Our Community
- Smithville, Missouri
*Smithville was founded in 1822 by Humphrey Smith,
who brought his wife and seven children from New York. They settled
on the banks of Smith's Fork in 1824. He built the Smith Mills.
Smith choose that location for an ideal place to build with government and
Indian agencies and settlers. His mill was a "corn cracker," but he
later added the bolting apparatus and it was said that this was the first
flouring mill in Clay County. His cabin was built in the area that
is today south of Main Street and east of Liberty Road.
Before 1824 the only other families here were those of Cornelius Gilliam,
John Gilliam, William Riggs and Samuel Croley. Other settlers soon
followed. In 1826, a company of 93 people from Kentucky settled nearby.
Humphrey, also known as "Yankee" Smith, was an abolitionist and often
was at odds with his neighbors over the slavery issue. He and his
family were often prosecuted for their beliefs. His wife was blinded
in one eye after recieving injuries from pro-slavery advocates.
Humphrey's son Calvin opened the town's first store, a grocery store,
in1828. It stood where the Methodist Church stands now. He passed
the business on to his son when he retired in 1876.
In September, 1836 original townsite of 80 acres was granted to Calvin
Smith. The name was changed from Smith's Mill to Smithville.
By 1850 the population had grown to 250. At the time the other towns
in Clay County were Liberty, Barry, Missouri City and Randolph. Each
had a store or two, a blacksmith, wagon shop and saloon. Smith's Millwas
sold to Col. Lewis Wood at that time, only for it to be washed away in a
flood three years later and again rebuilt.
Today, Smithville is a rapidly growing community, with a large recreational
lake, golf course, business district, and has an outstanding school district.
It is truly a great place to live.
To learn more about our community and its history visit our city's homepage.
You can also find neat facts at the K.C. Library
site about Smithville. or at the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Site.
*A Pictorial History of Smithville, Missouri, pub.3/92