Discover Vintage America — October 2011
Missouri’s
northernmost Civil War battle-site
Back in the early 1800s, the Des Moines River, flowing from
mid-Iowa to just below Keokuk on the Mississippi River, was a busy artery. Villages
on its banks served as ports for inland farmers and merchants, with packet
boats steaming to St. Louis and beyond.
According to a writer for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the area was first settled around 1831 by a Kentuckian, John Boon, and more settlers followed. A little more than a decade later, a federal lock and dam was built on the Des Moines River, and the village of Athens soon became a bustling port. By 1860 Athens boasted 50 business and five churches. Like many port towns of its day, its packing plant shipped barrels of salt-packed pork and beef down-river. Water-powered mills processed lumber, cotton and wool.
The Union recognized Athens as a hotbed of pro-South sentiment, and targeted the town as a provisioning center. On July 24, 1861, Col. David Moore occupied Athens with 500 men; however, some accounts report he sent some who were ill across the river to Croton, IA, and men on furlough further reduced his forces to around 333.
Many citizens, whose homes and
property were seized by the Yankees, eagerly joined the State Guard, commanded
by Col. Martin Green. Others from throughout the heavily pro-South county
joined Green’s force.
On August 5, just over 150 years ago, Green’s ragtag militia, numbering between 2,000 and 3,000, depending on reports, sought to repel the Yankee “occupiers.” The rebels had two cannons, plus a hollow log cannon that predictably disintegrated when fired. The militia even included two sons of Col. Moore.
The battle began at 5 a.m. and lasted about two hours, becoming one of more than 400 Civil War engagements in Missouri, and the state’s most northern battle. Although the Union force was outnumbered and surrounded on three sides, they were equipped with Springfield rifles and faced an untested militia armed with squirrel rifles and shotguns.
The battle was more than a
skirmish, resulting in at least 50 casualties. It ended with the pro-Union
force repelling Green’s volunteers, who retreated into the north Missouri
countryside. The few cannon balls missed their mark and at least one flew across
the river and smashed into the railway depot at Croton. It was the first time the war had come to the
state of Iowa.
Although the Confederates lost the battle, the real loser was Athens. Its residents harbored bitter feelings for decades. But Athens didn’t just suffer after the battle – it died.
Over the next few years most river traffic was taken over by railroads. Old settlers died, and their houses were torn down. By the end of the 1800s, Athens was nearly a ghost town.
In 1868, history-minded citizens began commemorating the Battle of Athens, and by 1900 the commemoration became an annual event. The latest re-enactment was held this year on the 150th anniversary of the battle.
The Cannonball House
About 50 years ago, local residents formed the Athens Park Development Association. To purchase the land, the group held dances, raffles and other events, and by 1975 the Association donated the land to the Missouri State Park Board. Concerned citizens began preserving the remaining buildings. The park was reclassified as a state historic site in 1985.
Today, visitors can see several preserved buildings from the original town, and tour the Thome-Benning house, known as the “Cannonball House.” Holes are visible where a cannonball burst through two of the walls during the battle. From the house, visitors can see the Des Moines River, with ruins of the old mill in the foreground.
Exhibits and tours of the historic site are offered. There are also hiking trails, a fishing lake, picnic sites, and riverfront campsites.
Jerry Toops, Natural Resources manager, showed me around the battle site. He explained how Athens grew to prominence.
“A dam with a lock was constructed
during the early 1850s,” he said, “and the first mill was built soon after. Over
the years, several were built and destroyed by ice from the river. The last
mill was five stories high and survived until the 1870s.”
Toops said the town’s population peaked around 1860 at about 450.
“I have the 1865 deed book, which listed 61 owners of land in Athens,” he said. “Allowing for five people per family, with some residents being non-owners, it’s likely that the actual population was 350 to 450.”
The Thome-Benning house, centerpiece of the site, is the only building that’s fully restored. It’s unique among historic buildings in that some of the furnishings were actually used by the original owners.
“Arthur Thome was the original owner of the mill,” Toops said. “He came from Kentucky. When the cannonball damaged his house, Thome never repaired the holes because he was proud of them.”
The Battle of Athens State Historic Site is located in northeast Clark County, MO. Drive 10 miles north of Kahoka on State Route 81, then turn east on Hwy. CC to the site. April through October hours are sunrise to 10 p.m.; November through March hours are sunrise to sunset. Tours of the Thome-Benning house are offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, April through October, and by prior arrangement November through March.
For more information call the park
office at 660-877-3871.
Ken Weyand can be contacted at kweyand1@kc.rr.com
