Martin Warren, who was originally from Kentucky, established a blacksmith business at the northeast corner of present day College Avenue and East Gay Street sometime in 1833. He also established his residence there and it soon came to be known as…

Johnson County Missouri was named after Kentucky U.S. Senator Richard Johnson, who later served as Vice President of the United States under President Martin van Buren. The Johnson County Court moved the location of the courthouse from Old Town on…

On October 28, 1869, Charles Burden found his favorite dog, Old Drum, shot dead. Burden learned that his neighbor and brother-in-law, Leonidas Hornsby, had killed Drum because he had been harassing his livestock. Burden, with the help of lawyer…

The construction of the Masonic Temple on Holden Street in 1894, just a couple of years before the construction of the 1898 courthouse, marked the permanent transition of the heart of the community from Old Town centered on Main Street to New Town…

In 1912 Walter and Perry Jones paid $26,000 to build what came to be known as the Jones Brothers Mule Barn. The barn played an important role in a thriving mule business that had developed in Johnson County and Warrensburg around the turn of the…

In 1864 a wooden depot was constructed on this location; however, a fire in 1889 destroyed the depot and the Missouri Pacific lines decided to replace it with one constructed of locally quarried sandstone. The new depot opened for service in…

The Warren Street Methodist Episcopal Church played an important role in the life of Warrensburg and specifically in the lives of its African American congregants who attended services there. The first congregation was formed right after the…

There have been several remarkable blind pianists and composers in the 20th century that have risen to great fame and are known for their pioneering sound. Predating Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder was a blind boy from Warrensburg, Missouri, who…

Shortly after the end of the Civil War, the American Missionary Association came to Missouri to establish Freedmen's schools for African American school children. Reverend George Candee identified Warrensburg as a potential site and in January…

In 1833 Martin Warren constructed a residence and opened a blacksmith shop at the corner of present-day College Avenue and East Gay Street and unofficially named it "Warren's Corner," which eventually came to be known as Warrensburg. …

The Johnson County Historical Society formed in 1958 and serves as an important center for helping residents of Johnson County and those interested in Johnson County history understand the significance of the county's past. The Johnson County…