Originally the area
was part of the infamous Indian "Trail of Tears." Monett was
formally established in 1887 when the Frisco rail line moved its
spur here.
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Overnight, what was formerly the small town of Plymouth, became a booming
transportation hub and an active community. Barry County was organized in 1835
and named after William Taylor Barry from Kentucky, a United States postmaster
General. As Monett quickly became a vibrant Frisco railroad terminal, it sped
its growth in agriculture trade, retail commerce and small manufacturing.
Some "firsts" of Monett: the first mayor was S.J. Courdin; first birth was
Monett "Montie" Myers (painter and artist), the first newspaper was The Monett
Weekly News; first police chief marshal was Anthony Segerer; first city hall was
built in 1896 and the first YMCA was the magnificent "Railroad YMCA" built in
1898. Monett also had a full-scale Fred Harvey House and Hotel operating at the
Frisco Depot. Young Monett developed an economy of much diversity - livestock,
apples, tomatoes, a cigar factory, ice plant, razor/cutlery factory, creamery,
poultry, dairy and the famous "Ozark" strawberries. In fact, Monett became known
as the "Strawberry Capital of the Midwest." The first licensed auctioneer in
Missouri operated with the Ozark Fruit Growers Association of Monett. As the
railroad economy in Monett began to decrease in the middle of the last century,
several farsighted business leaders established the Monett Industrial
Development Corporation, which encouraged the growth of manufacturing in the
area.
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