|
 PARKVILLE, Platte County, Missouri
N 39° 11.346 W 094° 40.978
15S E 354653 N 4339110
This historical marker is located in a small traffic "island" near the Post Office and Fire Department in Parkville, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WMBT3R
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 06/19/2011
Views: 6
The text reads:
"Parkville
Platte County
Missouri State Historical Society
Founded by George S. Park-1838
First known English Landing, river port on frontier, steamboat landing; slave, tobacco and hemp markets.
Home of Park College
Founded 1875
John A. McAffe and George S.Park
pioneered in new pattern in education.
Fides et Labor"
Web link: [Web Link]
History of Mark:
Both Parkville and Park University were named after Texas War of Independence Veteran Colonel George S. Park, who became a land speculator and entrepreneur. In 1838, Colonel Park bought the site of Parkville and also a riverboat landing from the English brothers, then in 1844 he filed the first plat of the town that is named after him, and by 1850 he had built warehouses and a large stone hotel. In 1853, Col Park established one of Platte County's earliest newspapers, called "The Industrial Luminary."
The town has a rich heritage, being a commerce or trading area first for local Native Americans, followed by French fur traders; even Lewis and Clark recognized the importance the Missouri River had on commerce for Parkville. The river was the home of flatboats, keelboats, and eventually the powerful steamboats that helped transport the migration of pioneers that were heading west in search of gold, silver, and a new life in the land of opportunity in the West.
In the early days, Parkville grew faster than Kansas City, which is located 10 miles southeast. In the 1840s, the Missouri River’s meandering channel of water was located closer to the town of Parkville and the town had a thriving port for hemp and other products and had a healthy commerce and trading center. This boom time ended with the Civil War, with the bitterness caused by the conflict between those that were pro-slavery and those that held to the free soil belief, and the Missouri and the Kansas Territory escalated into warfare. Col. Park's newspaper reported on the continuing violence associated with the Civil War, and it attracted national attention in 1855 when a pro-slavery mob reacted to the Colonel’s editorials and threw his printing press into the river. The bitterness between the individuals with pro and anti-slavery ideals did not end with the conclusion of the Civil War, and caused a significant reduction in commerce in Parkville.
Soon however, Col Park joined forces with Dr. John A. McAfee and in 1875 established Park College on property donated by Colonel Park. Seventeen students were in the inaugural class, which had a “new” concept of a work/study for both men and women. The old stone hotel was converted and became the first building associated with the college, which quickly expanded as more and more students arrived and literally built the college with their own hands, including the Mackay Hall (completed in 1893), and the Scott Observatory (1896), two of the buildings that are still overlooking the campus and the town. The college and the construction helped revive Parkville's economy.
Additional point: Not Listed
|
Visit Instructions:
A clear picture of the Marker or Plaque taken by you.
Also would appreciate you input on the text and location.
|