Efforts underway to maintain historic Stoddard County barn, cemetery

STODDARD COUNTY, Mo. -- There is a piece of Stoddard County history slowly deteriorating alongside Highway 25 outside of Bloomfield, Mo., and a handful of local residents want to do something about it.

The old Stoddard County Farm barn, visible to anyone traveling through the county on Highway 25, is considered by some to be an eyesore with its metal roof rusting and its aging boards weather-beaten and decaying in some places.

But some consider it a valuable piece of the story of rural Stoddard County, and Bloomfield resident Anita Kitchen Peters is one of several who would love to see the history of the old barn and the cemetery on the nearby grounds preserved.

Peters, who serves as president of the Stoddard County Historical Society, is more familiar than most with the origin and operation of what was once the Stoddard County Farm. She has a deep appreciation for the circumstances that helped lead to what Stoddard County is today.

"The farm was commonly referred to as the 'Poor Farm,'" Peters said, "and indigent residents, some who were mentally ill and some who had physical disabilities, were housed in the red brick building across the highway." That building is now a privately-owned nursing facility. Peters said varying circumstances brought many Stoddard County Home residents to its doors.

Last county home

"Some were retirees who just couldn't survive on the small pensions they received, and others were aging and had no family to care for them," she said.

There were actually several homes, each supported by the county, and some date back to as early as 1868. The last one standing, Peters said, is the brick facility across from the old barn.

"The residents back then were referred to as 'inmates' and they were pretty much self-sufficient," Peters said.

Those at the farm reportedly raised gardens, growing virtually everything they consumed except coffee and sugar. Their work on the farm served as payment for their housing.

As the residents of the homes perished, they were put to rest on the county grounds west of where the barn stands. A visit to the grounds reveals only a single grave marker. The stone is tilted and weathered from decades of exposure to the elements, but the surface is still legible. It is said there are about 200 bodies buried in what is still called the Stoddard County Cemetery, but no other markers are present.

"In those days, there were little funds to operate on," Peters said, "and so as many of the elderly died, they were simply put in the ground with no markings to record their passing, or with wooden cross markers that are long gone."

On a mission, Peters visited with members of the County Commission about five years ago and the commission agreed to purchase a memorial to be placed at the cemetery. With the intention to place the names on the memorial of each person buried on the grounds, Peters spent the next four years researching the cemetery and gathering information.

Names of the dead

"There were three ledgers available," she said, "but other ledgers and information on the homes and the burials were burned when the last home was sold."

Through her efforts, Peters has identified 708 names of residents who at some point resided in the county homes and more than 200 names of those who are buried at the Stoddard County Cemetery. Most residents either moved on or were buried elsewhere by family. The cemetery also contains bodies of many individuals who were not residents.

"It was our goal to be able to place the name of every person buried on the monument when it is ordered," Peters said.

"The barn is a Stoddard County landmark," she said, "and structures like this are rapidly vanishing."

Peters, speaking for the county's Historical Society, asks that any parties interested in contributing to the preservation of the County Farm barn call her at 573-624-2588 for further information.