Audrain County, Missouri: Rich with History and Culture

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Anyone seeking their fill of history and culture would do well to visit Audrain County, Missouri. The first order of the day for any historical visit to this lovely city would be to drop in on the Audrain County Historical Society and have a look around. The headquarters for the society are located within the Robert S. Green Park, an 11-acre park situated right in the heart of Audrain County in the city of Mexico.

While in the park, take advantage of the breathtaking sights of an era gone by at the old Country Church and the 1903 Country School, complete with its books, desks, and slate blackboards. If you seek both history and culture, you may enjoy spending some time in the Graceland Museum. This museum resides in antebellum home dated from 1857 and is sure to take anyone back to a simpler, quieter time.

Moving along in the park, you’ll find the American Saddlebred Horse Museum, whose construction and operation did much to secure Mexico’s long standing reputation as the Saddle Horse Capital of the World. Here you will experience the entire history of everything that is Audrain county saddle horses from champion show horses to famous and historically significant horsemen.

While a trip to Audrain county’s Robert S. Green Park may not be thrilling for families with very small children, families with older school-aged children can find a great deal of fun in the various museums and exhibits on the grounds. When one lives in a society that emphasizes the here and now of trends and pop culture, it is comforting to know that a little history and culture is never too far away. Now more than ever one must be his or her own advocate for a right to that history. A day trip to Audrain County, Missouri can certainly put you on the right path to claiming the culture that you are entitled to.

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Audrain County – Bet You Never Knew

Audrain County Missouri Courthouse
Image via Wikipedia

There are plenty of places to visit in this great country of ours, so why Audrain County? Think rich farmlands, family owned restaurants, a military academy, some serious history, and other fascinating sites, and you will see why. Audrain County, in Missouri, is located between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, making it a rich fertile area, known as one of the top agricultural producers, as well as a top livestock producer. Since many of the restaurants are family owned, the dining experience is both delectable and healthy. Fresh picked vegetables with all of the flavor still fresh, as well as prime livestock make for a vacationer’s treat.

A visit to Audrain County would not be complete without a stop at the Missouri Military Academy for young men. Founded in 1889, the U.S. Department of Education lists the Academy as one of the best private schools in the country. Rich in military history, Audrain County is also home to Graceland Museum, built in 1857, which boasts Ulysses S. Grant as one of its boarders during the Civil War. One can tour the mansion which exhibits maps, books and pictures pertaining to the Civil War.

Audrain County is a perfect mix of rest and relaxation, with a sprinkle of history. While here, one can visit a farm and learn how the crops are grown or how the livestock are raised, how to milk a cow, and other rural life. If hiking is on your list, the many beautiful trails and parks of Audrain County will surely please you.

This great country of ours is full of hard working people. With all the stress of deadlines at our jobs, taking care of the family, and keeping up with our homes, it is nice to know there is a place to go where we can take a deep breath and just enjoy all that this great country has to offer.

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Audrain County Confronts The Past

There is something that is unique about Audrain county. There is something that is also just like every other country in the southern belt. Audrian county these days is a flourishing community that boasts a rich population of diverse citizens. It’s a great place to race a family and be in the presence of good family morals. However, that doesn’t mean Audrian county has always been the perfect county. To take a closer look at their imperfections we must see where they have come from.

In 1836 when the county was just being founded those that came here came from elsewhere in the south. They sat down and established this community because of it’s easy access to the water source of the river. This wasn’t an uncommon practice in those days. As a people there is nothing more important to the vitality of the community than having a plentiful water source. Settling down by the river was a natural progression and made the most sense.

They also brought with them something else: slaves. To be completely fair, this was never anything that was considered a problem until the late 1850′s and once the decision came out to end slavery those in power were more than compliant. However, the importance of bringing it up is the history lesson and a reminder of how things were back then. There was a time when you had to look at slaves as part of your own work force. These days having slaves out in the fields to tend to crops wouldn’t be possible or even desirable but back when those who were founding Audrain county they had to do what was best for growing their crop and they needed workers. Slaves weren’t a desirable part of any work force(being that it was inhumane) but they were the way of things back in those days.

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Audrain County Agriculture History

Agriculture in Audrain County has a strong history. Following are some of the highlights over the past years.

1854 Land Price was a “bit” per acre or $0.125 / acre
1859 First Ag Society formed (planned and held 2 fairs prior to Civil War 1861)
1913-1915 First County Extension Agriculture Agent
1920s Soybeans were introduced
1936 First Permanent Extension Agent
1939 Consolidated Electric energized first 80 miles of electric line
1945 MFA completed construction of the first soybean processing plant in northeast Missouri. Today the plant is owned by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).

photo from the history of agriculture in Audrain County, Missouri

Value of Products sold 1929 - $7 million
1939 - $2.5 m.
1959 - $16 m.
1992 - $76 m.
(Measured in bushels) 1850 1920 1970 1997
Corn Production 285,000 2.9 m 4.2 m 5.2 m
Soybean 2.7 m 4.4 m
Sorghum 710,000 3.2 m
Wheat 11,448 319,250 574,000 1.7 m
(Number of head)
Milk Cows 1,421 6,400 900 850
Total Cattle 6,098 29,800 66,300 39,000
Hogs 11,367 56,400 117,600 101,000
Sheep 7,180 21,500 6,121 NA

Information sources: History of Audrain County an Update 1936-1986, Sponsor’s Edition, Audrain Centennial History, History of Audrian County Missouri. Note: All of the books mentioned are located at the Mexico-Audrain Library.

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