Hamburg, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Hamburg was a small town in St. Charles County, Missouri
, United States
. The town was evacuated in 1940-1941 as the area was taken over by the U.S. Department of the Army for the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works
, which manufactured trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene
(DNT) and later processed uranium
.
families of the area. The town met its demise in 1941 when the U.S. government purchased the entire area including two other nearby farm communities (Howell and Toonerville) for construction of an ordinance plant to support preparations for World War II
. The federal government notified residents in late 1940 of its plan for the plant and by mid-1941 everyone was moved out and the area closed off. Some had negotiated purchase prices and received their payment but others ended up in a long court battle that was not settled until after WWII in the U.S. Supreme Court
.
Hamburg (not to be confused with New Hamburg in southeast Missouri) was located along the Missouri River
, southwest of St. Charles along Highway 94 in St. Charles County. Nearby farm communities were settled in late 18th century by the Howell and Boone (Daniel Boone
and son Daniel Morgan Boone) families. Originally the German settlers of the to-be Hamburg built homes near the Missouri River below and along the bluff, but after flooding the majority of the community moved above the bluff overlooking the river, creating an upper and lower Hamburg.
A few people in the area had participated in the California gold rush
and returned to Missouri with enough money to buy farms and start their families. Many served in the Civil War
, some on either side, though for the most part German-heritage families supported the Union. A number of settlers moved to the Oklahoma
territory during the Land Run of 1889
.
with coverlets now both in the Saint Louis Art Museum
and the Art Institute of Chicago
, was born in 1823 and an early respected citizen of Hamburg. Archie Bowman, locally remembered as one of the last U.S. citizens to die in World War I
, lived in Hamburg. Ralph Sutton
, a well-known traditional jazz
stride pianist
, was born in Hamburg in 1922. In the early years of his career during the 1930s, he performed in his father's band at the Riverview Park dance hall in Hamburg. The dance hall was specifically built by his father Earl Sutton and Earl's business partner and friend Theodore (Tot) Mades to encourage Ralph's playing.
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town was evacuated in 1940-1941 as the area was taken over by the U.S. Department of the Army for the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works
Weldon Spring Ordnance Works
Weldon Spring Ordnance Works was a U.S. Government-owned, contractor-operated facility in St. Charles County, Missouri, 55 km west of St. Louis. The site was originally operated by the Atlas Powder Company during World War II from 1941 to 1945 to produce explosives. The Atomic Energy...
, which manufactured trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene
Dinitrotoluene
2,4-Dinitrotoluene or Dinitro is an organic compound with the formula C6H32. This pale yellow crystalline solid is well known as a precursor to trinitrotoluene but is mainly used in the polymer industry....
(DNT) and later processed uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
.
History
Settled in the 1830s by German immigrants John Nahm, William Koenig, George Mades, Daniel Schmidt, Jacob Schneider and Nickolas Roth, Hamburg was a railroad and river access point and town-center for farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
families of the area. The town met its demise in 1941 when the U.S. government purchased the entire area including two other nearby farm communities (Howell and Toonerville) for construction of an ordinance plant to support preparations for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The federal government notified residents in late 1940 of its plan for the plant and by mid-1941 everyone was moved out and the area closed off. Some had negotiated purchase prices and received their payment but others ended up in a long court battle that was not settled until after WWII in the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
Hamburg (not to be confused with New Hamburg in southeast Missouri) was located along the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, southwest of St. Charles along Highway 94 in St. Charles County. Nearby farm communities were settled in late 18th century by the Howell and Boone (Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
and son Daniel Morgan Boone) families. Originally the German settlers of the to-be Hamburg built homes near the Missouri River below and along the bluff, but after flooding the majority of the community moved above the bluff overlooking the river, creating an upper and lower Hamburg.
A few people in the area had participated in the California gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
and returned to Missouri with enough money to buy farms and start their families. Many served in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, some on either side, though for the most part German-heritage families supported the Union. A number of settlers moved to the Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
territory during the Land Run of 1889
Land Run of 1889
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands and included all or part of the 2005 modern day Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne counties of the U.S. state of Oklahoma...
.
Notable residents
John E. Schneider, a coverlet weaver, one of the first west of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
with coverlets now both in the Saint Louis Art Museum
Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum is one of the principal U.S. art museums, visited by up to a half million people every year. Admission is free through a subsidy from the cultural tax district for St. Louis City and County.Located in Forest Park in St...
and the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, was born in 1823 and an early respected citizen of Hamburg. Archie Bowman, locally remembered as one of the last U.S. citizens to die in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, lived in Hamburg. Ralph Sutton
Ralph Sutton
Ralph Earl Sutton was an American jazz pianist born in Hamburg, Missouri. He was a stride pianist in the tradition of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller....
, a well-known traditional jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
stride pianist
Stride piano
Harlem Stride Piano, Stride Piano, or just Stride, is a jazz piano style that was developed in the large cities of the East Coast, mainly in the New York, during 1920s and 1930s. The left hand may play a four-beat pulse with a single bass note, octave, seventh or tenth interval on the first and...
, was born in Hamburg in 1922. In the early years of his career during the 1930s, he performed in his father's band at the Riverview Park dance hall in Hamburg. The dance hall was specifically built by his father Earl Sutton and Earl's business partner and friend Theodore (Tot) Mades to encourage Ralph's playing.
External links
- A monument to the times by Jeff Joiner, Rural Missouri, September, 2004. History of the Weldon Spring area, including Hamburg.
- Hamburg photographs and documents at the Saint Charles County Historical Society. Online search on "Hamburg" is required.
- The TNT Story by the Boone-Duden Historical Society. Large amounts of photographs, historical information and GPS coordinates to various properties in and around Hamburg.