Neosho, Missouri 100 Years Ago

History has always fascinated me. There is an old proverb handed down over the generations that says in order to understand where we are going, we must first know where we have been. In the first month of a new year in Neosho, there are many indications for the future. Our small city is growing in many ways and so I wondered about the Neosho of 1908. What was life like here a century ago? The town we know today has its' foundations in that past and so I did a little research to share a few images of the Neosho a hundred years in the past.
In 1908, Neosho was much smaller. A small section of North Avenue was the southern boundary. Harmony Street along with Spring, Mc Cord, and Brook lay along the western side of Neosho. To the east, the Neosho National Fish Hatchery marked the end of Neosho proper and looking north, Jefferson Avenue was the last platted street. North Neosho was then "New Town", referencing a time when there were two separate towns, Martling or Neosho City and Neosho, which merged into one.
The old Central School looked down over the Square. Elementary school students attended Central but the high school, all 27 students, held classes on the upper floor. Two other elementary schools provided local children with an education, the original Field Elementary in the same location as the present Field facility and Benton Elementary at the former Park Street site.
Many of the amentias we consider modern were available in Neosho including electricity, telephone service, and natural gas. The majority of local businesses were concentrated in the downtown area, on and around the Neosho Square. Abbott Brothers Bakery on West Spring was just one of several places where local residents could buy bread or a bite to eat. A few familiar names were in evidence, places like Matters Jewelry Store that we still know today.
On the northeast corner of the Square, the four story Haas building was still brand new, built in the latter half of 1907. One of the tenants of the building was the Neosho Savings Bank, a long established local bank that moved into the new quarters and was rumored to be "the finest banking rooms in the state" in an old newspaper clipping. As the renovations continue at the site today I noticed recently that workers had uncovered an old "Bank" sign on that corner and now I know what bank was once located there. My memories of the same quarters date back to when it housed an optometrist where I received my first full-time set of glasses.
Scarritt College, a long time local institution, had merged with another college and moved in 1907 so the building where humorist Will Rogers once attended class stood empty in 1908. Perhaps the local board of education had begun discussing purchase of the property for a high school since Neosho seems to have always made education a high priority.
Neosho native Thomas Hart Benton was studying art in Paris in 1908 and more than likely, he wrote letters to the home folks telling of his many adventures. He was not yet a major American artist and around town was most likely called "that wild Benton boy" than any other name.
Although automobiles were growing in popularity, most Neosho residents still lived in the horse and buggy era or used shank's mare to get around town. In 1908, a man named Henry Ford would patent his first Model T automobile but it would take some time before motorized vehicles replaced the buggies, wagons, and other conveyances that provided transportation. There were no school buses; all students walked back and forth school and the notion of serving students a hot lunch on the premises had not yet become accepted. Students - like many others - went home for their noon meal.
Times have changed but evidence of this earlier age is not erased from Neosho. Many of the buildings on the historic Neosho Square remain as constants from 1908 to our 2008. Some of Neosho's fine old homes also date to that era and even earlier. Big Spring Park, although new, was designated as the first city park and the annual Strawberry Festival was just one of many events held there.
Most of what we now know as Neosho Boulevard and the surrounding hills were fertile farms, many of which specialized in fruit. Apple and peach orchards, strawberry fields, and more existed where we do our daily commerce.
In reflecting on the past and the changes, I had to wonder what the old time Neosho residents would think of our town today. I think most would be amazed at the growth and pleased to see Neosho keeping up in the 21st century. And, I wonder what changes will reach Neosho by the next century and if the town we know will still be recognizable in 2108. Time will tell and perhaps our descendants will look back to "our" Neosho with the same pride we have for the past.