Golden Thread Historic Boonville, Missouri

I only spent my last two years of high school in Boonville, She was dating some guy in college at the time. Plus, to be honest, she was so cute I was too timid to ask her out.
(I'm pleased to report that I outgrew my timidity of my youth). And she was probably too short for me anyway, but she sure was a cute little thing.
Yes, I knew the young lady, too. She was, indeed, very cute, but was too young for me. Her older sister married a Boonville guy who went off to Kansas City and had a great career in law. They come back often on weekends and I see them from time to time when they do.
 
Last edited:
Captain (later Colonel) Joseph Eppstein commanded the Home Guard unit that occupied the earthen fort right next to @Booner's house. This was also the fort that sprawled across the land where I grew up--about a quarter mile east of Booner's place. Eppstein did some controversial things during the war, including arming the runaway slaves who brought him warning that the fort was going to be attacked. He soon uniformed them, too. This was in 1861. He also arrested several prominent Boonville business men who were known to be pro-southern and he held them as hostages in his fort for some time. I am sure this was a less than legal thing to do.

@Booner, @Boonslick and I all have photos of a soldier map of the fort, which any of us can post tomorrow (Thursday). It is the anniversary of the second battle and the attack of the fort. I also have a Google satellite overlay which I made, that shows the fort perimeter juxtaposed with current day structures on the site.

For now, I just post a photo of Eppstein's grave (and that of Mrs. Eppstein). Apparently, they were able to remain in Boonville after the war and live out their lives here.

Eppstein.jpg
 
5'4" perhaps? She drove a Mustang and couldn't get it started one time and asked me to help her. I couldn't fit behind the wheel. I gallently gave here a ride home. She'd left the keys on and burned up the coil. That was in 1970; I remember it as if it were only 10 years ago.

Back to "Historic Boonville" and tomorrow's next episode, "The Scond Battle of Boonville"

I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight!
 
Captain (later Colonel) Joseph Eppstein commanded the Home Guard unit that occupied the earthen fort right next to @Booner's house. This was also the fort that sprawled across the land where I grew up--about a quarter mile east of Booner's place. Eppstein did some controversial things during the war, including arming the runaway slaves who brought him warning that the fort was going to be attacked. He soon uniformed them, too. This was in 1861. He also arrested several prominent Boonville business men who were known to be pro-southern and he held them as hostages in his fort for some time. I am sure this was a less than legal thing to do.

@Booner, @Boonslick and I all have photos of a soldier map of the fort, which any of us can post tomorrow (Thursday). It is the anniversary of the second battle and the attack of the fort. I also have a Google satellite overlay which I made, that shows the fort perimeter juxtaposed with current day structures on the site.

For now, I just post a photo of Eppstein's grave (and that of Mrs. Eppstein). Apparently, they were able to remain in Boonville after the war and live out their lives here.

View attachment 203771

Looking forward to see this map of the fort. Was the fort located across the street from the "Battle of Boonville" state marker and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources marker?

Bill
 
Looking forward to see this map of the fort. Was the fort located across the street from the "Battle of Boonville" state marker and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources marker?

Bill

Now Bill, you're just going have to wait until tomorrow!

And remember, "Patience is a virtue,"
 
Looking forward to see this map of the fort. Was the fort located across the street from the "Battle of Boonville" state marker and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources marker?

Bill
Stay tuned, Bill. If you missed it previously, then so did lots of others. I'll post it tomorrow. Yes the fort was across the street from the markers and a little bit east of them.
 

Ah, thanks for sharing - yes, a pretty cute little thing...
Hopefully she has married someone from the Gillette family, she sure could achieve great things in terms of razors for women ... although the mansion of King Gillette in Calabasas is nothing compared to the house she grew up in...
Gillette.JPG
 
Yesterday I promised images of the soldier map of the fort east of Boonville, along with my satellite photo overlay showing present day structures. The soldier was John Ferguson of Company C, 37th Illinois. The image is from his diary which I have not read, so I don't know the dates he was stationed here. The fort was built across farmland and open land known as the old fair grounds. The map contains locations of several old buildings from the fair, but it also shows key structures and topographical features which make it possible to locate the structure on present day maps and photos.

It's a little disorienting at first, because the soldier oriented north at the bottom. If you have been to Boonville, you must imagine standing with your back to the river and looking south over the landscape.

In the lower left area, very faintly drawn, you'll see the notation "hollows." Those are natural erosion hollows leading down to the river and they are still there. Below the compass rose, you'll see a notation for "soldier graves." The path to my boyhood campsite overlooking the river led between the graves and the western-most hollow. I have no idea whether the soldiers are still buried there. Where the two sections of the fort overlap, and just to the right (west) of the powder magazine, you'll see "graves on a mound." This was a family cemetery presumably on top of and around and Indian burial mound (there are many Indian mounds in and around Boonville.) This was probably the mound John Hayn stood on when he was fatally shot by Brown, but it is also possible that he ran to the top of the powder magazine. Nearer the top, to the left of the mule yard, you'll see "Farm House." That was my boyhood home. It's still there, with a street and lots of other houses around it now. At the very top, you'll see "Lane" and an arrow and "Road to Boonville." That is present day Morgan Street. @Booner's house faces Morgan St. Also on the map is a notation "House & Tent." That house is still present, with a couple of others beside it. Obviously, no one has seen the tent in a long time. The last key landmark feature is on the right, just west of the fort. You'll see a hand pointing west at a gate with the notation "To Boonville." That is Rural Street. All of these features were just outside the town during the war, but have been within the city limits for generations.
map-lores.jpg
 
The soldier drew his map very accurately, so I was able to use key geographic features from his map to overlay a Google satellite photo. Now we have north oriented at the top, and Morgan St. at the bottom. I've drawn the fort, the hollows, the "Lane" (Morgan Street) and other features from Ferguson's map in red on the photo. The "Lilly Family Farm House" is my boyhood home. @Booner's house is visible in this photo, but I won't tell you which one it is, out of respect for his privacy. However, I assure you he does NOT live in the correctional center.

The old fairgrounds were bull dozed for construction of a Catholic hospital and convent around 1910-20. The Indian mound, family cemetery and most other remnants of the 1861 site were lost then. The area was again bulldozed when the hospital was razed a few decades ago.

A lot of the housing along my old street got gradually developed as I was growing up. It was a pretty rural neighborhood when I was in grade school, with lots of open fields. It was a great place to grow up, but I had very little awareness of all the history beneath my feet when I was young.

layered satellite med.jpg
 
This might be the the best narrative of the battle;

http://www.mogenweb.org/cooper/Military/Negro_Soldiers.pdf

The article also points out, perhaps the first documented occurrence of Negroes taking part in battle. I don't know if it's true or not, but the story is, at least a few of the slaves were the property of Col. Brown, the leader of the Mo. State Guard, and on of the slaves shot his master. These slaves were never returned to their owners, and were eventually sent to Jefferson City, and from there, their story is lost to history.
 
Back
Top