settlers arriving in the 1830s and 1840s. Adair County, was organized in 1841.
Because many of the early settlers in the area came from Kentucky, the county was
named after Kentucky Governor and Senator John Adair. By 1850, the population of Adair
County was 2,283.
Higginson Book Company - Specializing in
Genealogy & History
Index to
the biography section on Violette's History of Adair County
These books may be available at the Adair County
Library or the Adair Historical Society in Kirksville.
1. The History of
Adair County, by E. M. Violette, 1911
2. Brashear
Centennial, Trails to Rails, 1972
3. The First Hundred
Years, Novinger, Missouri, 1979 Adair County Cemetery Records(I think it was
done around 1976), a typewritten list that has names (in alphabetical order),
birth and death dates, and name of cemetery. Please allow a few days for
Michele to respond to your request.
Newspapers
Kirksville
Daily Express
Television
KTVO
Kirksville links
Kirksville City Hall
Kirksville Chamber of Commerce
|