Now streaming: A virtual walk through Warrenton with Gene Cornell

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A view of Warrenton's Main Street, circa 1890 with cows grazing in town.

Available online for the first time

In the summer of 2022, Warren County Treasurer Gene Cornell hosted a virtual walk through Downtown Warrenton. Gene has been sharing stories of Warren County for 25 years, often in-person and physically walking around Warrenton.

This four-part series is available to watch on YouTube →

Topics included in Part 1 of this video series include (approximately 30 minutes)

  • Photos of the Louis Wild House, the home of a successful Warren County businessman
  • Historic views of Warrenton during its early founding
  • Aerial photos from the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and the modern day
  • A discussion of Warrenton’s population height in 1880 before a population decline from people still heading west
  • The Central Wesleyan College and Orphan Asylum around the time of the Civil War and onward, including children, students, and adults involved in its care and development
  • Parks and cemetery development
Students at the Central Orphan Asylum circa 1864, lined up on a sidewalk with books and papers.
Students at the Central Orphan Asylum circa 1864. This and other photos are shared in A Virtual Walk Through Warrenton.

Topics covered in Part 2 (approximately 30 minutes)

Topics covered in Part 3 (approximately 30 minutes)

  • The Schowengerdt House, including now-and-then photos and photos of the family. You can visit the Schowengerdt House today.
  • A discussion of the slaves and house servants during the early Schowengerdt family history
  • Modern development around residential neighborhoods in Warrenton
  • Additional aerial views, along Market Street and other thoroughfares
  • The Warrenton Depot
  • The Warrenton Fire Department, circa 1945-1955
  • Scenic views from the lumberyard, perhaps near the present-day U.S. Post Office, and along Main Street
  • C.J. Harris Lumber Company and its present-day use

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Topics covered in Part 4 (approximately 15 minutes)

  • One of the oldest known photos, circa 1880, looking west from the roof of the Title Company at Hudson and Main streets
  • Additional businesses and residences, including the Warrenton Hotel from the late 19th century
  • A weigh scale used by farmers during wagon transports
  • Views looking west, circa 1917-1921 of the Ford Garage near Hudson and Main Streets
  • The opera house, hotel, and more
  • The Schowengerdt store and business operations
  • Photos of the Albert Eisenstein (sic) Building and Central Hotel, complete with cows wandering in the middle of Main Street

There's more history to explore

A newspaper ad about a Benefit Dance on Saturday, Feb. 8, 1958

Warrenton’s Teen Town was the place with “everything the heart of the youth craves” for over 20 years

Speakers at the Big Boy's Celebration Dinner at Wright City

Watch the Big Boy’s Celebration Dinner program

Headline that reads The Murder of Mr. and Mrs. Henry W Yeater on August 30, 1903

The Yeater murders and Warren County’s “most shocking crime ever committed”

The interior of the former Big Boy’s Restaurant in Wright City with murals on the back wall and large family-style tables in the seating area.

Waitresses, staff recall memories of Big Boy’s Restaurant

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