The village of McDowell stands on the bank of Little Flat Creek across from the site of the old Barry County seat town of McDonald, long since obliterated except for a few old stones in a cornfield. A courthouse and jail were built of logs in McDonald on a plat recorded November 5, 1840. When the county seat was finally located at Cassville this town site disappeared. McDowell was swept away by a tornado April 18, 1880. The McDowell mines in the outskirts of the village were operating in 1892. Today, trees and brush have taken over the site of this operation. From Back to Barry |
McDowell from Early Barry County
McDowell. The village of McDowell stands on the bank of Little Flat Creek across from the site of the old Barry County seat town of McDonald, long since obliterated except for a few old stones in a cornfield. A courthouse and jail were built of logs in McDonald on a plat recorded November 5, 1840. The site was in the valley where the Locks had a race track at a ford of the creek. The Old Wire Road crossed Little Flat at that point. Samuel M. Phariss was postmaster. But when the county seat was finally located at Cassville this town site disappeared and the cornfield of J. M. Marbut took over the spot.
Dr. Christian's house stood on the creek bank above a spring near the ford. In Civil Wartimes this was the scene of a skirmish and the house was burned. Dr. Christian was a wartime postmaster.
The town of McDowell grew up on higher ground out of reach of floods, but unfortunately in the path of a tornado which swept the valley April 18, 1880. After the tornado, Marion P. Griffith, appointed postmaster under Cleveland, reestablished the post office. His son, Otis A. Griffith carried mail on horseback from Verona to McDowell and from McDowell to Flat Creek for fourteen years or until 1892.
The Hutchins brothers operated a flouring mill about a mile down Big Flat from the town, below where Little Flat flows into it. William J. Thomas was a justice of the peace and I. P. Townsend was a constable there in 1880 J. Ethridge was one of the early residents of the community.
Aaron Long and A. Mills operated a general store for several years. A. Mrs. Brinkerhoff was an early postmistress. Dr. Slaughter was probably the first doctor and Dr. Lenore the second. They ran the drug store and sold whisky. Dr. Robberson practiced from his home there for a number of years.
From an old register of the McDowell school for the years 1876 through 1878, the property of Frank Jackson and presented to the Cassville Democrat by his son S. L. Jackson, it appears that teachers during those years were S. A. McCollum, J. N. Brooks and G. S. Stubblefield. Among the pupils were Frank Jackson, Mary Mathis, Harry Larkin, Cordelia Marbut, John Bennett, Binnie Marbut, John Stubblefield, Edward Jackson, Louise Jackson and Thomas Bennett.
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