Rich Hill Daily Review Aug. 21 1931 Farm to Market Road

HUME NOW RICH HILL'S NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR
State Road Makes Travel Communi­cation With Rest of County Possible.
With the first farm to market road in Bates County completed about ten days ago, the accessibility of the southwestern corner of the county is becoming realized. This road which extends from Hume, a town of 700 in the ex­treme corner, eastward to Rich Hill where it connects with U.S. highway 71 taps one of the most productive agricultural and industrial sections of the county. says the Hume Messenger.
The completion of this road now makes us Missourian. Our county seat is now less than an hour's drive away. It can be reached by all-weather road. Nevada the county seat of Vernon County on the south, is at a similar distance. And Rich Hill has become our next door, neighbor.
Now that Hume has no banking facilities this immediate travel connection with these towns should be and are appreciated.
Rich Hill Daily Review Aug. 21 1931

Rich Hill City Hall Then and Now

The First picture is Rich Hill City Hall in the early 1900's. The Second Picture is Rich Hill City Hall in 2008. I am looking for documentation as to when City Hall was built and when the upper story was taken off.

Rich Hill Mining Review, May 31 1917

PROPOSED ADVANCE IN TELEPHONE RITES
Owner of Rich Hill Plant Submits His Report--No Action Taken
The joint meeting of the city council and commercial club called for Tuesday night at office of City Attorney H. E. Sheppard to consider the proposed telephone rate. Advance was not well attended. Mayor Jones and members of the council were there but the number of business men present was surprisingly small, considering the importance of the question. Attorney E. B. Silvers of Butler, representing Mr.Campbell, the owner of the Rich Hill' phone sys­tem, submitted an-elaborate report, calculated to show why an increased-rate is asked by the company, a brief . "Synopsis of which was given yesterday. The substance of Mr. Campbell's report, as presented by Mr. Silvers was that its physical valuation is placed by a consulting engineer at $25,243; and further, the total earn­ings of the plant last year was $1371.24, and claiming the earnings should have been 3,817.34, based on 8 percent for investment and 7 percent deterioration. The matter was then discussed generally, The ques­tion of improvements in the service was pointedly put up to the company but nothing definite was promised. The report was received and ordered filed by the council.
Rich Hill Mining Review, May 31 1917
Today the telphone service in Rich Hill is owened by KLM Telephone

Rich Hill Daily Review Sep.1 1931 Beasley's AD.

Feb.1932 Rich Hill Mining Review

DWELLING HOUSE BURNS
Fire was discovered at 9 o'clock Saturday night at the Ous Kien-berger residence property a block south and a block west of the high school building, which burned fearlessly, destroying the building and contents, the house being oc­cupied by Albert Main and only a few personal articles being saved. Fire Chief Vodry and force of firemen responded to the alarm, but were delayed by a lack of suf­fcient length of hose and had to return to headquarters to secure more fire hose. The origin of the fire is supposed to have been from sparks from a flue setting fire to the roof. Mr. Kieoberger esti­mates his loss at $1800, partially insured with the 0. M. Leedy agency. Mr. Main's household goods were insured for $300 with the Hoover & Hupton agency.
The house was originally erected some twenty years ago by Attor­ney J. K. Hales.

NEWT. WRIGHT
FOR SHERIFF
N. E. Wright, better known as Newt. Wright of Lone Oak town ship, was in Rich Hill Saturday and announced his candidacy for sheriff of Bates county at the August primary. He has long been a resident of the county, having lived on the farm upon which his father, Joe Wright, settled in 1857. He has always been a loyal democrat, but has never before ' asked for a county office. He is a genial gentleman and is qualified to fill the office of sheriff and would appreciate the support of the voters

Rich Hill Mine Explosion

Since, I moved to Rich Hill in the late 1970's I have heard numerous stories about the "Terrible Mine Explosion of 1888."
Here are a couple of stories I have found about the Terrible 1888 disaster. The first story I found on the Internet site: gendisasters.com

THE MINE DISASTER.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE EXPLOSION IN THE RICH HILL, MISSOURI, MINE.
Kansas City, Mo., March 31. -- Further particulars of the disastrous mine explosion at Rich Hill, Mo., show that there has been a great loss of life. The mine is 240 feet below the surface, and eighty-five men were employed in the mine, but it is thought not all were at work at the time. At the time of the explosion eight men were in the cage coming up. There was a sudden report, a collapse of the shaft, and the horror had been completed.Superintendent SWEENEY immediately went down the shaft in a tub lowered by ropes. He had scarcely reached the bottom when two other reports were heard, followed by the screams of wounded men. It was impossible to make any extensive exploration, but the most conservative estimate puts the loss of life at thirty. The mine is six miles from Rich Hill and it will be some days before the debris can be cleared away and the actual loss of life known.The following is the latest authentic list of the victims: CHARLES SMITH, colored; GEORGE MAY, white; G. McPHERSON, white; FRANK LAWLER, white; JORDAN SMITH, colored; JOSHUA TRUMBE, white; JOHN ROBERTS, white; GEORGE BLOCK, colored; G. BLACK, colored; W. Black, colored; H. SHEPPARD, colored; J. C. NEPTUNE, white; JOHN LEFFLER, white; CHARLES KAY, white; JOHN GRAY, white; BRUCE BROWN, white; L. R. DIXON, white; FRED HENDERSON, colored; W. H. HILL, colored; ALEX WHITE, colored; GIBSON McFERRON, white.Of the above named the first five were taken from the mine dead. TRUMBLE and ROBERTS died after being out, and the last fourteen are the unfortunate imprisoned miners who were suffocated in the west end. Of the eighteen injured miners taken out nine are reported to be in a critical condition, but their names are not ascertainable.There is still a great deal of conjecture as to the cause of the catastrophe, some persons claiming that natural gas was the cause, while others contend the accumulation of foul gasses without proper ventilation was the real cause of the explosion.State Mine Inspector WOLF is strongly censured by the miners. He examined the mine on March 6 last and pronounced it perfectly safe. All the victims will be buried at the expense of the owners of the mine, MESSRS. KEITH & PERRY, of Kansas City.
Hamilton Daily Democrat Ohio 1888-03-31\

I found the following information in a book about Rich Hill, called "The Town that Coal Built." This excerpt from the book happens in Mine No. 6. "On a bright March day at the noon hour in 1888, the shaft, buildings, and all underground work­ings were ruined throughout by a terrific explosion caused by a great accumulation of natural gas." In the words of R. L. "Dobber" Wilson, who was employed at a nearby mine at the time, "The lives of fifty-six men were snuffed out in the twinkling of an eye, ei­ther by falling debris, or burned to death or suffocat­ed." Relatives of the doomed flocked to the mine from the surrounding hills and there resulted a bed­lam of screaming women and crying children. George Sweeney, superintendent, was the first of a great many volunteers to clamor down the torn shaft in an effort to care for the dead and dying. The rescue party had just reached the floor of the mine when a second explosion occurred. None of the party were seriously hurt although several were badly burned. Almost all of the men killed were Negroes, although there were several white miners among the number, of which, it is remembered was Cal Neptune. A brother, ]eff Nep­tune, was frightfully burned but managed to climb to the surface by way of an air shaft. These two men were uncles of the late Earl Neptune.
The excitement in Rich Hill, created by the holo­caust, was intense. Business was suspended until all the dead and injured had been brought out of the in­ferno which, on account of the indescribable wreck­age and aftermath of recurrent smaller explosions, re­quired several days. On Easter Sunday, 1888, the dead Negroes were buried in a small plot of ground near the mine in which they lost their lives, while the white men were buried in Greenlawn Cemetery.

Old Settlers in Rich Hill

I found this in the The Old Settlers' History of Bates County, Missouri: From Its First Settlement to the First Day of January, 1900
JNO. D. MOORE, Rich Hill, Mo.
Born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, February 21st, 1855. Came to Missouri in 1858, went to Illinois in 1863 and lived there until 1870 when his family located in Vernon County. Came to Bates County in April, 1877, and took charge of the Rich Hill School (old Rich Hill). Was the Rich Hill correspondent of the Bates County Record in 1877, at which time the coal fields were beginning to attract the attention of capital and the papers were using their best efforts to attract the attention of railroad people to the advantages of a railroad through Bates County.
Farmed in summer and taught school in winter until twenty-five years old. Was principal of the East side school at Rich Hill in 1882-3 and soon after the close of that school year, engaged in the real estate and insurance business at Rich Hill and is still engaged in that business. Vice-President of the Farmers and Manufacturers' Bank and Secretary of the Rich Hill Fair.
Mr. Moore lived in Rich Hill until his Death on Aug 15th 1940,he is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery.