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Chapter 51: Incorporation of Poplar Bluff |
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Poplar Bluff was incorporated in 1870, twenty years after it's founding in 1850, a long time for a county seat town to remain unincorporated. An examination of the County Court records shows that an attempt was made in 1861 to incorporate the town. The Court was in session April 19, 1861. The justices were John N. Yarber, John S. Varner and Nathaniel W. Hendrickson. Now follows the order.
Now comes Daniel L. Jennings and presents petition of the householders of the Town of Poplar Bluff Praying that they be incorporated for municipal purposes, and the Court being satisfied that said petition is in accordance with the general law, made and provided for the incorporation of Towns. It is therefore ordered by the Court that the said Town of Poplar Bluff be, and is hereby incorporated for municipal purposes, and shall be known as the Inhabitants of the Town of Poplar Bluff…" (Here follows the boundaries of the town and, as they are the same as described in 1870, are omitted here). "And it is further ordered that Thomas Herbert, John S. Varner, Thomas B. Price, J. R. Franklin and Phillip L. Varner be and they are hereby appointed Trustees for said corporation in accordance with said law."
The above order indicates the incorporation was complete and effective immediately but it was not made operative. We think the reason was the Civil War. Fort Sumpter had been captured April 13, 1861. On April 19, 1861, the day the incorporation was ordered, the first bloodshed of the war occurred on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. In a few months civil government ceased in Butler County and was not resumed until October 8, 1865. Taxes were uncollected for five years. During the entire war period the citizens of the county were plagued by the depredations of armed bands of men representing themselves as partisans of one side or the other but not in the enlisted armies of either side. Against such odds the new city government never had a chance.
The successful incorporation of Poplar Bluff came in 1870. The County Court members were James S. Ferguson, John C. Patty and Green L. Poplin. The session of the Court on February 9, 1870, has this order: "Now comes the inhabitants of the Town of Poplar Bluff in the County of Butler and State of Missouri by Benjamin R. Moore and presents to the Court their petition setting forth the metes and bounds of their said town and commons and praying that they may be incorporated and a police established for the local government and for the preservation and regulation of any commons appertaining to said town. And the Court after a full examination being satisfied that two thirds of the taxable inhabitants of said town have signed said petition and being further satisfied that the prayer of said petitioners is reasonable. It is therefore ordered and declared by the Court that the said Town of Poplar Bluff in the County of Butler and State of Missouri, bounded as follows, to wit: beginning on Black River where the south boundary of the South West fractional quarter of the North West quarter of Section Two in Township Twenty four north of Range Six East crosses said river and running thence with the half mile line to the North West corner of the South East quarter of section Three thence south with the half mile line to the South West corner of the South East quarter of Section Three in the Township and Range aforesaid to the middle of the channel of Black River thence up the middle of the channel of the said river to the place of beginning be and the same is hereby incorporated and henceforth the inhabitants within the said boundary are declared and shall be a body politic and corporate by the name and style of "The Inhabitants of the Town of Poplar Bluff" and by that name they and their successors shall be known in law, have perpetual succession and enjoy all the rights and privileges and exercise all the powers and perform all the duties conferred upon or granted to such corporation by the law of this state. It is further ordered by the Court that Benjamin R. Moore, John Snoddy, Esq., David Kichen, William C. Breeden, and James J. Hise, Esq., be and they are hereby appointed a Board of Trustees, for said corporation "The Inhabitants of the Town of Poplar Bluff," who shall hold said office and enjoy the rights, privileges and emoluments and exercise the power and perform the duties of said office until their successors are elected and qualified."
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