Neosho, Missouri Neosho, Missouri Nickname(s): City of Springs, Flower Box City, Gateway to the Ozarks Location of Neosho, Missouri Location of Neosho, Missouri Neosho (/ni o o /; originally [ni o o] or [ni o u] is the most crowded city in Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat.
With a populace of 11,835 as of the 2010 census, the town/city is a part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region with an estimated 176,849 (2011) residents.
Neosho lies on the edge of the Ozarks.
The name "Neosho" is generally accepted to be of Native American (most likely Osage) derivation, meaning "clear, cold water", referring to small-town contaminating springs.
Nicknamed "City of Springs", Neosho has long served as an agricultural center and, since 1888, is home of the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, the earliest in the National Fish Hatchery System.
2.2 Springs of Neosho Mc - Cord, who settled near Walbridge Spring with Levie Lee and established the town Neosho twelve miles (19 km) to the west.
In these years the region was called "Six Bulls", a colloquialization of "six boils", referring to the large streams that flowed through the region - Shoal Creek, Center Creek, Indian Creek, Spring River and North Fork.
By 1835, at least three schools had been established along Shoal Creek, and a teacher titled Billingsley taught near Neosho.
Anthony Bewley was appointed to the Neosho and Granby circuit, establishing the first permanent churches in Six Bulls.
Mc - Cord was involved in organizing Neosho Presbytery, a Cumberland Presbyterian congregation at New Salem Campground, on May 15, 1837. These early pioneer were sometimes visited by the Native Americans who had recently been relocated from Georgia to the Indian Territory, a several miles to the west, and who periodically came into the region on hunting expeditions.
Newton County was originally contained in Crawford County and afterward in Barry County.
It was separated from the Barry County on December 31, 1838, and established as a county under its present name, given with respect to the often fictionalized American Revolutionary War veteran Sergeant John Newton the fellow of Sergeant William Jasper of Fort Moultrie fame.
On November 12, the commissioners reported Neosho as the permanent seat of justice and James Wilson was appointed a special commissioner to lay out the town.
In 1842, he opened the first school in Neosho and taught Latin and higher mathematics.
During the 1840s, quarrying became a part of Neosho when lead was identified.
Neosho's early commercial evolution was dominated by lead and zinc quarrying and Newton County established one of Missouri's earliest commercial operations.
Lead was transported by wagon from Neosho to Indian Territory, then shipped down the Arkansas River and Mississippi River to New Orleans.
Part of Mc - Cord's relinquished territory was returned to him, which he then subdivided because of its close adjacency to Neosho.
In 1849, Mc - Donald County was created by an act of the state council from the southern portion of Newton County reducing it to its present dimensions.
The same act titled John Williams of Taney County, James Williams of Barry County, and Chesley Cannifex of Greene County as commissioners to locate the seat of justice inside five miles (8 km) of the new geographical center of the county and made the temporary seat at the home of John Reed, one and one half miles east of the present site of downtown Neosho.
A brick courthouse assembled in 1850 at a cost of $3,000 replaced the earlier log structure and over the next decade various residentiary and commercial buildings were constructed in and around the courthouse square.
The first journal printed in the county was the Neosho Chief, established in 1854 by J.
It afterward became the Neosho Herald and was removed in 1861 to Arkansas where the material was captured by the Union Army.
By special act passed on August 3, 1854, Congress laid out a monthly Pony Express mail route from Neosho to Albuquerque, New Mexico with an annual budget of $17,000.
Several engagements were fought in and around Neosho, Newtonia, and Granby, at some places more than once; incessant skirmishes took place between small units and raids by predatory parties who belonged to no army.
On July 3, 1861 the Union force of Col Franz Sigel moved from Neosho to find and trap Gov Jackson's Missouri State Guard force reported to be somewhere near Lamar, Missouri.
Col Sigel knew that Sterling Price and another Confederate Army were South of his position so he garrisoned Neosho.
Hearing of the Union force at Neosho they sent 4 companies of the 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles and Cpt.
Mc - Intosh ordered a two pronged advance to Neosho but the force found its route longer than expected.
Captain Conrad's men were paroled on July 8th and were escorted the first four miles for the various threats on their lives by Neosho locals.
On October 21, Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson and the pro-Southern members of the Missouri General Assembly who had been forced to flee from Jefferson City on the approach of the Union Army, held next to their last legislative session at Neosho.
On October 28, 1861, they established a provisional capital in Neosho.
During 1862 various engagements between the hostile forces occurred in the vicinity of Neosho.
In 1863, Neosho was garrisoned by Union troops, part of the time with American Indian soldiers occupying the courthouse.
A school site was purchased and the existing building repaired. In 1867, a small two-story building was erected for courthouse purposes and the county officers were provided for there and in private buildings until 1878, when a substantial contemporary and brick building was instead of at a cost of $16,250.
Following the Civil War, Neosho became a prominent commercial center of southwest Missouri amid the late 19th century.
The Southern Belle offered passenger service to Neosho until 1969.
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad reached Neosho in 1870.
In 1878, Neosho was incorporated and the first permanent courthouse was constructed in the center of the town square.
In 1887 the Kansas City-Fort Smith and Southern Railroad entered Neosho.
The KCFS& S served the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, the earliest Federal Fish Hatchery still operating today, which was assembled the following year.
This barns was eventually sold to the Kansas City Southern Railroad which still operates and runs through Neosho today.
In the 1882, after the vineyards of France, Spain, and Portugal were hit by the deadly phylloxera louse, it was determined that grapes bred by Neosho winemaker Hermann Jaeger were resistant to the louse.
By 1898, there were 101 schools in Newton County with 139 teachers and 7,618 pupils.
By the start of the 20th century the town/city Neosho was a grow community connected by three rail lines and exporting a range of products and agricultural produce.
The courthouse square continued as Neosho's commercial and governmental center well into the 20th century.
The Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad ran from the Arkansas resort town of Eureka Springs to Neosho where it connected with the Frisco and Kansas City Southern tracks in 1908.
805, of a regular passenger train of the Kansas City Southern Railway Company, near Tipton Ford, a several miles north of Neosho.
103 was carrying about 105 gallons of gasoline at the time, 43 passengers died, many burned beyond recognition, a several the rest were injured, and the motorcar was entirely demolished. Two days later the town/city held a funeral on the Newton County courthouse lawn for more than 30 unidentified individuals, who were buried in a mass grave in the Neosho I.O.O.F.
Newton County's Art Deco-style courthouse, assembled in 1936 During the Great Depression, the federal government assisted financially in the assembly of the Neosho City Hall and Municipal Auditorium, as well as the current Newton County Courthouse.
Neosho is the home of Fort Crowder.
Neosho obtained the permanent barracks as surplus and adapted them as the core of the improve college ground for Crowder College.
Since 1957, Neosho has been locally well known as "The Flower Box City"; that year it earned the All-America City Award for its beautification accomplishments.
In 1957 Neosho earned a coveted All-America City Award from Look periodical and the National Municipal League.
Today, Neosho is appreciateing a renaissance, especially in the historic downtown area.
1870 the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad reaches Neosho.
1878 First county courthouse is assembled in the center of the downtown square.
Neosho is incorporated.
1887 Kansas City, Fort Smith and Southern Railroad reaches Neosho.
1888 Neosho National Fish Hatchery is built, and telephone service comes to town.
1978 Neosho is titled recipient of the All-Missouri Certified City Award.
2006 Neosho is announced as one of ten metros/cities chose as first annual inductees into Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's DREAM Initiative, a state-funded downtown revitalization and economic assistance program.
Neosho, altitude 1,035 feet (315 m), is positioned in the extreme southwest corner of Missouri.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 15.75 square miles (40.79 km2), of which, 15.73 square miles (40.74 km2) is territory and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water. Also known historically as Clark Spring, Big Spring is Neosho's biggest spring and is positioned near the historic downtown in the city's chief park, Big Spring Park.
This spring issues at the base of a high bluff of Mississippian limestone from a series of cavernous openings advanced along a bedding plane, and flows through the town/city park.
Also known as historically as Walbridge Spring, positioned 900 feet (270 m) east of the Big Spring and a block east of the courthouse square, Bell's Iron Spring played an meaningful part in Neosho's development.
Originally rising in the valley and capable of supplying a town/city of 50,000 citizens , though hidden from view for many years, this spring is presently the focus of an ongoing restoration project, which includes plans to re-expose the spring and redevelop the encircling property as a enhance historic park.
Due to the recent discernment of the existence of endangered Ozark cave fish in the spring, the town/city is working closely with Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S.
Hearrell, Mc - Mahon, Bartholic, and Elm Springs supply water to the Neosho National Fish Hatchery.
In 1964, after the method of close-by Fort Crowder, additional water was supplied by Elm Spring and Bartholic Spring. With Hearrell Spring producing nearly the same volume of water as Big Spring, the combined flow of these four springs is about 2,000,000 gallons per day as it arrives at the hatchery. While Hearrell Spring arises at the hatchery, water from the other springs is piped a several miles by pipeline from their origins to the hatchery.
Birch Spring a strong spring just south of the Bethesda Spring.
Brock's Spring on the easterly line of Neosho.
Hobo Spring also known as Williams Spring, west of downtown.
Mertin Springs three springs north of the Bethesda spring, rushing from beneath the cliff and each producing a different water.
Sevier's Springs two soft water springs just south of Brock's Spring.
Neosho lies near the geographic center of the adjoining United States, in an region with a high concentration of contaminating streams and lakes.
Neosho is situated in "Tornado Alley", a broad region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains and Canada collides with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico, dominant to the formation of powerful storms.
Neosho has had many harsh outbreaks of tornadoes, including an EF4 tornado hit the Neosho region on May 10, 2008 and traveled about 80 miles (130 km) in 2 states, as well as a primary tornado that caused massive destruction on April 24, 1975 with three killed, many injured.
The White House declared 34 counties in Missouri disaster areas.
Climate data for Neosho, Missouri Neosho National Fish Hatchery earliest operating Federal Fish Hatchery View of Neosho's town square.
A large portion of downtown Neosho, described as the Neosho Commercial Historic District, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Also listed in the register are the Second Baptist Church, positioned several blocks north of downtown and assembled in the Victorian Gothic style of 1896, and the Neosho High School and Neosho Wholesale Grocery Company. Since 2001, private and enhance parties have combined accomplishments to revitalize downtown Neosho.
Neosho Civic Center (also known as "The Civic", formerly the Neosho Municipal Auditorium) The Spooklight, also called the Hornet Spook Light or Devil's Promenade, is a mysterious visual phenomenon allegedly experienced by witnesses in a small region known locally as the "Devil's Promenade" on the border between Newton County, Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma west of the small town of Hornet, Missouri, a several miles northwest of Neosho.
Neosho's municipal organization provided for under the town/city charter is a home rule council-manager government.
Neosho School District: Current board members are Brett Day, Jonathan Russell, Steven Douglas, Kim Wood, Phil Wise, Keri Collinsworth, and Stuart Puckett. Neosho Beauty College Neosho Christian Schools (K-12) The first enhance school in Neosho was opened under the leadership Lemuel Hearrell in 1842 in the old Masonic hall.
Most of the school buildings in Neosho were finished amid the Civil War.
A new school was constructed on the same site as the initial brick building in 1883 to replace the one assembled in 1872.
In 1913, the Board purchased the old Scarritt College north of the square for the purpose of constructing a new Neosho High School which opened in 1916.:5 Representative for Missouri and father of Thomas Hart Benton, was completely changed in 1937, and a new building for Eugene Field was constructed at the same time.
A new high school was constructed for Neosho in 1954 on Neosho Boulevard (renovated & added on in 2007-2008).
The same year the old high school building was repurposed as Intermediate School.
Neosho had the unique distinct ion of never being a merged school until the era of reorganization in the mid-1950s.
At which time Belfast School, Jaybird School, and Hammer School were merged into the Neosho R-V School District.
Neosho Middle School was then assembled west of the Neosho municipal golf course.
Today, Neosho serves a quarter of the non-urban school districts which were in Newton County in 1910.
Neosho Daily News Neosho was a stop on the defunct Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad, which provided passenger and freight service from Joplin, Missouri, to Helena in Phillips County in easterly Arkansas, from 1906 until its disestablishment in 1946. Neosho is home to the Hugh Robinson Airport.
James Scott ragtime composer and Neosho native Preston Lacy - comedian attended Neosho High Will Rogers humorist attended Willow Hassel School in Neosho James Scott ragtime composer and pianist born in Neosho Neosho Daily News.
"Neosho National Fish Hatchery", Department of Natural Resources, Missouri "Neosho, Missouri".
Neosho School Board "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Neosho High School" (PDF).
Neosho.
Neosho, the First Century, 1839 1939, by Larry A.
Neosho: The story of a Missouri town; a short history, by Mary Cozad Neosho, Missouri, Under the impact of army camp construction: A dynamic situation, by Lucille Tremlet Kohler Historical Atlas of Newton County, Missouri, by John P.
Pioneers of the Six Bulls: The Newton County, Missouri, saga volume X pioneer families, by Larry A.
City of Neosho Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce Images of Neosho in Life magazine's photo archive Historic maps of Neosho in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri Municipalities and communities of Newton County, Missouri, United States
Categories:
Cities in Newton County, Missouri - County seats in Missouri - Joplin, Missouri urbane region - Former state capitals in the United States - Cities in Missouri - 1839 establishments in Missouri - Springs of Missouri
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