Celebrated Author and story teller Norman McFadden releases 28 new tales in "Urban Legends of Lincoln County Missouri." Do werewolves truly roam the Sugar Creek valley? Who summoned up the Hobgoblin in Old Monroe? Where did "Frenchman's Bluff" get it's name? Tales of mischief, murder and mystery are the make up of the area's antiquity. In "Urban Legends of Lincoln County Missouri", Author Norman McFadden reveals that tales can be treacherous, and history can be haunting.
Entering a wilderness which had long served as home to native Americans, white settlers pushed into northwest Lincoln County, Missouri, in the early 1800s and began to build permanent homes there. This growing migration forced the native Americans to abandon the area and move west. As immigrants and migrants streamed westward, tiny new villages were formed. Then, the nation fell into a brutal Civil War. In Missouri, this often pitted white neighbor against white neighbor. Locals took sides, took oaths of loyalty or risked losing everything, including their lives. Bushwhackers caused havoc across the countryside. As the war came to a conclusion in 1865, great technological innovation and rapid migration caused Midwestern rural areas to flourish. Railroads expanded, creating economic winners and losers for small towns and their merchants. After the turn of the century, the determinaion to build hard roads along with the invention of the automobile caused commerce to shift to larger population centers. The changes caused the smaller communities to lose most of their commerce and professional services, except those related to agriculture. This book looks at this history through the evolution of rural communities in northwest Lincoln County, Missouri.
No one has written more about the African American experience in Missouri over the past four decades than Gary Kremer, and now for the first time fourteen of his best articles on the subject are available in one place with the publication of Race and Meaning: The African American Experience in Missouri. By placing the articles in chronological order of historical events rather than by publication date, Kremer combines them into one detailed account that addresses issues such as the transition from slavery to freedom for African Americans in Missouri, all-black rural communities, and the lives of African Americans seeking new opportunities in Missouri’s cities. In addition to his previously published articles, Kremer includes a personal introduction revealing how he first became interested in researching African American history and how his education at Lincoln University--and specifically the influence of his mentor, Lorenzo Greene--helped him to realize his eventual career path. Race and Meaning makes a collection of largely unheard stories spanning much of Missouri history accessible for the first time in one place, allowing each article to be read in the context of the others, and creating a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts. Whether you are a student, researcher, or general reader, this book will be essential to anyone with an interest in Missouri history.
On May 12, 2013, 48-year-old Vicky Isaac of rural Puxico, Missouri—a woman with a history of learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, and drug addiction— loaded a .22 caliber handgun and shot her violent addict husband while he slept in the trailer they shared with Vicky’s adult son. Or did she? According to police reports, Vicky called 911 and confessed to the crime. Was this another sad case of murder amongst addicts or something more? Betty Frizzell escaped her family’s legacy of crime, addiction, and abuse to become a respected law enforcement officer and teacher. Drawn back to the town and people of her past, Betty works to uncover the truth of murder and her family’s history of violence. Her investigation uncovers sad realities about mental illness, small-town politics, and a society that doesn’t care about “poor, white trash”. There are never easy answers when the odds are stacked against you and no amount of “elegies” will save your family.
