Kearney

ArLynn Leiber Presser, Rev. Michael Coglan, Charles H. Seymour

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780738578095
• eBook ISBN: 9781439624531
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Kearney, Missouri, is just 25 miles northeast of Kansas City, and though its a quiet farming and ranching community, its close proximity to the downtown area makes it the perfect place for commuters who want a small town to come home to. Officially incorporated in 1869 and most likely named for Charles E. Kearney, president of the Kansas City and Cameron Railroad, Kearney is best known as the birthplace of outlaw Jesse James and his brother Frank. The James brothers joined with the Younger brothers to form a gang that terrorized the Midwest in the chaotic years following the Civil War. Although the James brothers worked only to enrich their own fortunes, a Robin Hood mythology has developed around them. Kearney encourages the celebration of the era, if not the actual man. Jesse James Festival in September is a time for watching rodeos, eating kettle corn, playing mud volleyball, and enjoying world-class concerts at the towns amphitheater. Kearney is the fastest-growing city in Missouri and a point of access to other parts of the state. Its schools are among the best in the country, and the village takes pride in its business friendly attitude.

Four

FAITH, EDUCATION, AND FRIENDSHIP

For a town to thrive, more than a strictly commercial interest must exist between its neighbors. A true community requires the bonding threads of faith, education, and friendship. In these, Kearney has long been, and continues to be, particularly blessed. It has many churches, but no church preaches intolerance against another. It has top-notch public schools, which replaced the town’s original small private subscription schools. Kearney also abounds with clubs and organizations that promote fellowship and understanding amongst neighbors. All these things are particularly important to a town in which a person’s nearest neighbor might live miles away.

On Christmas Day, 1856, a group of 21 Kearney residents met to organize a Baptist congregation that they would name the Mount Olivet Church. Their covenant stated: “We pledge ourselves with God’s help to walk together in brotherly love, to be present if it is possible at every church service, to rear our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, to strive for a faithful gospel ministry at home and to aid in sending it to others.” Its most famous parishioner was Jesse James, who sang in its choir. (Courtesy of State Historical Society of Missouri—Columbia.)

Mount Olivet Church’s first service was held at the home of John S. Major. The church met in the Major family home and then in a schoolhouse until June 1857, when the congregation devised plans for a church building at what is now the Mount Olivet Cemetery. The church was completed in 1867 at a cost of $850.00, and its first pastor, J. E. Hughes, was hired in 1868. In 1872, the church’s name was changed to The First Baptist Church. (Courtesy of Kearney Historical Museum.)

In June 1900, the original church was destroyed by a tornado. The congregation laid the cornerstone at its present location in 1901. In May 1903, the Rev. W. A. Crouch dedicated the sanctuary. This remarkable church is part of the Southern Baptist Conference. (Courtesy of the Kearney First Baptist Church.)

In 1866, homesteaders from around Kearney and Mount Olivet split from the Mount Olivet Christian Church. They called themselves the Christian Church of Kearney and established a congregation that met for the first time under a grove of trees on Prospect Street. Services were held in different places until 1868, when the Estes family donated land for a church building. Congregant Jack Pence hauled the lumber from St. Joseph with teams and wagons. Carpenters from the congregation volunteered their services. (Courtesy of Kearney Christian Church.)

Kearney always has room for a new congregation. The First Pentecostal Church has made its home in the original Christian Church. The pulpit, made from a cherry bed-stand, was donated in 1906 and moved when the Christian Church relocated to its new home in 1958.

Members of the Estes family are buried behind the original Christian Church, now home to the First Pentecostal Church. Joel Estes once owned the land John Lawrence platted for the city of Kearney.

In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, the Arley Methodist Church regularly held camp meetings in the third week of August under the direction of Rev. William B. Woestemeyer. The meetings ran from morning til night over the course of the week in a grove of oak trees south of the Hartel farm. A tent was erected, seats were laid, and platforms were built for the altar and organ. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Ivy.)

The Arley meetings were well attended because they came at the end of a grueling season of farm and ranch work. The camp was a welcome vacation. At the north end of the grove, a kitchen was built and two long tables laid out on which to serve meals. Some families came f...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - A TROUBLED SON BORN OF TROUBLED TIMES
• Two - THE WATKINS UTOPIA
• Three - NOT QUITE A TROUBLED SON, NOT QUITE A UTOPIA
• Four - FAITH, EDUCATION, AND FRIENDSHIP
• Five - SERVICE AND SACRIFICE
• Six - KEARNEY FACES THE FUTURE