Warren County towns and brief histories

The State Historical Society of Missouri has more details on towns and cities in Warren County.

Bernheimer 

A small postal village in the southern part of Pinckney Township, on the northern bank of the Missouri river on the M.K. & T. (Katy) Railroad. The post office was established here about 1894, discontinued by 1897, reestablished by 1899, and continued until the present. It was named for Joseph Bernheimer, a prominent businessman from St. Louis. 

Bridgeport

A very old town in the southern part of Bridgeport Township, near Loutre Slough, and about a mile west or northwest of the present town of Case. The name is recorded at least as early as 1804, and Bridgeport Landing must have been even earlier. In 1833 when the new county of Warren was organized into townships, Bridgeport was likely the most important place in this part of the county, for Bridgeport Township was named after it. There was a post office there from 1876 to 1893. The town began to fade with the establishment of Case in 1894 and perhaps because it was not on the railroad; it has now almost disappeared. Loutre Slough was likely a lively place in the days of steam boating. Two nicknames, Gunboat and Slingtown, both allude to habits of heavy drinking and may have been applied to Bridgeport of Bridgeport Landing. It seems more likely that one of them was used for the landing at Case and the other at Gore. Another early name recorded for Bridgeport was Kosse’s Store, for its proprietor, Julius Kosse, who is said to have established a store there in 1850.

Case

A town and post office in the southern part of Bridgeport Township on Loutre Slough, about a mile ease of old Bridgeport. It was established about 1894 when the M.K. & T. Railroad was laid out by the county surveyor, Squire Morris. It was probably named for a stockholder in the railroad who did not live here. The post office at Case was started in October, 1893, was first listed in 1895, and has since continued. An earlier post office, Bud, 1866 – 1893, was in approximately the same location. Its name can be traced back as far as 1880, but its source is unknown. The place was also previously known as Luppold’s Landing, for Matthias Luppold, who settled there in 1868. He was a blacksmith and a native of Wittenburg, Germany, who came to America about 1854 and died in 1894. The nickname of Slingtown was used, apparently alluding to habits of heavy drinking there. A similar nickname that may have been used for Luppold’s Landing was Gunboat or Gunboat Landing, said to have been borrowed from the name of a saloon. The site of Case was also formerly known as Beaver Slide, obviously a humorous descriptive name.

Concord Hill (Jones) (Eckelkamp)

A village in the southwest part of Charrette Township near Charrette Creek, about a mile northwest of Peers. It is on a hill and it has been conjectured that the ‘Concord’ part of the name was given because Concord grapes are grown in the vicinity. More probably, however, it was chosen due to the popularity of the name throughout the U.S., where 30 different states, including Missouri, had towns named either Concord or Concordia. The village was formerly called Eckelkamp, or Ecklekamp’s Post Office, in honor of Joseph Eckelkamp, who was born in Germany in 1830 and came to America when he was thirteen years old. In 1854 he came to this neighborhood from St. Louis and became a merchant. The post office of Ecklekamp was established in 1892. Shortly afterwards, however, when the M.K. & K. Railroad was completed some distance away, the importance of Ecklekamp declined. The post office was discontinued in 1895, the same year one was established in Peers, which was on the railroad. Mr. Eckelkamp became the first postmaster there. He was also president of the Henneken Garden Plow Company. 

The Concord Hill Catholic Church, founded in 1840, was renamed for the founder of the Jesuit order, St. Ignatius of Loyola (died 1556, beatified 1609 by Pope Paul IV, and canonized in 1622. His Holy Day is July 31.) Priests from Washington first conducted the services at St. Ignatius and then from 1867-1877, priests from Dutzow served there. 

Dutzow

A town on the M.K. & T. Railroad in the southeast part of Charrette Township. It was laid out in 1835 by William Bock and has had a post office at least since 1876. It is thought that the early settlement there was named Dutzow for Gottfried Duden’s native town in Pomerania, Germany, although no such place appears on the German Map today. The name may have been personal in nature. 

Gore

A village in the southeast part of Bridgeport Township, on Loutre Slough, about two miles downstream from Case. Is has had a post office since 1894. The river landing there or nearby was known as Gunboat Landing, and Gunboat seems to have been an earlier name for Gore itself. It was a humorous nickname, said to have been taken from a nearby tavern. It is possible that the name Gore, for which no other source has been discovered, was a similar nickname for the ‘red’ liquor which seems to have flowed freely in the old days all along Loutre Slough; names such as ‘Bucket of Blood’ for a saloon were common on the frontier. 

Holstein

A town in the southwest part of Charrette Township. It was formerly known as Lehmberg’s Store. Ernest Lehmberg, who immigrated from Westphalia, Germany, was the first merchant at the site, establishing a store there in 1843. The post office was established in 1867 and he was the first postmaster, a position he held for thirty years. The town is said by some authorities to have been named for the province of Holstein, Germany by early settlers who came from there. The important northern province of Holstein is perhaps most famous for its breed of large black and white dairy cattle known as Holstein-Friesian, and this may have had something to do with the name, for there are many cattle of that breed in the section. It is possible that the town was named, not for the German province, but for H. Holstein, who with his brother-in-law, William Kunze, built the mills at Holstein in 1871. However, the dates would indicate that it was named Holstein before Mr. Holstein came. The nickname Cow Town is also applied to the place, evidently on account of the association of the name, Holstein. 

Hopewell

A village in the west-central part of Charrette Township. It was one of the first settled towns in the county, but the exact date of settlement is unknown. It was established by 1876 as Hopewell Academy to distinguish it from Hopewell in Washington County. The post office of this name was discontinued sometime between 1904 and 1910. Hopewell is a stock name for American towns and it may have originated in that way. The ultimate origin must have been idealistic, though. The choice of ‘Academy’ may have been made because it is thought that an academy was proposed here about the time of the establishment of the post office, but the school was never built. It is now usually known as Hopewell. 

Kruegerville

A town located in southern part of Pinckney Township, on the north bank of the Missouri River. It stood on the former site of the old town of Pinckney, which was the first seat of justice in what is now Warren County. Pinckney was the county seat of Montgomery County, which then included the present territory of Warren. The land upon which Pinckney was built was first deeded to John Meek by the Spanish government, but later reverted to the United States. The town was laid off in 1819 and Pinckney was named for Miss Atossa Pinckney Sharp, daughter of Benjamin Sharp, the first clerk of the county and circuit courts. The various forms of the name (Pinkney, Pinckney, Pinckney Landing, and Pickneyville) were descriptive of the various stages in the growth of the town. It remained the county seat until 1824. Shortly thereafter, Pinckney disappeared, most of the original site falling into the Missouri River. Pinckney’s successor, Kruegerville, was organized about 1885 or 1886, and occupied what was left of the old site. The new name was taken from the Krueger family, prominent residents. The post office was established in 1885 and was discontinued by 1910, the new town having gone the way of the old one. It entirely disappeared by 1911. 

Marthasville

A town in the southern part of Charette Township, near the Missouri river. It is close to the former site of Charette, the oldest white settlement in the county. It is believed to have been settled about 1818. Dr. John Young, who laid out the town, Benjamin Young, who started the first store, and Aaron Young are thought to have come here in 1818 or 1819. A post office was established in 1824. The town was named for a young woman whose identity is somewhat uncertain. Some say she was Martha Bryan, a granddaughter of Daniel Boone, but a relative of the Boones denies this. Others say she was Martha Young, the wife of Dr. John Young, but also possibly his daughter. 

New Truxton

A postal village in the extreme northern part of Camp Branch Township. It was laid out by the Burlington Railroad in 1904 and was established between 1904 and 1910. The town was so named to distinguish it from Truxton in Lincoln County. It is still in existence. 

Peers

A village in the southern part of Charrette Township, in the southern part of the county. It was laid out after the completion of the M.K. & T. Railroad in 1892. Henry Massman was its first citizen. Peers was named for Judge Charles E. Peers, who came to Warrenton in 1865 and became editor of the Warrenton Banner; he was elected to state legislature in 1872. He was an attorney for the Wabash Railroad and for the M.K. & T Railroad. The post office was started about 1894 or 1895. 

Pendleton

A town in the west-central part of Elkhorn Township, six miles west of Warrenton. An old town called Pendleton’s, doubtless the same as the present Pendleton, existed as early as 1837, when it is listed as a post office. It was probably named for the postmaster, J. W. Pendleton. The present Pendleton is recorded to have been laid out by the Wabash Railroad authorities in 1858. This is no doubt a refounding of the old town with a simplification of the name.  It is listed as having a post office in 1867 and curiously enough, at that time had a postmaster named George Pendleton. He is said to have given land for the town and may have been a relative of the former postmaster. About seventy years ago, the town was briefly known as Besley, for George Besley, postmaster and station master at the time. I was also loosely and briefly known as Lily Dale, for a tavern of that name that stood opposite the site of the tool house. 

Pitts

A village once located in the central-west part of Hickory Grove Township, four miles east of Warrenton. A post office was located here in the early 1860s. It was discontinued in 1903 or 1904 when the rural mail route was established. About that time the village was also abandoned except as a farm residence section. It is said to have been named for a Dr. Pitts. 

Steinhagen

In the extreme northern part of Elkhorn Township. The post office was established in 1891 and discontinued shortly after 1905. It was earlier known as Hollman’s Store, named for its proprietor, August Hollman. That name was discontinued in 1891 when Steinhagen (also known as Steinhagen Store) was established. Some authorities conjecture that Steinhagen was so named because it was a rocky region or because it had a rock fence or foundation in it. Mr. Garrett Hollman is probably correct in thinking it was named for a small town in northwestern Germany named Steinhagen. A juniper berry cordial is made there called ‘Steinhager.’

Treloar (New Holstein, Holstein Station)

A village in the southeast part of Charrette Township. The post office was established in 1899 or in 1900 and is still active. It is so named in honor of William Mitchellson Treloar, who was formerly a professor of music at Hardin, defeated Champ Clark for Congress in 1894, served as postmaster in Mexico, Missouri in 1898, was in the music business in Kansas City, and moved to St. Louis in 1915.

Truesdale

A town in the east-central part of Elkhorn Township, east of Warrenton. The post office was established here in 1890. It was named in honor of William Truesdale (or Truesdail) who platted the town in 1857. He was a civil engineer on the North Missouri Railroad and gave the ground for the Wabash station and switchyard on condition that the town be given his name. Locally it is spelled Truesdail.

Warrenton

The county seat of Warren County, located in the central part of Elkhorn Township. Authorities differ as to whether a Dr. Bruin made the first settlement on the site of Warrenton in 1818 or whether Mordecai Morgan, a native of Kentucky, made it in 1814. Once Warren County was created in 1833, a heated contest developed between New Boston and Warrenton to be named the county seat. Finally, a special commission selected the latter and named it in honor of the new county. (Warren County was named in honor of General Joseph Warren who fell at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.)

Wright City

A town in the east-central part of Hickory Grove Township. It was platted in 1857 by Dr. Henry C. Wright on land he was granted in 1831 by the United States. The village was platted to take advantage of the new North Missouri Railroad which was constructed in 1857. The post office was organized by 1867. The name on the railroad station is Wright, but the town is locally and officially known as Wright City.