Ellsinore, Missouri
| Ellsinore, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Ellsinore, Missouri |
|
| Coordinates: 36°56′4″N 90°44′47″W / 36.93444°N 90.74639°WCoordinates: 36°56′4″N 90°44′47″W / 36.93444°N 90.74639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Carter |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.49 sq mi (1.27 km2) |
| • Land | 0.49 sq mi (1.27 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 745 ft (227 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 446 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 454 |
| • Density | 910.2/sq mi (351.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 63937 |
| Area code(s) | 573 |
| FIPS code | 29-21916 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0749825 |
Ellsinore, founded in 1888, is a town located in a long valley just off Highway 60 in the eastern end of Carter County, Missouri, USA, and is currently the second largest town in the county. The 2010 U.S. Census shows Ellsinore with a population of 446, an increase of 22.87 percent from its 2000 population of 363.
The site of the town of Ellsinore was originally patented on April 15, 1857 by Robert Patterson just two years before Carter County was organized. The land was later sold to a Mr. Cook, who in October 1876 sold the land to Charles Hearin. Charles Hearin cleared the land and raised corn and pumpkins on it. In 1888 Charles Hearin gave the Houck Railroad a right of way across his land, laid out the town, and built a railroad depot on the south side of the creek.
On March 2, 1889 the Current Local printed the following: “Over in the kingdom of Carter, on the land of the Cape Girardeau and Southwestern Railroad (Houck Railroad), at a point eleven miles distant from Williamsville, there is in process of evolution a little town bearing the name of Ellsinore …”
It is not exactly certain how the town came to be called Ellsinore, but the most widely accepted story is that Mr. Brooks, the chief engineer of the Houck Railroad, named the town after Elsinore Castle in Denmark, the setting of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The post office however added an extra “l” making the spelling “Ellsinore.”
In 1888 John Carr opened the first store in Ellsinore which catered largely to the men who were building the railroad.
In early 1889 the Ellsinore Post Office was established, Silace Pace being its first postmaster.
In 1889 William Crommer and Bob Evans began operating a sawmill at Ellsinore, buying up most of the timber in the area that had not already been bought up by the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company. After passing through a number of hands it finally closed down in 1903 and the equipment moved to Kelley Fork in Wayne County.
In 1891 the first school was organized in Ellsinore. It consisted of a one-room school building and a two-room L-shaped building. Almost all the equipment was home made and the entire library consisted of a single very old copy of Webster’s dictionary. The school was located near where the old water tower is located.
In 1895 the Ellsinore Hotel, run by Mamie Seats, was built and began operations.
In 1904 E. P. Queen and S. F. Jackson started up a new sawmill at Ellsinore. It was sold to the Store and Timber Company in 1908, which soon after went bankrupt.
In 1904 W. E. Condray and Clarence Crites began the Carter County Canning Company (4C Brand) in Ellsinore, but the business folded in 1907 largely due to a lack of interest.
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Wikipedia