Fair Play, Missouri

I've previously written on this blog about the Fair Play fire of 1887, which destroyed much of the business district of the town. Today, I thought I'd dig a little more into the history of the town.

Fair Play came into existence as a named place in 1852, when it received its first post office. Early settlers in the area, including John W. Wakefield, wanted to name the place Oaklawn, but a post office by that name already existed, and Wakefield supposedly declared, "We'll just call it Fair Play." 

During its early history, Fair Play was likely little more than a general store and post office, although it was a significant enough place at the beginning of the Civil War that Cedar County lawyer Joseph Gravely, later a Union colonel, gave a speech there in 1861. 

When the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railroad was built in 1884-1885, the line slightly bypassed Fair Play. So, the town essentially picked up and relocated a mile to the north to be near the tracks. Fair Play quickly became a shipping point for surrounding farmers, and it began to thrive. 

At the time of the disastrous fire of 1887, Fair Play had a population of about 250 people. Despite the setback, the town quickly rebuilt, and it continued a slow but steady growth into the 20th century.

When a Springfield newspaperman visited the community in 1911, Fair Play had slightly over 400 people. It had only one main street, according to the reporter, but it had two banks, a newspaper, and various other businesses. The town also had a school and several "good churches." 

During the 100+ years since the newspaperman's visit to Fair Play, its population has remained fairly steady, never rising above the high 400s nor sinking below the low 300s. Today, its population stands at slightly over 400. 

Iberia, Missouri

Iberia is a town in southeast Miller County along Highway 17 about midway between Tuscumbia, the Miller County seat, and Crocker in northern Pulaski County. A post office named Iberia first came into existence the late 1830s. It is thought that it was probably named by a Scott family, early settlers in the area from New Iberia, Louisiana. The town of Iberia, located about a mile from the post office, was not platted until 1859. 

The name of Iberia was changed to Oakhurst around the time of the Civil War, and it went by this name for about ten years. The community, under the name Iberia, was officially incorporated as a village in 1875. The population at this time was around 100 people.

By 1912, when a newspaperman from Springfield visited the town, Iberia's population had grown to about 500, although the newspaperman overestimated it at about 700. The reporter found the mountainous land south of Iberia to be "very picturesque," but the flat land north and west of the town was more conducive to farming. In addition to growing vegetables and fruits of all kinds, farmers in the area also raised cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry.

At the time of the newspaperman's visit, Iberia had about twenty businesses, including two banks, two mills, a canning factory, and a weekly newspaper. It also had "good churches" and "an academy of forty-five students."

The academy of which the reporter spoke was Iberia Academy, founded in 1890 by a minister to provide a high school education to the previously unserved youth of the surrounding region. The school became Iberia Academy and Junior College in 1929 with the addition of college-level courses. The junior college operated under the auspices of Drury College in Springfield, and when the academy closed in 1951, Drury took over its records and library materials. Iberia Public High School, which had been siphoning off students from the private academy since its creation in 1937, more or less forced the closure of the older institution and became a de facto successor to Iberia Academy.

The population of Iberia has stayed fairly steady throughout the past 100+ years, reaching a peak of about 850 in 1980. Its current population is about 700.

Fairview, Missouri

Fairview, Missouri, in southeast Newton County, had a rural school and a church at least as early as 1880, but the community was not platted as a town until about 1907, when the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad was constructed through the area. The town also got its first post office about the same time. Its population quickly grew to about 270 presidents by 1910.

When a Springfield newspaperman visited Fairview in May of 1912, he found it to be a pleasant little village: "The town has good churches and an excellent High School building, a high-class banking institution, a bustling, enterprising realty firm, large elevator plant and much that speaks well of this, a comparatively new town.

The prairie land around Fairview was dedicated mostly to growing crops. Corn was the main grain crop, but rye, wheat, and other grasses were also grown. Small fruit was also a principal crop, especially strawberries and blackberries. The poultry industry was likewise a going enterprise.

Land around Fairview had become much more valuable with the coming of the railroad and formation of the town. According to the reporter, land which could have been purchased less than 10 years earlier for 15-25 dollars an acre was now going for 60-75 dollars an acre.

Fairview continued to flourish for the next decade or two after the newspaperman's visit and then began a period of decline during the mid-20th century. The town lost its school during the 1960s when the East Newton consolidated district was formed. However, Fairview rebounded somewhat beginning in the late 20th century, and today it has an estimated population of about 400.

Notable people from Fairview include Dabbs Greer, who played Rev. Alden on the Little House series, and John Q. Hammons, the well-known hotelier and housing developer who lived most of his life in Springfield.