Catawissa, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Catawissa is a small unincorporated community
in Franklin County
, Missouri
, United States
, on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, 39 miles from St. Louis
, Missouri
. It was founded in 1839 and initially had four stores. It is located at the junction of Route N and Route O, southwest of Pacific
. It has never been incorporated and has always been a township
. Its post office
opened in 1860.
As of 2007, the community consists of two churches (Baptist
and Catholic), a post office, a school (Nike Elementary School), a state conservation area (Old Wooden River Bridge on north bank), a farm supply store, a bar, two gas stations (Wayside and Speedie Mart), one closed gas station (R&S) and several small shops. A strip mall
is under construction at the intersection of Route N and Route O.
Political adviser Luke Coffey
spent his youth and teenage years in Catawissa
Catawissa is the site where Bertha Gifford
poisoned at least three and as many as seventeen people between 1911 and 1928. The house where most of the murders took place is still standing on Old Bend Road about one mile from the Meramec River.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Franklin County
Franklin County, Missouri
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri on the south side of the Missouri River. Franklin County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area and contains many of the St. Louis exurbs. Census 2010 put the population at 101,492; making it the 10th most populous county in Missouri....
, Missouri
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...
, on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, 39 miles from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
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...
. It was founded in 1839 and initially had four stores. It is located at the junction of Route N and Route O, southwest of Pacific
Pacific, Missouri
Pacific is a city in Franklin and St. Louis counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 7,002 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pacific is located at . The city straddles the Franklin County/St. Louis County line, which lies halfway on the blocks between Elm and Neosho streets. St...
. It has never been incorporated and has always been a township
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
. Its post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened in 1860.
- Latitude & Longitude: 38°25'29" N, 90°46'57" W (38.42472N, -90.7825W)
- Survey: T. 43 N., R. 2 E., Sec. 34
- Elevation: 530 ft.
- Population 2,201 (2000 Census for Zip Code 63015 - Catawissa)
As of 2007, the community consists of two churches (Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Catholic), a post office, a school (Nike Elementary School), a state conservation area (Old Wooden River Bridge on north bank), a farm supply store, a bar, two gas stations (Wayside and Speedie Mart), one closed gas station (R&S) and several small shops. A strip mall
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
is under construction at the intersection of Route N and Route O.
Political adviser Luke Coffey
Luke Coffey
Luke Coffey is a political adviser and US Army veteran. Coffey formerly worked as a Special Adviser to the Rt. Hon Dr Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for Defence in the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs thinktank. -Education:Coffey...
spent his youth and teenage years in Catawissa
Catawissa is the site where Bertha Gifford
Bertha Gifford
Bertha Gifford was a farmwife in rural Catawissa, Missouri during the early 1900s who was accused of murdering 17 members of the local community...
poisoned at least three and as many as seventeen people between 1911 and 1928. The house where most of the murders took place is still standing on Old Bend Road about one mile from the Meramec River.