Liberal, Barton County, Missouri History

Liberal History

In December 1895, the Liberal Enterprise newspaper printed a four page supplement that detailed the history of Liberal and also told about Liberal's businesses and citizens. Below are computer scans from newspaper microfilm showing some of the early scenes. The quality is not perfect, but its better than a machine made copy.

The Public School Building was a two-story frame building. It had three large rooms, two downstairs and one upstairs. It had been built in 1885.

In 1895, J. A. Swank was the principal, W. E. Condict was the teacher in the intermediate department, and H. M. Branson was the teacher for the primary department.

In 1895, the Umbrite and Son Drug Store was the oldest one in western Barton County. P. J. Umbrite had lived in Liberal ever since the town was founded and had had the drug store for nine years. His son, John, had passed the exam given by the State Pharmacy Board in May1895.

Those in the photo are P. J. Umbrite on the left, then A. L. Branson,a and John Umbrite.

The DeLissa Stock Farm consisted of 1425 acres of land. The farm featured underground water pipes that carried water from a huge tank that was kept full by two "monster" windmills. In 1892, the Mr. DeLissa had sold the farm to G. P. Fuller of Kalamazoo, Michigan for about $78,000. Only $14,000 had been paid and by 1895, the ownership of the farm was under dispute. A. Scovill had the farm leased at that time.

The home of Banker G. W. Baldwin. He was president of the Exchange Bank. He was a native of Schuyler County, New York. He and his family moved to Liberal in 1888 and organized the Bank of Liberal. He and his partners sold the bank to J. J. Stewart of Ft. Scott, Kansas five years later. Stewart soon tired of banking and left town, leaving Liberal without a bank. So in 1894, Mr. Baldwin built a new building with a safe and opened the Exchange Bank.

C. W. Goodlander was the owner of the grain elevators and lumber yards located on the Memphis Route Railroad. The business was managed L. C. Whitesitt in 1895.

	S. J. Bowen was the Pedro grocery man. The village of Pedro was located just across the railroad tracks west of Liberal. "Salie" was also the postmaster for Pedro.
	Dr. J. W. Clark began practicing medicine in 1872. He married Miss Mattie Amerine at Columbia, MO in 1875 and they had two sons. Mattie died in 1881 and the boys were cared for by their grandparents until their father remarried. In 1884, he married Miss L. J. Purdy at Lockwood and they moved to Liberal. They had one son. Dr. Clark lived on South Street and was known as a surgeon.
	F. M. Conrad, and his brother J. H. had a general merchandise store that carried one of the largest stocks of general hardware, furniture and undertakers' goods in Barton County. They also sold wagons, buggies and farm implements. The Conrad's were among the earliest settlers of Western Barton County.
	Dr. J. R. Scott was a native of St. Lawrence County, New York. He had grown up near Clay Center, Kansas. In 1889, he entered the University of Louisville. He then attended Medical School in St. Louis. He moved back to Kansas to practice medicine near Morganville. He married Mary P. Coleman, but she died only a year later, so he moved back to his hometown. In 1895, he was a doctor in Liberal.
	J. W. Swank was the principal of the Liberal School. In 1895, he had taught in Barton County for 13 years. He was born in Noble County, Ohio on April 8, 1859. He had attended the Beverly Institute in 1879 and then started teaching.

Juli Kearns has a nice Liberal web site that includes "Story of Liberal Missouri" written by O. E. Harmon, a relative of hers.

Go back.

This page was designed and is maintained by Lyndon Irwin.

	The Public School Building was a two-story frame building. It had three large rooms, two downstairs and one upstairs. It had been built in 1885. In 1895, J. A. Swank was the principal, W. E. Condict was the teacher in the intermediate department, and H. M. Branson was the teacher for the primary department.
	In 1895, the Umbrite and Son Drug Store was the oldest one in western Barton County. P. J. Umbrite had lived in Liberal ever since the town was founded and had had the drug store for nine years. His son, John, had passed the exam given by the State Pharmacy Board in May1895. Those in the photo are P. J. Umbrite on the left, then A. L. Branson,a and John Umbrite.
	The DeLissa Stock Farm consisted of 1425 acres of land. The farm featured underground water pipes that carried water from a huge tank that was kept full by two "monster" windmills. In 1892, the Mr. DeLissa had sold the farm to G. P. Fuller of Kalamazoo, Michigan for about $78,000. Only $14,000 had been paid and by 1895, the ownership of the farm was under dispute. A. Scovill had the farm leased at that time.
	The home of Banker G. W. Baldwin. He was president of the Exchange Bank. He was a native of Schuyler County, New York. He and his family moved to Liberal in 1888 and organized the Bank of Liberal. He and his partners sold the bank to J. J. Stewart of Ft. Scott, Kansas five years later. Stewart soon tired of banking and left town, leaving Liberal without a bank. So in 1894, Mr. Baldwin built a new building with a safe and opened the Exchange Bank.
	C. W. Goodlander was the owner of the grain elevators and lumber yards located on the Memphis Route Railroad. The business was managed L. C. Whitesitt in 1895.