History of Salisbury, MO

History of Salisbury

The following was taken from the Revised Ordinances of 1929.

The original owner of the townsite of the City of Salisbury was Prior Bibo, who was a soldier in the war, 1812. He conveyed the site to John Bull, and thereafter John Bull sold to James Bennett, and he in the year of 1856, conveyed the land to Judge Lucius Salisbury for the sum of $4000 in gold.

The town was laid out April 1, 1867, on the west half of Section two, the northeast quarter and the south half of section three, township 53, range 17, by Judge Lucius Salisbury, Geo. W. Williams, and O.W. Lusher. Judge Salisbury moved on the land in 1858, and erected a box house on the west side of Broadway. A postoffice was established prior to the laying out of the town and was kept in Judge Salisbury's home by Mr. John Hutchinson.

The village of Salisbury was incorporated as a City of the 4th class on the 4th day of April, 1882. Philip D. Branham was the first Mayor and Joseph Baier, F.M. Clemens, W. H. Tindall and John Clark the first councilmen.

See a picture of Downtown Salisbury in 1880, before the fire of 1877, and a picture of Downtown Salisbury in 1890 after it was rebuilt.

The public school of Salisbury was organized in February, 1867. The following were the first directors: Lucius Salisbury, J.E. Weber, W. O. Wilhite, F.B. Thomas, Eli Wayland and W. E. Hyde, and the first principal was Prof. O. P. Davis. The school had two teachers with an average attendance of two hundred. The school now has twenty-two teachers, and pays in salaries the sum of $21,472.32. The enrolled number of pupils, are 425. This does not include the pupils in the Catholic school or the Lutheran school.

Learn more about the Salisbury School District's history and see pictures of some of the first schools.

Lodge No. 208, A.F. & A.M. was organized May 18, 1867.
Lodge No. 236, I.O.O.F. was organized June 20, 1870.
Lodge No. 252 A.O.U.W. was organized July 15, 1883.
The first Baptist Church was organized January 19, 1867
The Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran church was organized in 1890.
The Christian church was organized in September, 1873.
The M.E. church was organized in 1869
The first organized congregation of the Catholic people was in 1870.
The first church in Salisbury was built by the Cumberland Presbyterians.
The railroad from Moberly to Brunswick was completed on December 15, 1867. The Glasgow-Salisbury road was begun in 1873.

The City of Salisbury was visited by a fire June 11, 1877, which destroyed nine houses and again on June 28, 1882. A tornado swept Salisbury township, September, 1830, and 42 years thereafter on the night of June 11, 1872, another destructive tornado swept over Salisbury coming from the southwest, destroying the ampitheatre, at the fair grounds, entailing the loss of more than $8000.00.

The City is one of the most progressive cities in this part of the State as evidenced by its public movements. It owns a Water and Light Plant, has a sewer system, and other improvements that are not excelled by any City of its class.

The above was taken from the Revised Ordinances of 1929.