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Fair Grove, Missouri History
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Tradition says that the little log school went by the name of the Duke School House from the fact that Chattam Duke was the teacher of the first term of school in the new district -- this was on or about the year 1851.
Later on, the Methodist and Presbyterian people met to worship in the grove a few yards east of this house (if house it may be called with puncheon floor and grotesque furnishings) and there built an arbor and small house in which to worship.
At one of these meetings the question was asked "What shall we name this place?" and Uncle Willis Spence, as he was familiarly called, suggested that it be called Fair Grove after the name of the Methodist church of which he had been a member, in Randolph County, N. C. All acquiesced and the name has ever since remained. So the Grove part of the name was not a native part of Missouri, but of North Carolina.
In the early years of Fair Grove, the citizens of the place, and community -- mostly Methodists and Presbyterians met to worship under a brush arbor about where a small house of worship was built and afterward a spacious arbor supported by numerous posts and covered with clapboards, served a few years.
On or about the year 1856, one John Ramey, a prosperous farmer, who owned a large farm which at this time is owned by Cal Potter, built a small store house on the lot now (1932) owned and occupied by the Farmers Exchange, became the first merchant of Fair Grove.
The town was noted for numerous blacksmiths.
In 1883, a very good and efficient buhr mill was built to grind both corn and wheat. After a few years they dispensed with the wheat buhr and installed the roller process of making flour which enabled them to turn out a high grade of merchantable flour and the proprietors for years and years had a very lucrative business.
Fair Grove at one time had a wool carding machine. This machine was housed in a small house immediately west of the Bell Hotel Lot. This factory was built by Paschal McMinn, father of the late Willis McMinn who established the first barbershop in town.
Fair Grove had an elegant cafe and a hotel second to none in the country. Mr. Bell proprietor, together with his good wife built through courteousness, an enviable business in their line. Their table filled with delicious viands is seldom surpassed by any hotel in large cities.
Mr. Bell has established a miniature zoo park which featured a pair each of deer, peafowl, white guineas, ring-tail coon, black coon, (a very rare animal) a white opossum, a ground hog, a pair of fox squirrels and several gray squirrels; also three exquisite houses for Martins which from their elevation overlooked the town.
Fair Grove from its early existence was noted for its commerciality, which increased as the years flitted by. The many customers of the several merchants carried away an immense amount of the necessaries of the home, while the several merchants furnished in such profuse quantities.
Adapted from: HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF FAIR GROVE, MISSOURI -- Written in 1932, by William F. Long (April 6, 1846 to June 8, 1936) who is buried in Cedar Bluff Cemetery next to his wife Clementine (June 9, 1855 to June 21, 1943).
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