Macon, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Macon is a city in Macon County
, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 5,471 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
of Macon County
.
, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), of which 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (4.52%) is water.
of 2010, there were 5,471 people, 2,434 households, and 1,448 families residing in the city. The population density
was 903.9 people per square mile (348.8/km²). There were 2,723 housing units at an average density of 444.4 per square mile (171.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.78% White, 5.36% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races
, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 2,434 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,738, and the median income for a family was $36,633. Males had a median income of $30,069 versus $18,217 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,679. About 8.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.
Rapid growth in the area resulted from the development of two railroad lines, the Northwest Railroad and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
, which intersected in Macon. By June 1861, over 7,000 Union troops populated the City of Macon. The decision to move the county seat to Macon in 1863 was both political and of economic necessity.
In the mid-1890s, Frederick W. V. Blees
, the headmaster of Macon's St. James Academy, an Episcopalian military school for boys, inherited a large sum, and decided to use his windfall to benefit Macon. Blees was responsible for the construction of several of the town's commercial buildings and the town's first sewage system; founded the local horseless carriage factory, the first theater, and the First National Bank of Macon, and he financed the paving of the town's streets on a 50-50 basis with the city. In 1899, he took on the project that he hoped would be his legacy - the construction of the Blees Military Academy
. However, Blees died in 1906, the Academy went bankrupt soon thereafter, and the buildings stood vacant until 1915. In that year, Charles E. Still and Harry M. Still, sons of A. T. Still, the founder of the profession of osteopathic medicine, along with Dr. Arthur G. Hildreth, established the Still-Hildreth Sanatorium, which was devoted to the treatment and care of all types of nervous and mental disorders. Today, the surviving Romanesque Revival buildings of Blees Academy are on the National Register of Historic Places
and serve as low income housing in Macon.
Macon is one of Missouri's richest coal bearing counties. The town was laid out on rolling upland prairie, between the Middle Fork of the Salt and the East Fork of the Chariton rivers, 1856. Hudson, named for a railroad official, was laid out just west, 1857, and both towns joined as Macon City, 1859. The Hannibal and St. Joseph (Burlington) reached here, 1858, and the North Missouri (Wabash), 1859.
A railroad center, Macon was a Union troop concentration point in the Civil War, and it replaced pro-Southern Bloomington as seat of Macon County, 1863. Organized, 1837, the county is named for Nathaniel Macon, Revolutionary War soldier and N.C. statesman. Here 11 military parole violators were executed by order of Union General Lewis Merrill, Sept. 26, 1862.
Macon County, through which passes the Great Divide between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, abounds in bituminous coal deposits. A prime coal producer, the county was first in the state, 1891-1913. Coal was first discovered at nearby Bevier, laid out, 1858, named for Col. Robert S. Bevier.
Macon lies in the Glacial Plains Region of Missouri, territory claimed by Sac, Fox, and Iowa Indians until 1824. Pre-historic Indian mounds are found in the area and the Great Indian Trail is believed to have crossed the county near Macon. A pioneer trail, the Bee Trace ran north from here. First settlers, from the South, came in late 1820s, and soon many states and countries were represented. In the late 1860s, Welsh settled nearby New Cambria. Many Welsh and later Italians came to mine the coal.
Early schools established in Macon were Johnson College (Methodist), 1866; St. James Academy and St. Agnes Hall (Episcopal), 1875 and 1884; outstanding Blees Military Academy, 1899; and south at College Mound, noted McGee (Presbyterian) College, 1853. Blees Academy was sold,in 1914,to become Still-Hildreth Osteopathic Sanatorium. It is now known as Lakeview Towers and provides low income housing to residents of Macon, with aid from the Missouri Housing Authority.
Macon owes much of its development to Col. F.W.V. Blees(1860–1906), Prussian-born educator, businessman, and philanthropist; and to Theodore Gary (1854–1952), utilities magnate, first chairman Mo. State Highway Commission, and town benefactor.
President Barack Obama
visited the POET LLC
renewable energy
plant in Macon on April 28, 2010 to promote his renewable energy policies. The plant which started operations in 2003 employs 45 people and produces 46 million gallons of ethanol
a year from 16 million bushels of corn purchased from area farmers. It was the first biofuel refining plant in Missouri and claims to be the largest company by revenue in Northeast Missouri.
Macon County, Missouri
Macon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 15,566. Its county seat is Macon. The county was organized in 1837 and named for Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina politician...
, 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...
. The population was 5,471 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Macon County
Macon County, Missouri
Macon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 15,566. Its county seat is Macon. The county was organized in 1837 and named for Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina politician...
.
Geography
Macon is located at 39°44′26"N 92°28′14"W (39.740596, -92.470639). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), of which 6.1 square miles (15.8 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) (4.52%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 5,471 people, 2,434 households, and 1,448 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 903.9 people per square mile (348.8/km²). There were 2,723 housing units at an average density of 444.4 per square mile (171.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.78% White, 5.36% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 2,434 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,738, and the median income for a family was $36,633. Males had a median income of $30,069 versus $18,217 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,679. About 8.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.
History
Macon County pioneers began arriving in the early 1820s, coming mostly from Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee. They followed an ancient Indian trade route, called the Great Trail. The trail followed the great divide between the Missouri and Mississippi watershed and ran through the site of what was to become Macon County's first county seat, Bloomington, in 1837.Rapid growth in the area resulted from the development of two railroad lines, the Northwest Railroad and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad
The Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was the first railroad to cross Missouri starting in Hannibal in the northeast and going to St. Joseph, Missouri, in the northwest...
, which intersected in Macon. By June 1861, over 7,000 Union troops populated the City of Macon. The decision to move the county seat to Macon in 1863 was both political and of economic necessity.
In the mid-1890s, Frederick W. V. Blees
Frederick W. V. Blees
Colonel Frederick Wm. V. Blees was a Prussian immigrant to the United States who became a philanthropist, teacher, founder of Blees Military Academy, and the acknowledged chief benefactor of the City of Macon, Missouri....
, the headmaster of Macon's St. James Academy, an Episcopalian military school for boys, inherited a large sum, and decided to use his windfall to benefit Macon. Blees was responsible for the construction of several of the town's commercial buildings and the town's first sewage system; founded the local horseless carriage factory, the first theater, and the First National Bank of Macon, and he financed the paving of the town's streets on a 50-50 basis with the city. In 1899, he took on the project that he hoped would be his legacy - the construction of the Blees Military Academy
Blees Military Academy
Blees Military Academy was founded in Macon, Missouri by Colonel Frederick W. V. Blees, and operated from 1899 to 1907.Blees Military Academy was founded in September 1899 by Colonel Frederick Wm. V. Blees. Blees was a Prussian immigrant who arrived in Macon in 1889 to take over as headmaster of...
. However, Blees died in 1906, the Academy went bankrupt soon thereafter, and the buildings stood vacant until 1915. In that year, Charles E. Still and Harry M. Still, sons of A. T. Still, the founder of the profession of osteopathic medicine, along with Dr. Arthur G. Hildreth, established the Still-Hildreth Sanatorium, which was devoted to the treatment and care of all types of nervous and mental disorders. Today, the surviving Romanesque Revival buildings of Blees Academy are on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and serve as low income housing in Macon.
Macon is one of Missouri's richest coal bearing counties. The town was laid out on rolling upland prairie, between the Middle Fork of the Salt and the East Fork of the Chariton rivers, 1856. Hudson, named for a railroad official, was laid out just west, 1857, and both towns joined as Macon City, 1859. The Hannibal and St. Joseph (Burlington) reached here, 1858, and the North Missouri (Wabash), 1859.
A railroad center, Macon was a Union troop concentration point in the Civil War, and it replaced pro-Southern Bloomington as seat of Macon County, 1863. Organized, 1837, the county is named for Nathaniel Macon, Revolutionary War soldier and N.C. statesman. Here 11 military parole violators were executed by order of Union General Lewis Merrill, Sept. 26, 1862.
Macon County, through which passes the Great Divide between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, abounds in bituminous coal deposits. A prime coal producer, the county was first in the state, 1891-1913. Coal was first discovered at nearby Bevier, laid out, 1858, named for Col. Robert S. Bevier.
Macon lies in the Glacial Plains Region of Missouri, territory claimed by Sac, Fox, and Iowa Indians until 1824. Pre-historic Indian mounds are found in the area and the Great Indian Trail is believed to have crossed the county near Macon. A pioneer trail, the Bee Trace ran north from here. First settlers, from the South, came in late 1820s, and soon many states and countries were represented. In the late 1860s, Welsh settled nearby New Cambria. Many Welsh and later Italians came to mine the coal.
Early schools established in Macon were Johnson College (Methodist), 1866; St. James Academy and St. Agnes Hall (Episcopal), 1875 and 1884; outstanding Blees Military Academy, 1899; and south at College Mound, noted McGee (Presbyterian) College, 1853. Blees Academy was sold,in 1914,to become Still-Hildreth Osteopathic Sanatorium. It is now known as Lakeview Towers and provides low income housing to residents of Macon, with aid from the Missouri Housing Authority.
Macon owes much of its development to Col. F.W.V. Blees(1860–1906), Prussian-born educator, businessman, and philanthropist; and to Theodore Gary (1854–1952), utilities magnate, first chairman Mo. State Highway Commission, and town benefactor.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
visited the POET LLC
POET LLC
POET LLC is a U.S. biofuel company that specializes in the creation of bioethanol. The privately held corporation, which was originally called Broin Companies, is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2007, the Renewable Fuels Association named POET the largest U.S. ethanol producer,...
renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
plant in Macon on April 28, 2010 to promote his renewable energy policies. The plant which started operations in 2003 employs 45 people and produces 46 million gallons of ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
a year from 16 million bushels of corn purchased from area farmers. It was the first biofuel refining plant in Missouri and claims to be the largest company by revenue in Northeast Missouri.
Notable residents
- Frederick W. V. BleesFrederick W. V. BleesColonel Frederick Wm. V. Blees was a Prussian immigrant to the United States who became a philanthropist, teacher, founder of Blees Military Academy, and the acknowledged chief benefactor of the City of Macon, Missouri....
, chief benefactor of Macon, founder of Blees Military AcademyBlees Military AcademyBlees Military Academy was founded in Macon, Missouri by Colonel Frederick W. V. Blees, and operated from 1899 to 1907.Blees Military Academy was founded in September 1899 by Colonel Frederick Wm. V. Blees. Blees was a Prussian immigrant who arrived in Macon in 1889 to take over as headmaster of...
, (1860–1906). - Henderson ForsytheHenderson ForsytheHenderson Forsythe was an American actor. Forsythe was known for his role as Dr. David Stewart #2 on the soap opera As the World Turns, a role he played for 32 years, and for his work on the New York stage....
, (1916–2006), American Actor - James P. KemJames P. KemJames Preston Kem represented Missouri in the United States Senate from 1947 to 1953.James P. Kem was born in Macon, Missouri. He attended Blees Military Academy, then graduated from the University of Missouri in 1910, and Harvard Law School in 1913. He was admitted to the bar in 1913 and...
, United States Senator from Missouri, 1947-1953. - Milton A. RomjueMilton A. RomjueMilton Andrew Romjue was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.-Personal life and education:Congressman Romjue was born to Andrew Jackson Romjue & Susan E. Romjue on December 5, 1874 near Love Lake, Macon County, Missouri...
, long-time US Congressman for Missouri's 1st district.
External links
- Historic maps of Macon in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...