File submitted for USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County Missouri History Page by Phyllis Lake, 9 November 1998. Link change or update: 4 Dec 1999
From The History of Lincoln County, Missouri, (Chicago : Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1888).
MOSCOW.
Moscow (Moscow on the Cuivre) is situated on the western bank of the Cuivre River, and on the St. Louis & Hannibal (Short Line) Railroad, four miles southeast of Troy. It was laid out March 17, 1821, by John GEIGER, Morgan WRIGHT, James DUNCAN and Shapley ROSS, the original proprietors. The plat was witnessed by Sylvanus ALLISON and Elijah COLLARD. The proprietors appointed C. K. DUNCAN, A. C. WOOLFOLK, Jeremiah GROSHONG, Andrew MILLER and W. H. ROBINSON as a board of trustees of the town of Moscow to sell and convey lots. It was laid out as a competing point with Monroe, Troy, Alexandria and other places, for location of the county seat. Henry MARTIN was the first merchant of Moscow, having opened a stock of general merchandise soon after the town was laid out. He continued in business several years and made considerable money, after which he died and was buried there. At the time MARTIN did business at Moscow, Adolphus FOSTER and Thomas MCCUNE also carried on a small business. William HAMMER was the next settler in the town and he also engaged in merchandising. He was the first postmaster the town ever had, having been appointed as a Republican. He remained in business until 1884, when he retired. Next came A. M. BOULDIN, who opened a grocery store, and C. & L. BRANDERS and James ANDERSON, who opened general stores. All these were doing business at Moscow in 1885. A saloon was established there some three years ago by John HORTON. He was soon succeeded by Thomas STUART, and he by HAMMER, who continued the business until the DOWNING law went into effect. Next came James CUNNINGHAM, who continued the business for a time.
The grist and saw mill owned by WING & Son has always been one of the greatest factors of Moscow's success. It was established about the year 1820, by Jeremiah GROSHONG. He sold it to John GEIGER, and he to Henry MARTIN, who died while in possession of it. The heirs of MARTIN sold it to Thomas MULTON, who sold it to John FOSTER. The latter sold it to James and Ed. LEACH, and in 1868 they sold it to Frederick WING, the senior member of the firm of WING & Son, its present owners. There is a large grain elevator attached to the mills. A bridge was built across the Cuivre River at Moscow in 1852. It fell in 1860, having been undermined by the strong current of water. The following is a list of the business of Moscow as it was written up and published in 1885: General stores, C. & L. BRANDES and J. H. ANDERSON; grocery, A. M. BOULDIN; saloon, J. C. CUNNINGHAM; hotel, Frank HILL; blacksmith, Louis SCHROEDER; WING & Son, millers and dealers in grain; Fritz DURAND, blacksmith and wheelwright, several beautiful residences, a union church and a schoolhouse.
In 1870, when the prospect for a railroad at Moscow was good, the proprietors of the vacant lots had the town re-surveyed, preparatory to selling them. The old corners, to some extent, had been lost, and in order to re-establish them the deposition of Joseph H. SHELTON, who had personal knowledge of their location, was taken on the 16th day of September, before James D. SHELTON and Wilson T. HARRIS, justices of the peace. With the information thus obtained, John C. DOWNING, surveyor of Lincoln County, made a complete re-survey of the town, beginning at the northwest corner of Lot 4 in Block 12, where he perpetuated the corner by placing a stone in it 26x9x4 inches in size. John FRANKLIN and S. G. WRIGHT were the chain carriers in making this re-survey. The town, as thus surveyed, contains nine blocks of four lots each, and fifteen blocks of eight lots each, the lots being 128x65 feet, except in Blocks 1 to 4 inclusive, where they are of the same width but greater length. Jacob VOEPEL's addition to the town of Moscow was surveyed and platted in June, 1882, by J. F. WILSON, the countv surveyor.
The contract for the bridge recently built across the Cuivre, at Moscow, was let by the county court to RAYMOND & CAMPBELL, of the Council Bluffs' Bridge Company, for $3,825; $3,000 to be paid by the county, and the balance by the citizens of Moscow and vicinity. The bridge is a substantial iron structure.
About 1879 a colored man by the name of Cavello SYDNOR went over the dam in a skiff. Three days later his body was found one mile below. Soon after that fatal accident Miss Acsah SHULTZ, sister to the nurseryman, was trying to ford the river, when her horse became frightened and threw her off. She was swept by the current into deep water, where she was drowned. Her body was recovered about two hours later. The next case of drowning at Moscow was that of Pat CARNEY, which occurred about four years ago. He was supposed to have gone into the river bathing while in a state of intoxication. His body was found by the use of dynamite. It is no wonder that the people of Moscow were anxious for a good bridge across the Cuivre.
File submitted for USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County Missouri History Page by Phyllis Lake, 9 November 1998. Link change or update: 4 Dec 1999
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