Wentzville Historical Timeline

Thomas Gilmore arrives in the area.  A gunsmith, he settles in the area that will later become known as Gilmore.  Mr. Gilmore was one of a company to march against the British at Rock Island and was killed by Indians.

The fort was located southwest of Wentzville.

E. A. Pearce, farmer and stock raiser, settles near Wentzville.

St. Charles County’s first Company of Rangers organized by Captain James Calloway.

Between 1820 and 1830 early settlers arrived in the Wentzville area.  Many of these families came from the Rockingham, North Carolina area and were related by blood or marriage.

Joseph S. Allen, a distinguished Methodist minister and father of William M. Allen (founder of Wentzville)  settle near Wentzville.  

In 1834, the largest organized German emigration group arrived in Missouri. They came from all walks of life and from all size towns and villages.  They were Catholic, Protestant and Jewish.  This group would be some of the first German emigrants in the area. 

Paul Brown entered the tobacco business in the Flint Hill area in 1868.  In 1881 the Brown Tobacco Company was incorporated and Paul Brown was elected president.

By 1857 Flint Hill was a prosperous and growing town. They had a nice hotel, three dry goods stores, a saloon, a tailor shop, a tobacco factory, a farm implements factory, a blacksmith shop, and an attorney. There were also numerous medical doctors in the Flint Hill area. The stage coach, carrying both passengers and mail, passed through Flint Hill and terminated at Troy.  In 1857,  the first train pulled into Wentzville it was the beginning of the decline of business in Flint Hill. Many factories and businesses slowly moved to Wentzville to be near the railroad station. 

In 1836 or 1837 one of the first Methodist sermons in the county was preached by Bishop Marvin between Flint Hill and Wentzville.

The community now known as Josephville began in the early l800s as a mail stop and mercantile known as Schmuckers Store in Allen’s Prairie. The land was ceded through a Federal Grant under President Martin Van Buren by Joseph Allen in about 1837. Allen settled on a farm and, along with a group of other French and English settlers from the Virginias, made improvements to the land, erected buildings, then sold the land and moved on. The majority of permanent settlers were German immigrants who were able to purchase the land for $1.25 per acre.

It might be assumed that the town was named after Joseph Allen, however in the article “How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named” by David Wolfe Eaton written for the Missouri Historical Review between 1916 and 1918 it is claimed that the town was named after its first postmaster Joseph Wilmer.  Wikipedia states:  “A post office called Josephville opened in 1875, and remained in operation until 1910.  The community was named for its first postmaster, Joseph Wilmes.”

James B. May, liquor dealer, settles in Wentzville.  Warren W. Walker, farmer and teacher, settles near Wentzville.  The Walker home was located between Wilmer and Hepperman Road, a little south of the railroad tracks.  

Settled by immigrants from Melle, Germany in 1839. New Melle lies between Wentzville, Defiance, Foristell, Augusta, and O’Fallon and is about 37 miles west of St. Louis. The first settlers found their way up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to St. Charles and traveled west along the Booneslick Trail, then south to the highest point, a site that reminded them of their homeland and was appropriately named “New Melle”.

The immigrants organized the St. Paul Lutheran Church in 1844 and quickly formed a town. The town was platted and a post office established in 1850.  Before 1900, there were four general stores, a mill, small hotel, two wagon makers, three blacksmith shops, a public school, two parochial schools, a creamery, a furniture shop, shoe cobbler, jeweler, brick kiln, and a large park. All was thriving until the Great Depression in the 1930s, followed by World War II in the 1940s

Dr. John A. Talley arrives from North Carolina.  Stays at the home of C.F. Woodson, located a few miles south of Wentzville.  The Woodson plantation was approximately located in the area of the Hopewell Baptist Church on HWY N. 

The Slickers were organized to rid the county of thieves and counterfeiters.   The name of the organization came about because they would tie the culprit to a tree and “slick” or whip him with hickory sticks. He was then given notice to leave the country within a stated time.   The first Slicker organization in Missouri started in Benton County.  At times, false reports were made and people were unjustly accused.  This led to the organization of the anti-Slicker companies, and in some parts of the State actual war raged between the opposing factions, and many persons were killed, wounded, or maltreated.  A complete account of the Slickers can be found here: http://www.hearthstonelegacy.com/the-slicker-wars-missouri.htm

Dr. James D. Harris, physician and surgeon, was born in or near Wentzville.   A blinding snow was falling on January 8th, 1886 in Wentzville. The St. Louis train from Omaha, which did not stop in Wentzville, was running 3 hours late. Dr. James D. Harris was a respected doctor and druggist in Wentzville. Even though he was only in his 40’s, he was also very hard of hearing, perhaps even deaf. When he decided to cross the railroad tracks, he thought the train had been through town.  Blinded by the snow and hard of hearing, he stepped directly in front of the train. His body was thrown on the platform of the train station, were he breathed his last. When he died, Dr. Harris left a widow Sarah and two children, Claudia and Warren. He is buried in Linn Cemetery. To learn more about Dr. Harris and his family, see our post on Facebook published March 1, 2018.

Joel E. Carr, a tobacco dealer, settles in Wentzville.

A company of anti-slickers organized near Flint Hill to protect local citizens from Lincoln County slickers. James Shelton was elected captain.

Hickory Grove Christian Church was located south of Foristell.  By 1889 the church had ceased operation and many early members had transferred their membership to the Foristell Christian Church.

Born in Kentucky, Dr. Lewis had moved to Flint Hill with his family when he was 6 years old.  As  property values declined in Flint Hill,  Dr. Russell Lewis purchased most of the land and rented out the dwellings. Dr. Lewis also bought property in Wentzville.  One property in Wentzville was the building that would become know as the Chauncy Building.  The R.B. Lewis Addition and Lewis Street in Wentzville are…

From 1850 through the 1880’s Wentzville and the surrounding area was known for raising tobacco.  George S. Myers (a partner of Liggett and Myers), Paul Brown, Joel Carr, Robert and Caleb Dula (Chairman and first President of Liggett and Myers respectively), John and Jim Drummond all worked or owned tobacco factories in the area.  Many became millionaires and they or their families are buried in the area.

In 1850 the town of New Melle was platted and a Post Office was opened.  The area had been settled in 1839 by German immigrants from Melle Germany.

According to articles printed in the “Cracker Barrell News” by J.W. Schiermeier, a land transaction is completed for a new town named “Millville” (or Mehlville) on land owned by Joel Adison and Francis M. Davis and a Post office is established under the name “Snowhill”.   The first Postmaster was J.P.Simpson. Railroad tracks were laid down for the Wabash, St.Louis & Pacific Railroad. Landowner in the area are chiefly settlers from Virginia.

Millville was officially platted on both sides of the railroad tracks with 14 lots on the south side, and 20 lots on the north side.

William S. Bryan established the St. Charles News in Wentzville.  He would later move the paper to St. Charles.  Wentzville would be without a local newspaper until 1891 when Joseph W. Dickey established The Wentzville Union.  

The Masonic Order of Wentzville receive its original charter.

In 1882 a fire was discovered in the lumber yard of Henry Michel, which was located in the vicinity of Second Street ( now Pitman) and Elm Street.  It was reported that the fire was fought by a 200 man bucket brigade.  While fighting the fire, it was discovered that the three-story frame building to the east on the corner of Second Street (Pitman) and Whitehead was also on fire.  That building housed the Methodist Church, the school and on the third floor the Masonic Lodge.  The fire in the building started on the 3rd floor and arson was suspected.  All…

Several sources say that the Wentzville Union was founded by W.S. Dickey.  But if you read early editions of the Warrenton Banner and the Wentzville Union it would appear that the Wentzville Union was founded by Joseph W. Dickey.  According to early newspaper reports, in 1901 Joseph Dickey sold the paper to Mary Morley of Wellsville, but he remained editor.  In 1903 the paper was sold to Charles Richards and Lizzie Walker.  In 1904 Joseph Dickey decided to go to school to become a dentist.  In 1910 Richards and Walker sell the paper to William Rohrhaste.  Rohrhast would later sell the paper to Edward H. Winter.  Mr. Winter would hire Rex Justus to be the editor.  Mr. Winter went on to become Lieutenant Governor of Missouri and Mr. Justus would later move to Tulsa, OK and…

In December of 1898 Wentzville had a fire that destroyed an entire block of the business district. The Warrenton Banner reported that: “The fire was discovered in the wagon shop of F. Schierbaum spread to an immense warehouse, a large boarding house occupied by Mrs. Boyd” this house also included the offices of the Wentzville Union and Dr. Goodrich, and the Banner article referred to this as the Goodrich Building. The Banner article continues: “On the west side of the wagon shop was a large building occupied as a residence by Mr. Schierbaum. W.E. Penn, a…

General Motors begins construction on a auto assembly plant.  The plant provided 6,000 jobs when it went into full operation.