The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-03-07

BY the provisions of an act of the Tel
ritorial General Assembly of Missouri
approved on the 10Th day of Novembe
1920, the county of Lillard was laid o
and erected from that part of the count
| of Cooper which is now embraced with
the counties of Lafayette, Jackson, John
soa, Cass, Bates aud Henry. And JohI
Duston, James Bounds, Sr David Nc
Cleilland, James Lillard and David War
W re apr oInted thereby as commissioner
| to select the most suitable place in sai'
county whereon to erect court hous'
and Jail, aud providing that the plac'
which they, or a majority of them shoulC
agree on for the erection OF court hous'
and jail, should be the seat OF justice o
Lillard county, and that the courts to b'
| holden therein should be held at the town
of Mount Vernon (uear the mouth o.
Tabo creek) until a permanent place
be selected and established by said com
missioners and court house erected
| thereon.
territorial Laws of Missouri, Vol. l
pages 446-7)
Mount Vernon was never the county
seat of Lillard or Lafayette county, but
only temporary place designated by the
| legislature for holding courts until @
county seat should be established and G
court house and Jail erected ;hereat.
| James Bounds, Sr., John Duston ano
James Lillard, a majority of said com
missioners, selected as the most suitable
place for erecting a court house and iai
and as and for the county seat of Lillaro
county the land upon which the origina
town of Lexington (now east Lexington,
was surveyed and laid out into lots oil
squares on lands acquired by said com
missIoners for the use of the county, fol
sale, reservIng such only as were neces-
sary for public buildings, as required by
said act aforesaid. And a plat OF which
said town of Lexington, with a square oi
land marked and designated thereon
"public ground" was filed with the
recorder OF said county OF Lillard on the
sth day of April, 1922, duly certified to by
them; and was also acknowledged before
Young Ewing, clerk of the county court
, OF Lafayette county, on the 4th day OF
November, 1890, by John Duston, the
surveyor, and filed with said Young
Ewing as exc -officio recorder OF Lafayette
county on the 9Th day of December, 1880.
Upon which square designated as "public
grounds" a court house and clerks offices
were erected and Lexington became and
by virtue of said act of the General
Assembly of Missouri, approved the 10th
day OF November, 1920, the established
''seat of justice of LilIard county"
By an act of the General Assembly of
Missouri, defining the limits of the sew
eral counties of. this state, approved
February 10Th, 1925, the name OF the
county of Lillard was changed to the
county of Lafayette, land all laws in
force relating to the county OF Lillard"
were thereby declared "to apply to the
county of Lafayette; and all acts and
things done and all contracts made,
which may be done or made, before the
first day of July (then) next, In the name
of the county of Lillard, shall be as valid
and binding in said county, and all
others. as IL mace or done in the name OF
the county of Lafayette; and all matters
and business which is commenced, or
which shall, before the said day, be COM
menced in the name OF the county oil
Lillard, shall be continued in the name
of the county OF Lafayette; and all officers
appointed, or to be appointed, for the
county of Lillard, shall be deemed and
tlken to be appointed for the county of
Lafayette, and are hereby authorized to
act as such.'
The county of Jackson was erected out
of a part of the territory of Lafayette by
act of the legislature in February, 1925,
and the county of johnson in December,
1884; and by subsequent acts OF the
legislature the counties OF Henry, Cass
and Bates were established out OF said
territory originally embraced in Lillard
county.
Mount Vernon was never the establish
ed county seat of Lillard county, but only
a temporary place prescribed by the
legislature for holding the courts therein
until permanent place should be selected
and established by said commissioners
and q court house and Jail erected thereat.
And by an act of the General Assembly of
Missouri, approved December 3, 1922, 1t
was provided that the circuit and county
courts for the county of Lillard should
thereafter be holden in the town of Lex
inRton, and that the sheriff of said county
should make all sales of real and personal
property advertised for sale, in the town
of Lexington at the same time such sales
would have been made in the town of
Mount Vernon, had not that act been
passed.
CTerritoriaI Laws of Missouri, Vol. /.
pages 956-7)
The original town of Lexington being
about a mile from the Missouri river, and
the navigation OF such river and the COM
merce and trade incident thereto having
been largely developed, with a prospect of
q still larger increase in the same, George
Houx, William Anderson, James ii.
Graham, William Spratt and James AulI,
enterprising citizens and business men OF
Lexington, foreseeing and realizing that
the main part of the town with the trade
and business thereof, together with the
court house, Jail and county offices for the
transaction of business, would, in the
near future, necessarily have to be nearer
the said river, then the great channel of
commerce and trade for all this western
country, acquired the land and on the
26th of April, 1888, made map and plat
OF the addition" to the town (now city,
of Lexington, extending from the original
town to the Missouri river, describing
thereon all parcels of land reserved for
public purposes. as well as the streets,
lanes and alleys, and all lots intended for
sale as required and prescribed by the
act of the General Assembly Of the State
of Missouri, entitled ''An act concerning
plats of town and villages" approved
February 10th, 1895, then in force. and
cknow lodged such map and plat of said
addition before and whIc:- ID certified
to By Henderson Young, then tue eierk Of