Celebrating Humble Beginnings... Pittsville Proud
By Dana Kephart
The now sleepy little hamlet of Pittsville was once a thriving settlement with a number of business houses and a good population of hardy residents who survived and thrived there for more than a century.
Some of the descendants of generations past still call Pittsville home. Many more relocated to nearby Holden.
Pittsville is in Jackson Township, which was named for President Andrew Jackson and was the first township organized by the County Court in May of 1835.
Pittsville was laid out in 1858 and was a growing settlement prior to the Civil War. Sadly, it fell victim to savage guerillas and was partially destroyed during the war years.
Although it showed some spurts of regrowth after the devastation of the war, it never regained its original momentum as far as growth, population, and economic development.
The settlement at Pittsville was named for Reverend Warren M. Pitts, who was born on January 6, 1810. He came to Missouri in 1848 from Kentucky.
Rev. Pitts was a Methodist minister and the Jackson Township census of 1860 shows he had a wife and three daughters.
A local newspaper clipping of the day says, “Rev. Pitts was well over six feet tall, a robust man, about 200 pounds weight, active to his dying day.”
“On his Golden Wedding Anniversary, at nearly three score and ten, with a yard full of neighbors and friends, he jumped up and cracked his heels together three times.”
“At the time, he had a long, flowing beard. He was never too tired to call children around him and charm them with his stories. His wit was sparkling and his laugh contagious.”
Rev. Pitts was the great-great-grandfather of Holden residents, Robyn (Kephart) Sisk, Rachel (Kephart) Arbo, and Randall Kephart (siblings). Their parents were Bill and Charlotte Kephart.
Rev. Pitts was a pioneer Methodist preacher. As a circuit rider, he traveled all over South Missouri, Northern Arkansas, Oklahoma, and into parts of Texas on horseback and later in his buggy, preaching and organizing churches.
With the help of Senator Cockrell, Rev. Pitts’ daughter, Mary Catherine, established the first post office at Elm. She was the first postmistress and served there for 13 years.
A post office was also established in Pittsville in 1880 and ran successfully up until 1954, when it was closed.
Mrs. Riley (Pearl) Kephart was a postmistress at the time of its closing (this author’s paternal grandmother). The first postmaster was Holt Davis, who was born in 1847 in Johnson County, Missouri. More about him later.
At the time of its closing in 1954, the post office was located inside of Kephart’s Grocery Store.
Post Office
In the 1880s, Pittsville boasted a blacksmith, a mail carrier, a school, a
carpenter, and two physicians, amid the area’s farmers.
Also in that time frame, residents were beyond excited about the prospect of
the railroad coming through town.
The railroad was to be a branch of the Southwestern Railroad line and it was to
commence at Brownsville and run to Kansas City via Pittsville.
It was slated to cross the county road a mile-and-a-half north of town.
Sadly, the railroad never came to fruition.
Pittsville, like Elm before it, failed to get the much-anticipated railroad
which would have really put it on the map and perhaps saved it from near
oblivion.
Despite the railroad falling through at Pittsville, things continued to be
fruitful in the little hamlet.
A newspaper clipping in January of 1880 said, “Business is brisk in our city.
Renters are finding it difficult to find homes for the coming season.”
“Farmers are getting ready for spring work. Mr. Wm. Bradley sold his farm of
200 acres for $4,000, a very good price. The wheat crop looks exceedingly fine.
The acreage shown in the township is very large. Corn ground is scarce, with
the greater portion having been sown in wheat.”
In the early years, the following did business in Pittsville – two physicians,
Dr. Levi Warford and Dr. Samuel Danielson; Holt Davis, merchant and postmaster;
Joseph Danielson, blacksmith; and Wm. Galbraith, carpenter. Early accounts also
mention the school at Pittsville.
A decade after Pittsville’s founding, the cornerstone of the community was its
house of worship – Enon Baptist Church, which was established in 1868 by a
gathering of faith-filled, tenacious residents.
In March of 1869, the first church building was completed, a frame structure,
which was 36x48-sq. ft. The cost of the original church was a whopping $1,000,
a lot of money back then.
The congregation would outgrow the original building, and in 1894 it was torn
down and a new church constructed, costing about $2,500.
That church stood sentry in Pittsville for many decades, until in 1945, one
fateful early Sunday morning, the church caught fire and burned to the ground.
Determined church members were undeterred and set about rebuilding their house
of worship.
Several other construction projects have taken place over the ensuing years,
and today, Enon Baptist Church is still the foundation of the community, with
members sharing their love of the Lord and their Christian beliefs and values
with everyone they encounter.
Throughout the years, faithful members of Enon were the bedrock of the
Pittsville community and some descendants of the early members still reside in
or near the little burg.
Seven generations of Joseph and Fiza Martin have been members of Enon and the
Pittsville community.
Their grandson was Fred Martin and their granddaughter was Mrs. Lena
Martin-Weide. Lena’s daughter was Mrs. Margaret Irvine, and her daughter,
Darlene Irvine-Hensley, who is still a member of Enon, is Joseph’s great-great-granddaughter.
Uncle John and Aunt Nannie Dean, as they were affectionately called, were
grandparents of Albert Dean, one of Enon’s past deacons. John Hank Dean is a
great-grandson, and his children, Larry, Linda Dean-Mallott and Bobby are
great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Lena Weide, who was baptized in 1908, faithfully made trips from her home
to worship at Enon. She was very active in the community until her death in
1997 at the age of 107.
Margaret Irvine, Lena’s daughter, lived just across the road from the church
and was just as dedicated as her mother. She passed away in 2016 at the age of
101.
These are some of the generations of loyal, faith-filled members of Enon and
the Pittsville community.
Like many settlements of that era, Pittsville
was proud to claim its own cemetery, which is still a functioning entity today.
The Pittsville Cemetery is located on 50 Highway, just one-quarter mile east of
Pittsville. Originally owned by Enon Baptist Church, the cemetery consisted of
just a half-acre in the beginning.
According to the Holden History Book, the ground was donated to the church for
a burial ground by Samuel Rice and his wife, Susan P. Rice. Samuel Rice died in
1890.
Rice was a lieutenant in Company H, Second Missouri Valley Infantry, Confederate
States of America, and rode with William Clarke Quantrill’s Raiders. Samuel is
listed as a member of Bloody Bill Anderson’s Troop.
Over the years, more land was purchased or was donated for the cemetery as the
need arose.
In 1928, with permission of Enon Baptist Church, under which the cemetery had
continued to operate, an organization was established known as “The Pittsville
Cemetery Association.”
Later, James “Curly” Hill donated 120 acres and a house to the Association as
an endowment for the continuing care of the cemetery.
Other interesting and infamous characters are buried in the Pittsville
Cemetery, including the aforementioned Holt Davis, another Confederate soldier.
Interestingly enough, Holt Davis was also the first postmaster at Pittsville’s post
office in 1880.
His headstone shows he was a member of General Shelby’s command out of Waverly,
Missouri. When General Shelby went to Mexico, Mr. Davis then joined and rode
with William Clarke Quantrill’s Raiders.
There are numerous headstones with Masonic emblems, two of which are Holt Davis
and Dr. William Rice.
In December of 1919, the settlement at Pittsville was proud to boast its very
own financial institution, known simply as the Pittsville Bank.
The bank was backed by a number of farmers in the area and all indications were it was on its way to a long-lived, successful future.
However, only four short years later, the 1923 Holden Progress printed the notice of the bank building being for sale. It was another devastating blow for the little hamlet of Pittsville.
But its residents persevered, in spite of all the losses suffered by the community as a whole. They were made of tough stuff and were determined that their little piece of heaven would not become a ghost town on their watch.
Harry McKay, Ray Barnett and Bill Head would later have garages in Pittsville for many years. Harry’s family was listed in the 1910 census of Johnson County, showing his parents and four siblings.
In October of 1926, newspaper excerpts reported – “E.C. Jarman is making extensive improvements to his grounds in Pittsville. His store is occupied by the Barnett and McKay Garage, and George Shawhan.”
In April of 1930 – “A hen shower was given for C.T. Jarman and family of
Pittsville. The family lost their store by fire. Several nice biddies were
received.”
In the 1930s, Jimmie and Peneca (Ring) Snider lived in the Pittsville community
and were among the town’s proud and hard-working citizens.
They had three children there - J.D., Homer Emery and Lila Dean. Peneca taught
school in the Pittsville community for seven years.
Going back to 1926, there was a one-room schoolhouse in Pittsville. The
education of the community’s children has always been important to the
residents as evidenced by the many schools in Pittsville throughout its rich
history.
Recollections from local, long-time residents from 1940-1949 include the
following -
In Pittsville in 1940, William L. and Oleta Gordon purchased a 160-acre farm
and house. The cost of the land was $32 an acre in 1940. The farmhouse was
purchased from Paul Binkley, the president of Farmers and Commercial Bank.
The Gordon home was located at the current address of NW 1421, Holden. This is
the first road north on Highway 50 west of Pittsville. The Gordons had five
children when they purchased the house - Alice, Donald, Lucille, Virginia and
Bland.
The Gordons had another son named David one year later in 1941. Eli and Ethel
Brooks were their neighbors in the ‘40s.
The Gordon’s daughter Lucille left the farm in 1949 when she married Kenneth
Jennings. Kenneth and Lucille moved to a farm north of Holden. This is the home
they still live in today. (Kenneth has since passed away).
During those years (the 1940s), on the north side of Highway 50 was a restaurant
owned by Ernest (Buck) and Viola Kephart.
On the south side of the highway, the
Werling's family had a grocery store that changed hands several times and was
later sold to Fred and Hanora Smith in 1954.
There was also a large two-frame building owned by Charles Warder on the south
side of Highway 50. This store will be mentioned later, having been
purchased by Dick and Laura Murray O’Brien in the ‘50s.
On the first floor of this building was a feed store where people bought and
sold chickens, fur, cattle hide, and eggs.
Kenneth Jennings recalls selling seven rabbits here for eight cents each. He
shares that he felt like he was rich because of the transaction.
The upper story of the feed store building was used to hold dances and
community events.
The Charles Warder building was later sold to Loren Ring and then to the
O’Briens.
The next building to the south of the grocery store was the Barnett-McKay garage. The Barnett family lived right next door to Enon Baptist
Church.
Sadly, Enon Baptist Church burned to the ground on a Sunday in November of 1945
(see Enon history). Fred and Lena Weide’s house was also located south of the
church. Margaret was the daughter of the Weide family, and she lived directly
across from Enon on 131 Highway.
Buck and Viola Kephart’s restaurant also had filling station pumps.
Kephart’s son Bill worked at the filling station until he was drafted in World War II. Bill and his cousin Varner Shippy were on the Pittsville baseball team.
The Pittsville Pirates often played on Sunday afternoons at Hunter Ballfield, north of Pittsville. Varner was a pitcher and Bill was a catcher.
South of the filling station, Riley and Pearl Kephart had a grocery store,
which also housed the post office. Lucille Jennings remembers their son Pete
riding his tricycle in the store aisles.
Kenneth Jennings shares some memories of Pittsville prior to the 1940s.
According to Kenneth, in the drought years of the Depression in the 1930s, the
government built a deep well that unbeknownst to many, is still below the west
lane of 50 Highway.
Kenneth recalls seeing teams of mules and horses lining up in long lines to
haul water during the drought years of the ‘30s.
The government offered three percent interest loans to farmers to buy land
during the lean, traumatic years of the Depression.
Going back to its really early years, Pittsville boasted several fraternal
societies, among other organizations, throughout its rich history.
According to the 1881 History of Johnson County Book and the History of the
Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Missouri, shortly after the
Civil War ended, a lodge of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was formed in Pittsville.
In 1874, a Lodge of Freemasons was also established there. It was not without
controversy though, and in 1875, the Grand Master of Masons in Missouri
suspended their charter because of “A general disharmony among its members and
is uselessness as a Lodge." This Masonic Lodge disbanded after its
charter was suspended.
There was new resolve in later years, however, and in 1898, a new Pittsville
Lodge of Freemasons was formed. It operated for many decades until 1931 when
the members voted to consolidate with the Holden Lodge.
The community of Pittsville has always been a close-knit group of neighbors
helping neighbors and friends in need.
In 1931, 14 local women gathered for a social meeting and decided to form the
Pittsville Homemakers Extension Club.
The motto of the club was “We strive for Beauty, Work, and Play.” The object of
the club was “To promote more interest in the beautification of our homes, more
courage to face the duties of life, and to help us to see the beauty that
surrounds us.”
The membership of the club grew steadily from 14 members in 1931 to 46 in 1946,
the largest in club history.
Among other activities, members would give programs and demonstrations on a
variety of household subjects.
Household programs given by members included gardening, clothing,
beautification, meal planning, home decorating, feather mattress making, house
cleaning, handicrafts, lawn care, outdoor cooking, frozen food, retirement,
drug abuse, heirlooms, and even con games.
Neighborhood and civic needs were always a priority for the Pittsville
Homemakers Club. In 1937, these ladies sewed for the Red Cross. Also, in 1942
through 1953, the ladies took items such as dish towels, pillowcases, diapers,
toys, clothing, and fruits and vegetables to Children’s Mercy Hospital in
Kansas City.
Over the years the club has taken care of different organizations and groups,
including the Pleasant View Nursing Home, the Korean students at Warrensburg
College, The March of Dimes, and the shut-ins in the community, just to name a
few.
On the occasion of the 50-year anniversary of the club, in a history
written by charter member, Lena Weide, and members, Margaret Irvine and Mary
McKay, it was written, “Time or space does not allow for all the learning
experiences, fun times, sad times shared, and the happy hours enjoyed at Club
meetings and functions over the years.”
In another interesting Pittsville fact, Pauline Wine, a long-time employee of
Musser’s Department Store in Holden, shared with Holden businessman Scotty
Walker, that the windows on the second floor of his Variety Store came from the
Bank of Pittsville after it was torn down.
So, some things from Pittsville’s glory days still remain, as do the many
memories.
In the 1930s and ‘40s, Pittsville showed yet more signs of rebounding and was a
busy place with several successful businesses and a growing number of
salt-of-the-earth residents.
Up through the 1950s, 50 Highway was still a two-lane thoroughfare, and it
wasn’t until the early ’60s that the divided highway would come into play. This
was to have a profound effect on the little burg and its residents.
In 1963, the State came through and claimed imminent domain on local
properties, forcing some families and businesses to relocate, as the new
divided highway was set to come right through their homes and businesses.
As a matter of fact, my own family would be affected, as the highway went
through the Donald Kephart home, and Donnie, along with his wife Judy, and
daughters, Denise and Dana (me), then relocated to Holden and bid farewell to
the tiny town which holds so many of our roots. Our years spent living in
Pittsville will remain among our fondest memories.
In the 1950s in Pittsville proper, there were a number of business houses,
including two grocery stores with gas pumps, a Pittsville Café with a filling
station of its own, two garages, a feed store, a post office, and of course, a
church, which still stands today.
The following is a recollection of those who lived and owned businesses in
Pittsville from 1952 and beyond. Some of them have been previously mentioned, having
been in Pittsville in the 1940s.
So, come take a stroll with me down Pittsville roads and hearken back to a
simpler time...
On the northeast side of 50 Highway was the café owned by Ernest (Buck) and
Viola Kephart, which was dubbed simply Kephart’s Café. A tank of gas could also
be had at Buck and Viola’s.
On 50 Highway, on the east side of 131 Highway, was Smith’s Grocery Store, filling station, and living quarters, owned by Fred and Hanora Smith, and their children were Judy, Mike, Pat, and Jeanne.
To the east of Smith’s store was O’Brien’s Feed Store, owned by Dick and Laura
Murray O’Brien, and their children were Bill and Elaine.
The feed store was a very large building with an upstairs area and locals would
hold dances there on a regular basis, an activity that brought the community
together and was a sign of the times in the mid-50s.
Moving east on 50, was the earlier mentioned Barnett-McKay Garage. It would
also fall victim to the new divided highway when it came through, forcing its
closure.
To the south of Smith’s Grocery Store and home was the home of the Dick O’Brien family, and then the Barnett home.
To the south of Enon was Bill Head’s garage, and then the home of the Paddacks.
The post office was also located inside Kephart’s store and Pearl Kephart was the postmistress until it closed in 1954 (as previously mentioned). To the south of the store was the home of Riley and Pearl.
Next, still moving south, were the homes of the McNeels, McKays, and then the home of Clark and Allene Jones. The Jones children were Bob, Sandy and Larry (Butch).
Next to the Jones home was the home of Ernie and Margaret Irvine. The Irvines lived in Pittsville for many decades, as did their parents and grandparents before them.
Finally, the big house on the south side of Pittsville, that had belonged to Thomas and Mary Josephine Slack. The Slack children were Inis, Viva, Lucy, Pearl, TJ and Allene. The Slacks were this author’s great-grandparents.
Thanks to Judy Kephart, Robyn Sisk, Shirley McKay, Darlene Hensley, Lucille and Kenneth Jennings, Marion Robey and Scotty Walker for sharing your memories and pictures.
Information for this story was also taken from the Holden History Book and the Johnson County Historical Society archives.
Many thanks to the people who contributed to this story and the chronicling of Pittsville’s history.
Since research didn’t show any complete history of Pittsville, I am not sure that one has ever been written.
Please forgive any errors or omissions as we relied on the recollections of those who lived there 60-plus years ago.
It is from this little hamlet that a lot of our forefathers have come and we thought it only fitting that a history was put together as a way to honor our grandparents and great-grandparents.
Many families who now live in Holden came from the surrounding areas of Pittsville and Elm. Generations of families who now call Holden home can trace their roots to Pittsville.
The past lives on in us, and in our children and grandchildren, and as we remember those who came before us, it is meant as a tribute to the rich, vibrant history of our families who hailed from Pittsville.
We carry on the legacy started by those who braved an uncertain new world more than a century ago. The pitfalls and disappointments were many - from the founding of Pittsville and up through the subsequent years.
But it did not deter our forefathers from carving out their own little niche and establishing a unique little town that they very proudly called “Home.”
The true grit of our ancestors shows us the toughness of the indomitable human spirit, and we can look back with pride at our humble beginnings in a little settlement off the beaten path, and smile.
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Dana Kephart is a retired editor of the Holden Image newspaper, Johnson County’s oldest continual weekly newspaper.
She worked at the Image for 20 years, having retired in June of 2022. She covered all the news for her hometown, including the political landscape, current events, upcoming events, and all features, as well as her weekly editorial column, The View From My Front Porch.
Dana has been featured in an issue of the Missouri Press Association magazine and received several awards for her work. She was honored by the Missouri Attorney General for her commitment to coverage of her hometown of Holden in spite of health challenges.
Dana was diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) in 2012, which is a progressive neurological disease, similar to ALS.
Also in 2022, Dana was inducted into the Missouri Press Association’s Newspaper Hall of Fame, joining a prestigious group of colleagues, including Samuel Clemens and Joseph Pulitzer.
Since her retirement, she continues to submit columns and features to the Image. Several of her features may be seen at the Johnson County Historical Society. Current projects include a series on the history of Kingsville, Missouri.
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing dana,my grandparents were there. Irvin and violet windsor. I remember bill heads shop and the cafe "always inn " . Ruth mary jo sisks mother.
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