CHILLICOTHE MO -- Home of Sliced Bread

Leaving Sedalia, I wasn't sure how far I would get.  I was about 300 miles from my destination, Marshalltown, IA.  I knew I wouldn't have time to make the stops I had planned and get to my sisters before I 'pooped out!"  So....I headed off to Chillicothe MO, less than 100 miles straight up Highway 65.  Planned stops included the murals at Chillicothe, a battle field or two, the Mormon village at Garden Grove, Iowa -- and anything else that would strike my fancy as I drove on up the road. 

On July 6, 1928, Chillicothe became the birthplace to one of the greatest innovations of modern times...sliced bread!   Chillicothe Baking Company founder, Frank Bench, took a chance on a mechanized loaf-at-a-time bread-slicing machine invented by an Iowa-born, Missouri-based jeweler, Otto Rohwedder.  Just one week after introducing sliced bread to his customers, Bench’s sales increased by  2,000%! 

Settled in the early 1830s and first incorporated August 13, 1851, Chillicothe's proximity to major travel routes made it a good location for business, manufacturing, and as a livestock and agricultural trading center.

The name "Chillicothe" is Shawnee for "big town". There is also a Chillicothe, Ohio, Ohio being the original home of the Shawnee.

The Osage and Missouria were in the area when French explorers and traders arrived. By 1800 the Shawnee and Iowa had migrated here.  The Shawnee, originally from the Ohio Country, were under increased pressure from the more aggressive Iroquois, a situation they had experienced since prior to the Revolutionary War. Their arrival had displaced the Osage.  The Shawnee made their major villiage, known as Chillidothi, about a mile from the present-day city.  Other Native American tribes in the area were the Sac and Fox, and Pottawatomi.

In the early 19th century, European-American migration to Missouri increased. The area was settled by immigrants from Ohio and other "Old Northwest" states.

The original survey of Chillicothe filed for record August 31, 1837 and was incorporated as a city March 1, 1855. 

In 1859 the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad was completed into town. From that time on Chillicothe made a slow, steady growth.  The growth accelerated in 1886 when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad arrived. That year also saw the introduction of the "Water Works" and electric lights.

During the last two decades of the 19th  century, Chillicothe was a center for education with the Chillicothe Normal School (later Chillicothe Business College), the State Industrial Home for Girls, the Chillicothe Conservatory of Music, the Chillicothe Normal School and Maupin’s Commercial College.

Driving around town looking for the murals, I was in awe of the beauty of the old buildings, recovered after removing "modern" false fronts. 

CHILLICOTHE MURALS

This mural depicts Webster Street on the north side of the square

in downtown Chillicothe circa 1916.

Lobby of Citizens Bank & Trust circa 1907. 

  Window in Time: As if looking through a window in time, this mural showcases piecesof Chillicothe’s history including five multi-generational businesses still in existence and many others where people have lifelongmemories. What was once a blank wall now paints a portrait of many life stories and serves as a community conversation piece.

 

Palace of Fashion Mural showcases

a vibrant, early 1900s women’s apparel and hat store. The mural itself is a piece of

work. Using the French technique of trompe-l’oeil (trick the eye),

this mural entertains the illusion of the once existent upper level

staircase and balcony.

Pre-World War I Chillicothe street scene.  Train Depot shown at the end of the street.

 

Locust Street, 1890

Even some of the businesses get 'into the act."  
On a building that houses a store for the hunting and fishing

Radio Station:  The Wave

A "Ghost" sign from days gone by