Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-07-08

~ NoSSeSS al 80" AAO
tie daily, the Dispatch, but it succum
and is no more.
This is a brief compend of such facts
as have been compiled tor, or collected BY
me in the brief time, during which l have
attempted this difficult but interesting
task. The work is imperfect, but the omis-
sions occur either from want of data be-
ing supplied in the earlier history or, in
later years, from the fact that the scope
of this work has p%recluded many things
whose history is elsewhere probably bet
ter preserved. The preference has been
given to the remote past, in all matters,
especially those of minor detail, for as
these things exist only in memory and
tradition, and are yearly being lost from
the deaths of the few by whom they are
now preserved. they should now be
placed on record or they will be forever
gone. l have nevertheless devoted much
space to more modern times in order
that this work shouldbe symmetrical, but
have only, however, touched upon the
more prominent events and land marks.
The minutie of our more immediate
history the story OF. the actors on our
present stage and whatever of public
right or wrong we may have done, are
better preserved in the quaint, unwieldy
volumes, in which the press weekly pre-
serves our lives and deeds. These things
were not in the days of old, and this is
intended to supply that omission.
Such as the work is, it, will be filed
away and preserved by the power of the
law for the use of posterity. Perhaps,
one hundred years hence, when it has
been drawn forth from its resting-place
to be read as a curious time-stained page
of the worlds past, it may have a greater
interest and possess a higher value than
we now accord it. When our descend
ants look upon these pages, after we
are dust, we hope they will try and bring
to mind the days when they were writ
ten; the days that are to us yet young.
And whatever may be in the mystic
future, we hope they may love and
cherish, as l hope you may have heard
with interest, these crude lines, which
have deem penned with a loving hand,
and which transmit a reverenced past to
he use Of an unknown, untried future.
We cannot imagine, however, that as
long as this great Republic stands, land
may that be the worlds age itself, the
SON and daughters then dwelling in
these loved spots, will cease to honor
the record of their county, whose name
is synonymous with liberty, whose first
county seat was called from the last
resting place of our immortal Washing
ton, and whose present metropolis is the
name of that battle field whereon was
shed the first martyr blood of our free
dom's noble and beloved heroes-histo-
rlc LEXINGTON!
The following history of Concordia
was read by VIM. H. Chiles, on the
Fourth, as an appendix to his history of
Lafayette county:
BY W. F. WALK ENHORsT.
Concordia IS situated on the Lexine-
ton & St. Louis r. R., about four miles
from the southeast corner of LAFAYETTE
county, on a high, healthy and beauti-
full spot. Up to the time of the building
OF this railroad, there were but a few
houses where Concordia now stands
but within one year after the railroad
was completed it seemed that the town
sprung up as if by magic; and, in that
time there were erected five stores.
furniture stores, two saddle shops.
blacksmith shops, two wagon ma
kers' shops, two shoe shops, one timer
shop, one bank, one livery stable, two
hotels, several grain houses. three
churches, and, dwelling houses in pro-
portion. Just at the time, however.
when everything seemed to indicate.that
would make a place of inn
portance, she was visited by an ~uncalled |
disaster, in the shape of an incendia-
rly, who in the course of a few months, |
laid in ashes three stores, one hotel. two
dwelling houses, and n saloon. |
These disasters, as one might naturally |
suppose, proved a great drawback to
C~oncordla; citizens became d%ishearten- |
ed; building ceased; capitalist were
to invest in the town. and it SEEM
ed that COncordia was doomed to 90 to
In the fall Of 1874 this in
cendiary, (who proved t o be a citizen OF
Concordla by the name of j. Rush) was
taken out OF town by the
enraged citizens and hanged to a tree
until he was dead: This transaction |
the burning of Concordia. and
matters began to look better until the
grasshoppers, in 1875, visited this coun-
y. This lie a great deal of harm, yet
reSafdless OF all diverse circumstances
Concordia has been building up grad
lally and has now 400 inhabitants, six
Try goods and grocery stores, two drug
'tores, Two stores, one furni-
'ure store, three shoe stores, one bank,
.hree hotels, two saddle shops. three
blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, one
5"od mill and numerous graneries and
hemp hackle shops, three churches, one
'ommodious brick school house, several
and mechanics of all kinds to
meet the want of their respective call
ngs. There will also be erected this
all a large Brick mill and other build
ngs. There are also very nice dwelling
houses in Concordia, and it wears the as
,ect OF 4 beautiful and healthy town
future prospects are better than they
'Vcr have been, and in a few year Con-
'ordia will stand among the first inland
owns of the west. The business that
S done in Concordia is vast; one firm
lone shipped over six hundred car loads
corn from COncOrdia to St. Louis in
he last six months, while wheat, cattle,
ogs, hemp and other articles were
hlpped in proportion. The surround
ng county is very thickly settled, and
land highly cultivated, and where a !
wv years ago was seen a beautiful !
ounty diversified with belts of timber.
lnning streams and rolling prairies,
'-day are fields of golden wheat. The
eople around Concordia as well as in
he town are mostly Germans, of indus
lous and economical habits, are happy
nd c"ntented in their ]avocations. The ,
nj is very productive and capable of !
leldlng forty bushels of wheat and as
lgh rs eighty bushels OF corn to the
ere.
nave n few planet reapers and mowers =.
nich we will sell low. They are nrst class l