Timeline of Papinville continues from 1867-1951

This week the time line begins when the people came back to Papinville to see what was left from Order 11. About the only thing they could find was the chimney of their house or business. It was hard to find which chimney was their property. A lot of people did not come back to Papinville, but after several years the town did come back and business were coming to Papinville. The town was booming from 1866 until 1890’s. When the railroads came in people started moving out. The railroad went through Rockville and the river travel ended.

The time line will begin in 1867 and go to 1951. Every person that grew up around this area knows about the big July flood. It was the biggest flood, but the biggest flood was in 1986. 

1867- Grasshopper plague

1868- Jackson added to Papinville plat. Two story school was built.

1873-Presbyterian Church was built

1883- Dec. an all steel bridge was built across the river 

1884- July Bridge was completed ( present old  bridge)

1892- Methodist Church built

1895 Little room added to the north end of the two story school ( present building )

1904- Telephone exchange started in Papinville at the Charlie Burch house. McConnell family passes Papinville in their houseboat on their way to St Louis.

1906-Rural mail service transferred to Rockville.

1907- Drainage Ditch digging begins.

1916- Strickland Store burnt

1920- Great flu out break. Many people died.

1930-Rap Store closes

1940- Griffen Store closes.

1950-REA brings electricity to Papinville.

1951- Big flood.

Some information on the picnic September 26. This year the games , cake walk and wagon rides will be free. We have a new event this year for the children. We have an inflatable the children can play in for some extra fun. If you inter the pie contest, bring cakes for the cake walk or dessert table be sure they are in throw away  pans. All pies that are in the pie contest need to be entered at 2:30. There will be prizes for junior and adult division. If you bring a pie for the auction and don’t want it judged let the people at registration know. There will be a silent action and a live auction. There are many nice items on both auctions . We appreciate another painting that Tom Altenburg has given for the live auction . Dinner served at 5:30.

More information will be in next weeks paper. Until next week.

                                                                                       Submitted by Phyllis Stewart

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The Museum Minute: Big week in local news

Courtesy of the Bates County Museum 802 Elks Drive, Butler Mo 64730 (660) 679-0134

Herrman’s Historical Happenings week of September 16

1870 The population of Bates Co is 15,900 (It spiked to 23,933 in 1930. As of the latest census, now 16,042.). 

1895 Records indicate there are 200 public schools in Bates Co, with 10,027 children enrolled.

1960 The Bates Co Memorial Hospital opens its doors at 615 W. Nursery St. The last patient is transferred from the old hospital on Maple street.

1960 The first baby born in the new Bates County Memorial hospital is Deanna Sue Mitchell, daughter of Mr & Mrs Gene Mitchell of Amsterdam.

1960 Mrs Walter West, of Rich Hill, has to take a taxi to the hospital because she is in heavy labor. The taxi driver accidentally takes her to the old Butler hospital on Maple street. Because of the delay, she gives birth in the back seat.

1979 The employee strike at Mott Meat Company, Rockville Mo, continues but the plant is still in operation.

1980 Randall Fassler & Joyce Welsh are murdered in the Welsh farm home 2 miles northeast of Butler. The crimes remain unsolved to this day.

1982 Butler's Pat Ray takes the kickoff from Bishop-Hogan and goes 80 yards for a touchdown. The Bears end up winning, with a total of 376 yards for Ray.

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What’s Up by LeRoy Cook

Amazon overrun ends tragically

Finally, some fall flying weather arrived last week, revitalizing airport activity around the area. Unfortunately, the timing of some of the badly needed rain affected some of the scheduled fly-in and airshow events last weekend. A Commemorative Air Force show at Camdenton was competing with a Mid-America airshow at Jefferson City, and everybody’s favorite, the Lincoln, MO Grassroots fly-in, may be rescheduled for September 26th. 

The plucky little town of Lincoln is justly proud of its well-maintained 3000-foot grass airstrip, one of the few public turf runways in the state. Every second Saturday in September, for the last two decades, they host an informal fly-in breakfast and lunch that attracts a bunch of vintage and homebuilt airplanes. Check out their Facebook page for details.

The visiting aircraft at Butler aerodrome last week included several visits by a Piper Aerostar, along with a Cessna 340 pressurized twin and a St. Louis-based Cirrus SR-22. There was little movement from the local hangars; Jay McClintock moved his Piper Tomahawk trainer down from Harrisonville, offering flight instruction by local CFI Christian Tucker.

Newsworthy items from the past week were mostly centered on the tragic Amazon air freighter overrun accident at Miami, leaving five workers dead, who happened to be off the end of the runway when the Boeing 767 left the pavement. It apparently was the result of tricky weather and poor piloting.

The results of the World Aerobatic flying competition at Mason City, Iowa, held last week, wasn't good for the U.S. France dominated the individual standings, taking first and third places, and the France team racked up the most judging points. The best U.S. pilot narrowly slipped down into fourth place.

In world-wide coverage, fighter jets were scrambled in Hungary a week-ago Saturday, as an errant Cessna Skyhawk appeared to be heading for a nuclear power plant. However, it crashed landed in a field before reaching the nuke plant and a very drunk non-pilot was taken into custody. It's doubtful that a 2,000-pound Cessna would do much serious damage to a highly-fortified nuclear plant.

The U.S. Treasury Department has rescinded its requirement for U.S. owners of Limited Liability Companies to file a yearly Beneficial Financial Ownership report. LLC's are often used to provide ownership of private pilot aircraft, as well as other purposes. The BenFin form, originally designed to catch money laundering, has served no purpose, and now ordinary citizens can forget keeping track of that one more annual requirement. 

Even the high-and-mighty suffer equipment failures; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen was among 14 people aboard a Coast Guard Gulfstream V business jet flying from Atlanta to Washington last Wednesday when the right engine failed. The powerful G-V had plenty of thrust remaining with its left engine, so it successfully diverted to DCA airport for an uneventful landing. I'm sure the event will be thoroughly investigated.

For us commoners who need to fly into the highly-restricted moat-guarded airspace around Washington, D.C., the most-used outlying airport is Manassas, VA. Now Manassas may be opening up to airline service, mixed into its 420 based private airplanes. The field recently received Part 139 certification for commercial passenger service, although no airline has announced plans to use it as of now. 

In an interesting turn of events, an occasional airline departure is delayed from oil fumes stinking up the cabin, coming from the auxiliary power unit in the airplane's tail. To eliminate the nuisance, Eastman Chemical Co. has developed a new APU oil that doesn't give off the foul odor, but now flight attendants and other crews have lodged concern that leaks may go undetected because they can't smell them. One thing leads to another.

Our previous column asked for the origin of Nashville, TN, airport’s ICAO code of “BNA”, which may soon be renamed “Dolly Parton International.” It was because it was Berry Nashville Airport, named for its developer, Col. Harry S. Berry, back in 1936. For next week's quiz, what kind of airplane was built by the U.S. Naval Aircraft Factory in the early 1940s? You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.

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Recipe of the Week

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Ready Set Grow Fall Festival coming October 3

Mark your calendar! 

Rich Hill's own Ready Set Grow Fall Festival is just a few weeks away on October 3rd. There will be live music, vendors, a cake walk, car show, horse drawn wagon rides, pony rides a petting zoo and much, much more.

It'll happen in the historic park square in Rich Hill- bring your lawn chairs and come enjoy the afternoon!

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Obituary - Wilma Swarens

Funeral services for Wilma "Sis" L. Swarens of Hume, Missouri will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel (660-679-6555) in Butler, Missouri. Visitation prior to services 10 - 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Schowengerdt Chapel. Burial in Salem Cemetery, Foster, Missouri. Contributions to the Hume Food Pantry, Hume, Missouri. Online condolences www.schowengerdtchapel.com.

Wilma “Sis” Laverne Swarens, age 92 of Hume, Missouri died Thursday, September 10, 2026 at Moore-Few Care Center in Nevada, Missouri. She was born April 3, 1934 to Fred Joseph and Ora Louisa Bright Duffield in Foster, Missouri.

Wilma is survived by five daughters, Kathy Hester of Pleasanton, Kansas, Cheryl Gillette and husband Bill of Nevada, Missouri, Patti Olmstead of Eldorado Springs, Missouri, Pam Swarens of Hume, Missouri and Gayla Swarens and significant other, Scott Potter of Lamar, Missouri; one son, Shane Swarens and wife Melissa of Rogersville, Missouri; 13 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-grandchildren; one sister, Bonnie “Sugie” Benham of Pleasanton, Kansas; and sister-in-law, Connie Boyles of Foster, Missouri. Wilma was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Ora Duffield; Daddy Leland Boyles; husband, Donald Swarens (10-07-2007); five grandchildren; one great-grandson; three brothers, Ronnie Boyles, Oddie Duffield and Freddie Duffield; and one sister, Donna West.

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Obituary - Betty Fink

Betty Fink, 79 of Amsterdam, Missouri passed away Thursday, September 10, 2026 surround by family at Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. A visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at Mullinax Funeral Home, Butler (660-679-0009). Funeral services will follow at 11:00 am Tuesday, also at the funeral home. Burial will take place in Crescent Hill Cemetery, Adrian, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to Crescent Hill Cemetery. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.


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Operation Sock-It-To-Me campaign officially underway

Bates County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) Auxiliary volunteers are once again launching their annual Operation Sock-It-To-Me campaign to help local students stay warm this winter. The 2026 campaign has kicked off and will continue through October 31.

Community members are invited to join in by donating new socks for children and teens, ages 5–18. Collection boxes will be available in the BCMH lobby as well as at Family Care Clinics in Adrian, Butler and Rich Hill. Donations can be dropped off on weekdays through October 31. To make sorting easier, please leave socks in their original packaging.

Every pair collected will be shared with Bates County schools before the winter holidays. School staff will make sure the socks reach students in grades K–12 who need them most.

The BCMH Auxiliary is grateful for the community’s continued generosity in supporting this project each year. Together, we can make a simple gift go a long way in keeping kids warm and cared for this winter.

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