Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/350

 CHAPTER XXIV TOWNS OF SIX COUNTIES Commerce Incorporated — Benton, Scott County Seat — Sikeston — Doniphan, County Seat of Ripley — Poplar Bluff, Butler County's Seat of Justice — Bloomfield, Stod- dard County — Ironton, County Seat of Ironton — Arcadia — Lesterville — Smaller Settlements. The town of Commerce, in Scott county, was laid out in 1823. The conimissionei's were Wilson Abel, James Purtels, Thomas Roberts, Joseph Smith and James WeUborn. It had been a trading post for about twenty years before it was regularly laid off as a town. The land on which it was built was the property of the heirs of Thomas W. Waters. The early merchants were Archibald Price, Weaver & Echols, Shaw & Pettit, and Ignatius Wathen. John Brown was hotel keeper, Lyon & Apple- gate were carpenters, and William and Sam- uel Graysey operated a pottery making estab- lishment. In 184:4 Benjamin B. Gaither be- gan the operation of a tan yard. In 1856 a large mill was built by Ignatius R. Wathen, who was at that time a resident of Cape Girardeau. Other men who bought and sold goods during this period were Thomas M. Shaw, John Hoskins, Moses Baker, and IMo- rean & Burgess. Commerce Incorporated The town was incorporated in July, 1834, with William Grasey, Jacob Stear, J. S. Smith, John Brown and Joseph W. Echols as trustees. The legislature of the state granted a charter to the town in 1857 and the govern- ment was organized in accordance with the provisions of this charter. It, however, fell into disuse during the war period. This town is at that point on the ridge known as the Scott county hills and is also on the Mississippi river. It has river transpor- tation and is also on the Gulf division of the Frisco railroad. It has several business estab- lishments, the principal one being a flouring mill and a plant for the manufacture of tile. There are the usual church organizations in the to^vn and a public school. The Farmers' Bank was chartered in 1892 and has a capital stock of $50,000. The population of Com- merce is 544. Benton, Scott County Seat Benton, the county seat of Scott county, was laid out in 1822 on land owned by Colonel William Meyers. Among the early residents were Colonel Meyers, Edmond Rogers, John Houts, Michael McLaughlin and John B. Rut- ter. Rogers was a tavern owner, Houts ran !i tan yard, McLaughlin was a merchant, and Rutter was a clerk of the court. The early houses were, most of them, log houses. The first frame house in the town was a store build- ing erected about 1830 by Joseph Hunter. Some of the other merchants in the early his- tory of the town were Dr. E. P. LaValle, John 290