|
a.
|
Note: Princeton, Mercer County, MO is in the northern part of the State, bounded on the north by the State of Iowa, east by Putnam and Sullivan Counties, south by Grundy County, and west by Harrison County. was established in 1846 by Spartan F. Rhea, named in memory of the battle in which General Hugh Mercer of Revolutionary War fame was killed, and sale of lots took place in April 1846. Until its organization it was a part of Grundy County and previous to 1841, Grundy was a part of Livingston. About 1848, Floyd Shannon built the first storehouse, Samuel Speer established a blacksmith shop and John McClelland built a small log house and began a business there. Merchandise was purchased in Camden and Brunswick as the nearest trading centers at the time. It is not known that any white man settled in the territory now Mercer County until 1837, and up to that time the land was the hunting place of tribes of Fox, Sioux and Pottawottomie Indians. The first to visit the county were traders, who made no permanent residence, but would spend a few months each year in bartering for the peltries of the Indians.
The first court house was a log cabin and a two-story log building was constructed in 1847. The county became a county on February 14, 1845. The first circuit court was held at the farm
home of Joseph Girdner, who lived about 3 miles northeast of Princeton. Court was held under a maple tree in the front yard. There were some folk who wanted to put the county seat on East Muddy Creek, but the present site of the town prevailed. The third court house was constructed in 1857 and was the first brick building in Princeton. Church was held in the court room, the Christians, Baptists and Methodists preaching there. This building burned in 1898 and there was so many problems getting the townships in the county to vote for a bond issue that it was not replaced until 1911/1912. The design first shown for a new court house was a very elaborate one, but even that did not sway the voters to vote for it. There was also competition among Princeton,
Mercer and Ravanna for the new court house. Each town believed it should be the county seat.
|
