Ghost Towns of McDonald County Revisited

Originally the research on the ghost towns of McDonald County came from a story in our reading series about ghost towns of the west. Through serendipity I found a site that listed two ghost towns in our own county. One thing led to another and we end up here. I hope this is not the last post on this subject.

I received the following email in response to questions posted on my first post about Ghost Towns of McDonald County. It is wonderful to have the excellent resources of our county librarians to help with this.

I looked over the comments and questions that your students posted. I couldn't
find a link to post the answers and my comments, so if you could pass this on
to your students, I would appreciate it.

I am glad that your class was excited about learning about ghost towns.
Hopefully, one of them will be interested enough to explore further, so
that someday they can pass along this history when someone in the
next generation asks about it, just as I did.

**Ashley and Jeffery wrote that they didn't think there was so much history
in McDonald County. Please let them know that I can show them pictures and
tell them stories that would blow their minds. Our county has a tremendous
history- some good and some not.
** Jonathan said it was cool to have a ghost town because if you are tired of
people, you can go to the ghost town and camp. Please tell him not to camp
at Coy. It is situated along Patterson Creek and copperheads already camp
there, and don't like to share their space.
** Kiley asked why the town was called Coy. The answer is speculative but
I believe it was because a farmer by the name of George McCoy was one of
the early settlers and they shortened the name from McCoy to Coy.
That is the way they sometimes named towns. Anderson was named after
Robert Anderson; Noel is named after Willis Bridges Noel, and Goodman was
named after Lowell Goodman.
** Colby and Francisco wanted to know if people are still allowed to go there
and if they give tours. Yes, you can travel the road that leads to Coy but there
are no tours scheduled. Sadly, there is not a single building or landmark that
remains that suggests the town ever existed. It is a beautiful spot, though.
If you would like the location, here it is:
From Anderson, drive west on Hwy 76 West 4 1'2 miles to Coy Road- turn
right (north). Appproximately, one mile down that road, you will come to a
bridge. Before crossing the bridge on the right hand side, there was once a store,
blacksmith shop, and mill. The canning factory was located nearby. As you
cross the bridge, you come to a fork in the road. That road is named Patterson
Creek Road. If you turn right, you will see a group of lakes on the right hand side
that are beautiful. If you take a left at the fork, you will see farmland on the left
along the creek and on the right hand side, you will see the Mitchell Cemetery. My
husband's great-great grandfather settled there in 1850 and his son, Robert Lee,
later deeded the land to be used as a cemetery without charge to those who wish
to be buried there. My husband and I decorate it for Memorial Day and keep it
mowed and neat.
[Cemeteries are special to those who have loved family members buried there.]

Now about Cowskin:
Wade and Trystan want to know how Cowskin got its' name. This is what it
written in one of our history books, Sturgis History of McDonald County:

Beginning in the northwest part of the county, the first stream of note, is Buffalo Creek,
flowing and passing into Indian Territory near Tiff City. It is a beautiful stream of clear,
cold water, fed by various streams, and along its' banks are some of the richest farm
lands in McDonald County. It was named many years before a white man thought of
settling on its' banks. The name, Buffalo, was given this creek by the first Catholic
missionary that ever visited the Indians of this part of America. During his journey,
supposedly, heavy rain fell and the Buffalo Creek, as well as Elk River, rose until it was
past fording, and the camp was obliged to go into camp between the two streams until
the water level came down. While being delayed, a buffalo cow was killed by one of the
parties camping there, and the skin was preserved. From this event, the missionary
gave the name, Cowskin to the river. The exact
The location of Cowskin Prairie starts at Saratoga Springs, just west of Noel edging
southward about two miles to Southwest City,and westward about ten miles, extending
northward to Elk River, southwest of Anderson on Hwy 43 . It extends westward about
five miles into Indian Territory(now known as Oklahoma) in Delaware County.
As I mentioned before, it was the scene of some Civil War encampments during the
years of 1861-1865.


Thank you, class for all your kind words and appreciation for our Library. We try to
make it a fun and worthwhile place to visit. Hope to see you soon.

Retha Mitchell,
Asst. Librarian,
McDonald County Library

Ghost Towns of McDonald County

Our classes are reading about ghost towns in reading this week. While on the Google looking for anything interesting about ghost towns I found a site that is about ghost towns in Missouri. I lost the link, but I remember that it identified two towns in McDonald County: Coy and Cowskin.

After thinking about these places I decided to email our local library to see if I could find out where these sites were and maybe learn something about them. I emailed Carrie Cline, the Library Director for the McDonald County Library, to ask if she could do some research. She forwarded the email to Retha Mitchell, the Genealogy Assistant for the McDonald County Library. She happens to live near the old site of Coy and is writing a history book. This is what she emailed me back:

Coy Community

Four and a half miles west on Hwy 76 and a
mile north, lies the remains of a community
known as Coy. It was here in the early 1880's
that Sterling Mitchell built a water mill and
platted out a town. Mitchell operated the
water-powered roller mill, producing flour
for awhile, but soon sold out. After that,
it changed hands several times, until Tom
Wimpey and George McCoy bought it.
These two men are reputed to have
operated the mill successfully for several
years. There was also a post office in the
community. Wimpey requested a U.S. post
office be established there, and the request
was granted Feb. 12, 1886, with the name
of it being Coy. Wimpey served as the first
postmaster. Succeeding postmasters were
William T. Cunningham, Lafayette Langley,
Thomas Murray, John D. Meares, Lester Drake,
and again Lafayette Langley. After seventeen
years of service, the post office was closed.
This had been the second post office in the
area, as John A. McMillen had previously
established the Orchard Grove Post Office
July 3, 1878, but it closed two months later,
reason unknown.
Two stores are known to have been at Coy,
perhaps more. The first store was started by
Tom Wimpey. Later storekeepers were Frank
Beeman, Howard Langley, W.G. Smith, and
William Cunningham.
John and Dallas Seabourn were the next
storekeepers followed by John B. Meares.
Meares' daughter, Grace, was young at the
time, but enjoyed working and helping her
father in the store. Many years later, Grace
married James Hutchinson, and they built a
new brick store building. Later, they had five
children. After James died, Grace ran the store
for about five years. Mae Watson took over the
store next. Lastly, Logan Hatfield was store
operator. By this time, there was a tall gasoline
pump in front, and above the porch roof, was a
sign that read, "Coy, Mo., AG Food Market AG".
In addition to the feed mill, store, and post
office, there was a hotel, barber shop,saw mill,
gas station, canning factory, and a drug store.
There were at one time, two churches in Coy,
both Baptist oriented. One was the Freewill
Baptist organized and built in Coy, and the
Missionary Baptist Church, located about 1 1/2
miles west of town, along Patterson Creek Road.
The location of the town was enhanced both
aesthetically and business-wise, by Patterson
Creek, a well fed spring, which rises from Boil
Spring, east of Coy, and is fed by other springs
along the way in a westerly flow. A large spring
on the Jimmy Dalton place flows into Patterson
Creek. Below his place, on property once owned
by Leonard and Louise Alexander, are some lakes
that are fed by Patterson Creek. It was a conven-
ient water hole for baptisms. All of the churches
in that area used it for that purpose.
The Victory Road Church of God of the Apostolic
Faith was another church that organized in the
area in 1966. Being without a building, Elmer and
Clara Abercrombie allowed them to meet in the
McMillen School and church building which they
owned. After a year, the building burned, and
residents were saddened that an old landmark had
been lost. The Victory Road Church relocated to a
piece of land bordering Hwy. 43, and have a school
there, now.
The McMillen School had been organized many
years earlier, when the county was young. It not
only served as a school, but also as a polling place,
church, and meeting place for community events.
Elin White now owns the land where the building
once stood.
The Mitchell Cemetery is along Patterson Creek
Road in the Coy area, and is well maintained. Ronnie
and Retha Mitchell are the caretakers of the cemetery
now. His great grandfather, Robert Lee Mitchell,
originally donated the land for the cemetery.
During the 1920's or 1930's, Bob Chamberlain
operated a canning factory in Coy, as well as Anderson
and Tiff City.They had contracts with the growers for
all the tomatoes they could grow. Mr. Chamberlain
ended up losing in that venture, and soon closed the
factory.
There is very little to left to prove that a thriving
little town once enjoyed success at this location, but
Coy had it's day- a beautiful little community of good
neighbors and busy days of hard work. It is still a
beautiful area and one that I am proud to call home.

We are fortunate to have such knowledgeable and engaging people working out our local library. You are the reason libraries are the useful repositories of knowledge they are. Thank you ladies for your time and effort. My class appreciates your help.

Simple Machines Visited

Here is a link to Edheads page on simple machines. After you check out the activities, tell me which two machines you would want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island. Tell me how you use them. Remember, do not click links off site. Only do the activity on the page.

If you need some extra help, here is an Edhead page with more information, and here is an Mkids page, here is a Museum of Science page.

Here are links to eThemes on simple machines: Beginner, Advanced.

New Blog!

Mr. C now has a blog made for educational games. Remember, we will not refer to these as games, they are interactive learning activities. As always, never follow any links off the page and do not click on any ads that may be on the page.

Free Rice Vocabulary Game

Click the banner to play the vocabulary game. It will increase your vocabulary and provide rice for third world countries.

Jules Verne is Free!

The Gutenberg project is a repository for out of copyright books. This means they are in the public domain (free!). Here is the link to Jules Verne's books. If they have a speaker by them they are audio books. If they have a book by them they are ebooks. Just click on them to download.

If you want to listen now, click here.

Wind Erosion Post 2

Watch the video. It shows dust storms from the 1930's. We know that overfarming contributed to what we now call the Dust Bowl. If you had been living then, what advice would you give the government to help stop the wind erosion? There is no sound for this video.

Journey to the Center of the Earth Redux

In the original story, Jules Verne writes about a hole in Finland that leads to a new world under the earth's crust. Imagine you find a cave in your back yard that leads to the center of the earth. What would you discover? Post your story on the blog, one will be given the Blogging Tiger award for writing.

Don't Let the Science Test Give You a Rainy Day!

I know you are going to do well on this test today. You worked hard and studied and now is the time to show it! I would wish you good luck, but you don't need it. You are ready!

How smart are you with Geography?

Click the image to play the geography game, then post your score!

Here is a link to the game over the United States.

Paul Revere is Not a Horse Part 2.1

Here is the results from an internet poll I took. Why do you think many people outside of the United States voted Paul Revere was overrated?

Which Would You Give Up?

Below are the first ten amendments to the Constitution. We call them the Bill of Rights. If you were forced to give one up, which would you choose? Why?

Bill of Rights

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Paul Revere is not a Horse Part 2

Paul Revere was made famous for his "Midnight Ride". Read the poem then you can go to his Wikipedia page to learn more about him. Also read The Midnight Riders, April 19 1775 by Roger Saunders. After you read about him, check out this video. Then read this excerpt from:


THE TRUE STORY OF PAUL REVERE

By Charles Gettemy from Archiving Early America

"Most men like Revere--- somewhat above the average of the mass, but not possessing the usual elements of enduring fame-- pass out of life eulogized by their fellow-citizens; remembered by a circle of admiring and respecting friends until they also pass away; and are ultimately forgotten, finding no place upon the pages of written history.Â

"Paul Revere was rescued from this fate by an accident-- the witchery of a poet's Imagination. Â His famous ride on the night of the 18th of April, 1775, remained unsung, if not unhonored, for eighty-eight years, or until Longfellow in 1863 made it the text for his Landlord's Tale in the Wayside Inn.

"It is to Longfellow's simple and tuneful ballad that most persons undoubtedly owe their knowledge of the fact that a man of the name of Revere really did something on the eve of the historic skirmish at Lexington which is worth remembering."

Does our society honor Paul Revere as the great hero, or does our society honor the real Paul Revere who simply did his job? Explain your opinion.

Amazing Stories about the San Francisco Earthquake

Wow! You all did a great job on your San Francisco Earthquake stories. Kiley's story had wonderfully interesting details. Tercy Ann's story was very realistic. Alex's story was very emotional. I think you should read and comment on them.

The Blogging Tiger award for this assignment goes to Colby's story. I am very impressed by both the detail and the flow of the story. I think it is the best thing written by anyone this year! What do you think?

Wreck of the Titanic Word Study Words

league sergeant yacht doubt fatigue
debt blood vague anxious foreign
bargain condemn intrigue villain
cantaloupe flood depot cordial
subtle disguise

Note Taking- Which is right for you?

Three-Century Woman Word Study Words

elementary vehicle miniature probability definition
substitute variety literature elevator Pennsylvania
ravioli cafeteria mosaic tuxedo meteorite
fascination cylinder intermediate centennial curiosity
documentary stegosaurus pediatrician mediocre simultaneous

An Assessment for Jonathan

George Washington From Commander in Chief to Chief Executive with David McCullough

Why Do We Need Fractions?

Why do we need fractions?