History of Randolph County A New Century

The economic panic of 1893 hurt Randolph County in a way it never really recovered. By this time Moberly had stopped growing rapidly in population, and Huntsville was not attracting any new industries, and it began to lose population. That is not to say it was hard times. Many businesses and industries continued to operate, but at the same time nothing new was coming into the county, and some existing businesses closed. By the turn of the century the farming of tobacco had diminished and most all the tobacco factories were closed. By the turn of the century the woolen mills were gone. Never the less, the boom years of the coal industry were still ahead ensuring some economic stability.

Many improvements were being made in the county. Telephones had become more common, and electricity was being brought to the towns. With the coming of electric lights the need for the dangerous and explosive coal gas went away. Overtime gaslights were replaced with the safer electric lights. The Moberly Electric and Power Company was incorporated in 1911 as a successor to the Moberly Gas and Electric Company. Moberly had had electric lights since 1888 and in 1894 an enlarged power plant was built to allow folks to run appliances. By 1911 the city was converted over almost entirely to electric lighting. The Huntsville Gas and Electric Light Company was bringing electricity to Huntsville during the same period.

The e Moberly Brick and Earthenware Company started business around the turn of the century. In 1905 the Moberly Paving Brick Company purchased it and expanded operation. Bricks being used in construction and to pave brick streets continued to be manufactured in Moberly for many years. The quarry was is now the site of the Beuth Park in Moberly

Huntsville saw the opening of its public library in 1914. The same building continues to be used today as the Huntsville branch of the Little Dixie Libraries. It cost $10,000 when first built and was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Moberly's library too was funded by the Carnegie Corporation at the cost of $20,000 and was granted on April 26, 1902.

Efforts to get the Brown Shoe Company to open a factory in Moberly began in 1906. The factory continued in operation until the 1950s when it closed. At one time the Brown Shoe Factory was a major employer in Randolph County. None the less, Brown Shoe Company was often accused of hiring children, and paying low wages.

The coal industry continued to grow employing at one point 1,500 men. The Central Coal and Coke Company, one of the major employers owned 4,000 acres in the county. The mining town of Elliot was at its peak at this time with upwards to 600 inhabiting it. The 1900s were the most active period of shaft mining with many miles of tunnels being made in the county. All this mining has had its consequences. From 1983 to 1994 the Missouri Department of Natural Resources had to reclaim 109 acres along Sugar Creek Northeast of Huntsville to prevent pollution of farm lands when the creek deposited coal waste on them during flooding.

Men standing in front of the Hammett Bank in Huntsville, Missouri around the turn of the century.