The History of Bloomfield

Goodspeed's History of Southeast Missouri, 1888

The location of the seat of justice for Stoddard County was made by John McCombs, Michael Rodney and Henry Shaner. They selected fifty acres of land donated to the county by Absalom Bailey, and laid out a town, which they named Bloomfield, because the spot at the time was covered with a profusion of flowers. William C. Ranney was appointed commissioner to sell the lots. Among the first residents of the town were Orson Bartlett, who had a store where William C. Cole now lives; John N. Mitchell, a Methodist local preacher; Thomas Neil, who had a tanyard in the northwest part of town; Absalom Bailey, who at first lived in a small log house in the southwest corner of the town, but soon after built a small brick house where Renner & Harty's store now is; Harmon Reed, who kept a hotel near Bailey's, and Drs. M.B. Koons, Saniel Sanford and Samuel Chapman. In 1844, or 1845, Edmund White opened a store on the south side of the public square, and put in the first complete stock of goods in the town. He remained about three years, and then removed to New Orleans. Sortly afterward Daniel Miller began business in a building standing where the postoffice is and his brother, Henry Miller, opened a store on the site of the Vindicator office. About 1854 John M. Johnson, R.P. Owen and N.G.H. Jones each opened stores. Elijah Miller and John L. Buck, Paramore & McDaniel, Lewis Ringer and John Leach, and Harper & Christy were also in business prior to 1860. During the decade prior to the Civil War Bloomfield experienced a good degree of prosperity, and with the exception of Cape Girardeau, was equal to any town in Southeast Missouri, but during the war nearly every building was destroyed, and it has never recovered from the shock. In fact, had it not been the county seat, it would doubtless, before this time, have ceased to exist as a town.

The first newspaper published in Bloomfield was the Herold, established in 1858 by A.M. Bedford, of Charleston, MO., and placed under the management of J.O. Hull. It was established to advocate the construction of the Cairo & Fulton Railroad, and was continued until 1861. In July, 1866, James Hamilton began the publication of the Bloomfield Argus, and continued until about 1873. In 1874 the Bloomfield Messenger was established, and under the management of George H. Crumb was consolidated with the Dexter Enterprise. In December, 1878, T.L. Roussin established the Vindicator which he soon sold to Buck & Miller, who continued the publication, with H.N. Phillips as editor. IN 1880 it was purchased by Charles E. Stokes, who in 1882 sold it to the present proprietor, Ligon Jones.

The first schools in Bloomfield were taught in the Methodist church. In 1853 the Bloomfield Educational Society was organized, with S.G. Kitchen, Orson Bartlett, Henry Miller, D.B. Miller and Michael A. Wilson as trustees, and a two-story frame building erected, in which was carried on a seminary until the war. After the cessation of hostilities small private schools were taught in the same building until 1871, when a public school system was established. H.H. Bedford, Samuel Montgomery, George G. Pollard, William Litton, John E. Liles and John L. Buck were elected a board of directors, and a tax of one half of one per cent was levied for school purposes. B.B. Allen was employed as teacher, and the school was opened in the seminary building, which was occupied until 1886, when a new frame house was completed at a cost of $3,000. Three teachers are now employed.

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