July History Takes A Walk Tour Held Tuesday, July 21

Notes from the walk available with this blog post

Research for West Liberty History Takes A Walk tour for Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

Mexico Waterworks: (Stop on the sidewalk at the corner of Muldrow and Quisenberry to chat about the waterworks)

·         In 1909, water was three-cents per 100 gallons if using less than 1,500 gallons per day. One-cent per 100 gallons if using between 1,500 and 5,000 gallons per day.

·         Water used to be drawn from Lakeview Lake, which, back when it was first built, was known as Power and Light Lake and piped down to the plant here

·         Water tower you’re looking at now was built in 1962.

·         Current water supply comes from six wells in Mexico area. Each well is 1,500 feet deep.

·         Mexico Power plant used to be located at Western and High Streets.

·         Electric company got started in basement of Llewellyn Drug Store

Mexico Electric Company: (Stop at the parking lot of the car wash on the corner of Muldrow and West Liberty to chat about the Electric Company, who’s foundation you can see across the street and behind Missouri Bank)

·         Plant at this location opened as a coal-fed operation in 1950 and converted to natural gas in the 1960s at some point

·         A man oiling the line shaft on one of the turbines was caught by the belt of one of the machines large wheels and flung around with its rotations several times eventually losing all his clothing except for his shoes. The wheel was going 250 RPMs. He was found shortly after the incident with bruising and semi-conscious but otherwise unharmed but visibly shaken.

·         In 1919, a strong wind from a weather system that moved through Mexico bent one of the smokestacks “so that it almost formed a right angle …” No word on how it was fixed

·         Plant was closed for good in 1980 as the cost of converting it back to coal from the natural gas it used to produce electricity was too prohibitive

Producer’s Grain: (Stop on the corner of Missouri and West Liberty to chat about this from across the street)

·         Incorporated in July of 1919 with a capital stock of $35,000

·         Opened in July 1920 at a cost of $25,000

·         Capacity of the elevator was 25,000 bushels

·         Old bottling factory is one of the two smaller buildings and was used as the storehouse

·         Missouri Avenue used to run across the tracks

Arctic Ice & Storage: (Chat about this after talking about Producer’s Grain)

·         In 1909, the bottling plant across the street from the plant opened. It was called the “most sanitary of fireproof ice manufacturing and beverage producing plants in the Wide West.”

·         Under the building, 1,400 feet under, is the natural aquafer from which the water for the ice was pulled from daily

·         Company used what was, at the time in 1909, an Ammonia Compression System to produce the ice and anhydrous ammonia is the refrigerant

·         Company sold to Missouri Power and Light Company in November of 1925 who continued the ice and bottling business

·         The bottling portion of the company began in 1908 in the basement of the building and bottled mineral water, soda, ginger ale and seltzer

·         In 1921, the company moved from a boiler system for power to all electric. It could produce over 40 tons of ice per day

·         In 1913, once the Ice Plant closed for the winter, the Missouri Power and Light Company contracted with Arctic to pull water from its aquafer and pipe it to the power plant to supply water during a shortage due to scarcity of water in Lakeview while a new well was being dug for the power and water company. From what can be gleaned, that plan never had to be utilized as no big demand of water was made during the time the new well was being dug. The new well would take six months to complete, being completed in early 1914

·         Plant was closed in early 1956 and Missouri Power and Light turned it into a storage site for its equipment. The roof collapsed a few months later, believed to be caused by the removal of some of the ice factory equipment. If you walk around to the north side of the building and look at the NE corner where the brick changes colors, you can see where brick masons laced in the new brick when it was repaired and you can still see the scar of the original collapse because of the different colored bricks

Ball Grocery Building at 816 West Liberty:

·         Ball Grocery Store … Known as the First and Last Chance Grocery Store in 1911

·         We think this may have been a grocery store for years under several different names to include B.S. White and Sons in 1910 (you’ll see original cash register in the Ross House Museum and, Crewsy’s Market in the 1950s and then, Harry’s Market in the 1960s

International Shoe Factory: (Stop across the street on the corner of Abat and West Liberty to chat about this site)

·         Darker colored building was built in 1907

·         Original location was the old Fredendall Wilkens building on northeast corner of square opened in 1906 by W.J., F.E., E.T., and C.T. Morris brothers opened in 1906

·         Machinery moved to this location in January 1907 upon completion of the building.

·         Cost to build then to citizens of Mexico was $60,000

·         Morris Brothers sold out to Friedman Shelby Shoe Co. of St. Louis in November 1907 for $100,000

·         Expansion, which is the lighter colored building, done in August of 1940 to include most of the lot

·         In 1912, payroll was at $500,000

·         Company built new location on South Elmwood Drive sometime in the mid to late 1960s

·         Through the years since, this building housed the Handi-Shop from 1973 to 1980

·         Current business Maxwell Trailers started operations here in mid-2000s

Nichols and Helwig Grocery Store at 904 West Liberty: (Turn around and chat about this after talking about the Shoe Factory)

·         Popular due to location being across from shoe factory

·         Offered fresh meat sandwiches along with dry goods

·         Operated from 1939 to 1957

WATCH WALKING HERE AND ASK PARTICIPANTS TO WALK IN STRAIGHT LINE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AS THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS BETWEEN GROCERY AND JANET’S DANCE STUDIO AND YOU HAVE TO WALK IN THE STREET. OR, YOU CAN CROSS THE STREET WHEN SAFE AS A GROUP AND CONTINUE ON THE NORTH SIDE WHERE THERE IS MORE OFF-STREET WALKING AREA

Janet’s Dance Studio: (Stop in her parking lot to chat about this)

·         Started in this location in 1983

·         Janet Graham started the business in 1980 in a small space in downtown Mexico but outgrew it to move here

·         Business kept growing in the three years before the present location was built with help from her dad

·         Began by registering students in her mother’s living room and had 30 students her first year facilitating the move downtown

·         Janet went to school to study accounting but, according to a recent Ledger article, hated it and moved home to open the dance studio while figuring out what she wanted to do

Stockyard Building Fire (North of Morris West Liberty Street Intersection): (Stop at corner of G&C Snacks (Tom’s) and have them face northeast to see the lot where this was located)

·         July 21, 1975

·         Building was empty and fire only took about an hour to burn it

·         Debris fell as far away as east end of West Plaza

·         Had quite an audience watching as hundreds were attending Antique Car show in West Plaza

·         Building was built in 1942 and was 21,248 square feet in size

·         At time of fire, being used as storage by owners and only had liability insurance on the building

AP Green first plant site: (NW of intersection of Morris and West Liberty Streets): (Chat about this after Stockyard talk)

·         This area is thought to be where, according to a May 9, 1935 Mexico Daily News and Intelligencer, fireclay in Audrain County was first discovered in 1879 or 1880 when a well was being drilled prospecting for oil, coal or gas in this area. According to reports, a company was started and lasted for a few years before failing and being abandoned.

·         A J.A. Glandon was the man in 1898 or so who was talking with a negro who said a local building brick maker was attempting to drill for water on the east side of Mexico. Instead,   more white clay was discovered at a depth of 14 feet over on the east side of Mexico near the present-day location of the old AP Green plants. Going off this information, Glandon sent some of that clay off to Chicago to be tested. It was found to be fireclay of high quality and a company was started, which became the company that AP Green eventually bought in 1910

·         This site eventually was opened by Green as the Josephine Plant of the AP Green Corporation. It opened in 1917 at the onset of America’s involvement in the World War I. The Josephine Plant name came from APs wife’s name.

·         This plant remained in operation into the 1960s, at least, until it was closed and works consolidated at the East Plant location.   

·         Greens was not the first firebrick company in Mexico. That honor goes to a company named the Salamander Firebrick Company (that was located on Missouri Street, just north of the railroad tracks at Jackson Street, behind the present-day Casey’s General Store (Show photo of the Salamander plant)) that once employed 127 men, which then morphed into the Mexico Brick and Fire Clay Company and moved to this location here. It was this company AP Green bought in 1910 and turned into a worldwide powerhouse in the firebrick industry

Laura Miller George Help Center: (Move to the south side of West Liberty and get on the sidewalk just before the railroad tracks and stop there to chat about this)

·         Began its life in Mexico as the Audrain County Human Development Corporation in 1965

·         First location as a small food pantry and thrift store was on East Breckenridge Street

·         In 2009, name was changed to The Help Center

·         In 2013-14, the board began planning for this present-day location

·         It was opened in June of 2015 and renamed the Laura Miller George Help Center in honor of Dudley Miller’s mother, Mrs. Laura Mae Miller, who spent her life helping others

·         This building is a 15,000 square foot food pantry and thrift store.

·         In 2018, a 7,000 square foot extension added to the back of the building as a thrift store warehouse

·         Continues to serve as the Salvation Army outlet in Audrain County

·         Food received from private donations and as a part of the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri

Original City of Mexico Maintenance Buildings: (Stop in front of this to chat about)

·         The property card on the Assessor’s website shows this building was built in 1940. That couldn’t have happened because Quonset huts were not introduced onto the American market until 1941 during World War II

·         More than likely, this was made available through a post-war program where the US government had an excess of these buildings and offered them at no, or low, cost to state, county and city governments. The city purchased several, including these two. Also, some were located off the end of Tripoli Street over by the Middle School. Also, there remains one at the back of Elmwood Cemetery just down the road from here

·         Other Quonset huts that are in Mexico from this era include a couple down on Olive and Love Streets in Mexico

·         This site was used as the city’s base of operations for its parks and streets maintenance divisions until the present-day Singleton Maintenance Center was built and opened in the late 70s/early 80s. Today, it is rented to a pallet company

Falstaff Beer Distributorship (Corner of Kentucky and West Liberty):

·         Ben McCallister was the local owner of the distributorship from the early1960s to its closure. Date of closure is unsure but thought to be in the 1980s or 1990s.

·         In 1934, Falstaff beer was distributed by the Mexico Fruit Company, which was located on south Calhoun Street by present-day ADM. The beer brand was owned by the Griesedick Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri.

·         When McCallister first owned the distributorship, it was located at 105 North Olive Street before moving to its west Liberty location.

·         In 1971, AP Green President William S. Lowe was named to the Falstaff Board as a member

·         In 1976, a six-pack was $1.35 and a 12-pack was $2.29 at your local Kroger’s Grocery Store.

Trolley Heights: (Stay on south side of street and stop on sidewalk just past Josephine Street to chat about this across the street)

·         Originally was not a part of the Mexico corporate city limits when first built in early 1900s

·         Each lot cost between $150 and $250 (about $4,280 in today’s money). Payments of $1.25 ($30.58 today) per week were accepted by the Central West Construction Company. According to a 1935 Mexico Ledger tax sale listing, the average taxes on the lots back then were about $20.52 ($501.95 today) per lot

·         Each lot has a 12-foot alley and cement sidewalks were promised

·         An Emancipation Day celebration was first held by the black community in 1910. It featured speakers, two bands and was promoted by the Pink Rose Social Athletic Club of Mexico. It was reported as being the only celebration of this event in the state of Missouri. About 600 blacks from out of town were reported to be at the event, not including the Mexico contingent

·         Mail service to the houses was extended to the subdivision in 1940. Before that, residents had to walk down to Cemetery Road (today’s Elmwood Drive) to collect their daily mail

·         The subdivision was finally annexed into the city in a special December 1949 election and was formally adopted into the city in early 1950

·         The name was derived from a portion of the land being owned by the Mexico, Santa Fe (Fee) and Perry Traction Company that ran a trolley from Mexico to Perry in the early 1900s and 1910s

Ameren Missouri building: (Can chat about this anywhere along the sidewalk as you walk to the west end of their parking lot)

·         Built as the Missouri Power and Light shop and storage building in 1956

·         Missouri Power and Light office was located on West Promenade Street where Eye 2 Eye Optometry is now

·         Ameren put in the drive-up window in the 1980s and it was used through the early 2000s before Ameren did away with the window

·         Still used today as administrative offices for the Mexico office and as a shop and storage building for Ameren

Vacant Lot North Side of West Liberty Directly Across From Ameren Building: (Chat about this from parking lot of Ameren)

·         In mid-1950s, Levingston’s D B (Deli/Bakery) was situated there

·         In the mid-1960s, it became Schooler Market

·         Thinking is this may have been a market for those in Trolley Heights to use

Khoury League Fields: (Can’t see the fields from the parking lot but can point down to just past the trees to the dugout you can see as you chat)

·         Mexico Optimist took over the Khoury League in Mexico in 1967

·         More than 200 Mexico kids, girls and boys, were signed up as well as several dozen fathers as coaches

·         City of Mexico took over the fields when the Optimist Fields were built in the late 1970s on Summit Street and Agricultural Street in Mexico

·         City hosted an adult softball league on the west field for men and the middle field for women. Used to be a tee-ball field in the back but that went unused by the city and is no longer there

Ross House: (Save this for last to talk about because Jennifer Prior will open the museum for folks to come tour after the walk when you get back)

·         Built in 1857 by John Pleasant Clark.

·         House is based on architecture from Clark’s home state of Virginia.

·         U.S. Grant, a friend of Clark’s, visited numerous times in 1861 but never stayed at the house while commissioned with the Union Army.

·         Second owner of the home was Colby T. Quisenberry.

·         Quisenberry was responsible for bringing Saddlebred horses to Mexico.