County of town: Cooper County
Location of city hall: MO-J, & Elm St., Bunceton
Elevation: 781 ft (238 m)
Population: 359 (2019)
The city hall building was once the property of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, before the folded and sold to Union Pacific. BUT, the original depot was build by the Osage Valley & Southern Railroad.
It is kept original looking on the outside, but inside it has been converted into the offices necessary to run a vary small town. This old depot became city hall in 1997.
Next to city hall, because it was once a museum, is a caboose from the MoPac Railway, donated by Union Pacific to the city. Also the cities welcome side is here.
"Bunceton is located on the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas R. R., 14 miles south of Boonville. It had 1 church, a Masonic Hall, a flour mill, about 6 stores, 2 shoe shops, one tailor shop, two drug stores, three physicians and one lawyer...It was located in 1869, and had a population of about 400 (1876)." ~ History of Cooper County, 1876, Levens, pages 134, 135
"It is situated on Sec. 4 & 5, Twp. 46 N, Range 17 West...It was laid out in 1868, by Harvey Bunce, Esq...He laid out 10 acres of land lying in Kelly Township, and the first building was erected by E. B. Bunce, Sr. In 1869, Mr. Thomas J. Parrish added 10 acres from Palestine Township, making 20 acres in the townsite...In 1871 the county court set all of the town in Kelly Township." ~ History of Howard & Cooper Counties, 1883, National Historical Society, p. 689
"It is situated at Sec. 32, 33, Twp. 47 N, and Sec. 4, 5, Twp. 46 N, Range 17 West on Highway J between 5 & B
Bunceton was laid out and settled in 1866 ..." ~ Campbell's Gazetteer of Missouri, 1874, Page 173
" ... Bunceton was platted in 1868 by Harvey Bunce of Boonville." ~ Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, 1901, page 425.