FIVE DRIVING TRAILS OF REGISTERED HISTORIC SITES (and other interesting features) IN RURAL GREENE COUNTY

Click on any one of these

Trails for a detailed

heritage guide through a

section of our County:

Trail No. 1, Central

Trail No. 2, Southwest

Trail No. 3, Northwest

Trail No. 4, Northeast

 Trail No. 5, Southeast

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The Greene County Historic Sites Board is a twelve-member advisory board appointed by the Greene  County Commission for identification, protection, retention and preservation of historical sites in rural Greene County (outside the city limits of Springfield) and has marked approximately sixty-five historical sites to date.

Missouri became a state in 1821 and Greene County was established in 1833. The U.S. Land Office was established in Springfield in 1835.  In 1837 there were two postmasters in Greene County—John  Polk Campbell at Springfield and Josiah F. Danforth at Walnut Forrest. The founding of schools, churches and government institutions signified the advancement of civilization into frontier territory.  By 1860, the county seat, Springfield, had an estimated population of 1,500 with businesses listed as 7 grocers (saloons), a steam saw mill, coach factory, stone quarry, 2 ambrotypists, a furniture store, stove and tinware store, real estate dealer, painter, architect and builder, select school, druggist, merchant tailor, lumber dealer, dry goods and clothing store, and 3 watch, clock and jewelry stores.

This DRIVING TRAILS OF RURAL GREENE COUNTY, MISSOURI, are intended as a guide to help you learn more about the early history of rural Greene County. The locations of some Ghost Towns are included as well as some of Greene County’s Missouri Century Farms.   This is not intended as a one-day tour but several TRAILS you can enjoy, perhaps on different days.  On your travels, take time to enjoy the great diversity, stunning panoramic vistas and beautiful scenery of the landscape and streams which comprise rural Greene County, Missouri.

Farm Roads (FR) are numbered as follows from the northwest corner of the county:  even-numbered roads go east and west; odd-numbered roads go north and south, i.e., FR 2 runs between Greene and Polk/Dallas Counties; FR 1 runs down the western edge of the County.

There are approximately sixty sites, registered by the Greene County Historic Sites Board in rural Greene County.  All registered sites are in Bold Type and other interesting features are available by clicking on the blue words or they are in [brackets].  Rural Greene County churches established prior to the Civil War are included in this set of tours, though some have not been officially registered as historic sites.  Schools have been included as well as Missouri Century Farms as these farms were the basis for settlement and are historically important to the overall picture of the beginning settlement of Greene County.  The earliest towns and hamlets are included even though some are now Ghost Towns that no longer exist.

Pack up a picnic lunch, grab your camera and be off on an adventure through the countryside.

 Please respect the privacy of the farms and homes along the tour.  Thank You!

If you have any questions, suggestions, feedback, please contact Jackie Schmitt

 Warfel, MSU Physical Education graduate `51, primary contributor at (417) 742-3848.

We also want to thank Vera Chandler, Greene County Historic Sites Board!

It is to Office Assistant, Lauren Breedlove, in the MSU Office of Leisure Research

 (836-4773) that we owe much for the design and editing of these many pages.

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Maintained by Dr. Steve Illum
Last Modified: July 14, 2009