Novinger, Missouri
| Novinger, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| town | |
 Location within Adair County (left) and Missouri (right) |
|
| Coordinates: 40°14′00″N 92°42′23″W / 40.23333°N 92.70639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Adair |
| Township | Nineveh |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor & Council |
| • Mayor | Jeff Dodson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.80 sq mi (2.07 km2) |
| • Land | 0.79 sq mi (2.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 787 ft (240 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 456 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 452 |
| • Density | 577.2/sq mi (222.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 63559 |
| Area code(s) | 660 |
| FIPS code | 29-53534 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0723530 |
Novinger is a town in Nineveh Township, Adair County, Missouri, United States. The population was 456 at the 2010 census.
Key events in Novinger history include the arrival of the Quincy, Missouri & Pacific railroad and filing of the town plat by founder John C. Novinger in 1878, the establishment of a U.S. Post Office the next year, and the first shaft coal mine in 1883. A turn-of-the-century coal mining boom saw Welsh, Germans, Scots-Irish, Italians, natives of the Balkan countries and many others and their families immigrate from all over the world. It was this boom that finally saw Novinger incorporated as a city in 1901 as the population swelled into the thousands. However, the Great Depression, a post-World War II switch to mostly natural gas and electric heat in American homes, and heavy industry’s lessening coal use doomed the area coal fields. The railroads had pulled out by 1950, and the last mine, Billy Creek Coal Mine southwest of Novinger, closed in January 1966. At the time of its closing Billy Creek was the last operating deep shaft mine in Missouri.
Novinger versus Nature: Being a river town, Novinger was no stranger to frequent flooding of the Chariton River during the community's early years. However a channelization of the Chariton by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s alleviated much of the threat. But in June 2008 a series of heavy rains led to flooding of the Chariton, and more significantly, let flash flood waters of Spring Creek and Davis Creek to back up from the river into Novinger. Several homes in the low-lying southwestern part of town were heavily damaged, as was the historic 1800s log homestead and Novinger Community Center. On May 13, 2009 a large tornado, estimated as a strong EF2 on the Fujita Scale, struck the southern edge of Novinger. At least six homes were destroyed, along with two brick buildings in the business district. The tornado caused moderate-to-severe damage to over fifty homes and businesses. Fortunately only minor injuries to residents were reported. Additionally, other homes and barns were also badly damaged or destroyed in rural Adair County southwest of Novinger. Adding insult to injury two days later on May 15 heavy rains once again caused severe flash flooding to Novinger’s low-lying areas, including once again the Novinger Community Center and log homestead -— both of which had only recently been repaired from damage suffered in the June 2008 flood. The combination of tornado and flood forced the first-ever cancellation of Novingers annual Coal Miner Days celebration as well as postponement of graduation ceremonies at Novinger R-1 High School.
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