Watson, Missouri

Does my town rock? No, I'm afraid it doesn't. Watson, MO., is almost a ghost town. The only things we have left are two churches, a Baptist fellowship hall, a community building, and a park and playground. The schoolhouse is now an apartment building. The population is below 200 . However, the surrounding farms produce more grain each year.

Why write about my town? I feel it has a legacy that shouldn't be forgotten.
Watson was settled in 1869 because the raging Missouri River was claiming the small town of Sonora, a booming town in that era, by biting small chunks into the water. The people had to move farther away from the river.

The railroad came through, and so Watson was settled around it. The farmers needed an outlet for their grain. First the Missouri River, by boat, and now by rail.

A physician who practiced medicine in Watson for 48 years did much for the town. Dr. James Gray was also a state representative who served nine terms. He also established a weekly newspaper in Watson in 1939 until his death in 1951.

When the banks closed because of the "crash" in 1934, the president of Watson Banking, Mr. Airy, paid all his depositors 100 percent of their money back. He also paid the stockholders 162 percent on their stock.
Virginia McNeal, a resident of Watson, married Dr. Ellsworth Conkle, a playwright whose plays were produced on Broadway.

What about the present? How our town really died?
No. One elderly couple who spent all their lives around Watson has set up a charity trust to help the community. The Morgans are deceased now, but their legacy lives on. The grade school and high school kids who live in a five mile radius of Watson are presented with savings bonds each semester they make the honor roll. The college students within a five mile radius are given a scholarship each semester if their grades are 2.5 or above. This trust has a Christmas lighting contest each December, and our displays surpass many in bigger cities.

We have a Watson Community Outreach that has suppers, puts on skits, and has auctions to give a helping hand to those in need.

If you drive into our town, you will see a sign that says, "A little bit of town, and a whole lot of country." This describes us. We refuse to die.

Kay G

Submitted: Thursday 26th February 2004, 12:21 PM

Privacy - Submit - Prizes - Conditions - Contact Us - HOME