County of city: Barry County
Location of this waymark: City hall, 300 Main St. (MO 76/112), Cassville
Marker used erected by: State Historical Society of Missouri & State Highway Commission
Location of marker: MO 37, N. city limits roadside turnout, Cassville - N 36° 41.345 W 093° 52.078
Marker erected: 1955
The Person:
Lewis Cass
Former Governor of Michigan
Born: October 9, 1782, Exeter, NH
Died: June 17, 1866, Detroit, MI
Spouse: Eliza Spencer Cass
Parents: Jonathan Cass
Education: Phillips Exeter Academy
Party: Democratic Party
Senate Years of Service: 1845-1848; 1849-1857
"CASS, Lewis, (great-great-grandfather of Cass Ballenger), a Senator from Michigan; born in Exeter, N.H., October 9, 1782; attended Exeter Academy; moved with his parents to Wilmington, Del., in 1799 and taught school there; moved to the Northwest Territory in 1801 and settled on a farm near Zanesville, Ohio; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1802; member, State house of representatives 1806; United States marshal for the district of Ohio 1807-1812, when he resigned to enlist in the Army; served in the United States Army 1813-1814, attaining the rank of brigadier general; military and civil Governor of Michigan Territory 1813-1831; settled in Detroit; appointed Secretary of War by President Andrew Jackson and served from 1831 to 1836, when he resigned, having been appointed to a diplomatic post; Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to France 1836-1842; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1845, until May 29, 1848, when he resigned, having been nominated for President of the United States; chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (Thirtieth Congress); unsuccessful candidate for President on the Democratic ticket in 1848; again elected to the United States Senate on January 20, 1849, to fill the vacancy caused by his own resignation; was reelected, and served from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1857; served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Thirty-third Congress; appointed Secretary of State by President James Buchanan and served from 1857 until his resignation in 1860; returned to Detroit, Mich., and engaged in literary pursuits; died in Detroit, Mich., June 17, 1866; interment in Elmwood Cemetery." ~ Library of Congress
"Michigan’s most powerful political figure of the 19th century, Cass served Michigan and the nation for over 50 years.
"Born in New Hampshire in 1782, he grew to manhood there, then went to Ohio. He became the first certified attorney admitted to the Ohio State bar. At 24, Cass was elected to the Ohio Legislature. In 1806, he married Elizabeth Spencer and they had six children. The War of 1812 diverted him from politics to the military. During this war, Cass rose to the rank of Brigadier General. It was from his associations during the War of 1812 that he received his appointment as Governor to the Territory of Michigan by President James Madison on October 29, 1813. During the years after the war, Cass traveled around the Territory exploring vast resources and making a series of treaties with the Indians. These treaties resulted in the government acquiring most of the Indian lands in the Territory.
"Cass held the post of Territorial Governor for 18 years. In 1831, he was appointed to the cabinet of President Andrew Jackson as Secretary of War. He served in this post for five years. Many of his duties involved Indian affairs and resulted in policies that were to affect the Indians for the rest of the century. During this same period, Cass was involved in working on statehood for Michigan which was gained in 1837. In 1836, Cass resigned as Secretary of War and accepted the post of U. S. Minister to France. He held this post until the end of 1842.
"On February 5, 1845, Cass was elected to the U. S. Senate by the Michigan Legislature. He remained in the Senate until 1848. He resigned in June of 1848 to run as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency. He was defeated by the Whig candidate, Zachary Taylor. In January of 1849, he was re-elected to the Senate and returned to Washington. Cass remained in the Senate until 1857.
"President James Buchanan appointed Cass Secretary of State in 1857. He worked with the President for three years but resigned when he and Buchanan could not resolve their differences on slavery and secession.
"Cass returned to Detroit in 1861 and continued to have a keen interest in civil affairs. He made one of his last public speeches in 1861 in support of Abraham Lincoln’s call for 300,000 soldiers. The meeting ended in a riot but Michigan raised the troops that were called for. Cass, who once had been Secretary of War, lived to see the Civil War won by the troops that he had helped to raise.
"Lewis Cass died in 1866 at the age of 84. His life was honored by the state and the nation with a day of mourning for the country had lost one of its most dedicated citizens." Elmwood Cemetery
His listing on Find-A-Grave
The City:
Historical marker erected in 1955 by State of Missouri Historical Society & State Highway Commission
Located at: N 36° 41.345 W 093° 52.078 ~ MO 37, roadside turnout, N. limits of Cassville
CASSVILLE
Cassville, the seat of Barry County, lies in a scenic area notable beauty where rolling prairie contrasts with rugged Ozark hill land. In the Civil War, Cassville served as the Confederate Capital of Missouri for eight days, Oct. 31 to Nov. 7, 1861
After Missouri's pro-Southern government was ousted by the State Convention, it met first at Neosho in Newton County. There it passed an ordinance seceding Missouri from the United States and an act ratifying the Provisional Confederate Constitution. The approach of Union troops forced flight to Cassville. Here the "Rebel Legislature" chose delegates to the Confederate Congress and Gov. Claiborne E. Jackson is thought to have signed the ace of secession. In the Civil War, Union troops occupied Cassville as an area headquarters and ravaging guerrilla warfare tore the countryside.
South of Cassville is Roaring River State Park, 2,946 Ozarks acres featuring Roaring River Spring1. At the base of a big recessed cliff, the spring sends forth a daily average flow of 28 million gallons. T.M. Sayman donated the original parksite, 1928.
Center of the famed resort area and of an agricultural county, Cassville was laid out, 1845. Named for statesman Lewis Cass, it is the third town to serve as the seat of Barry County. Named for Postmaster General W.T. Barry and organized, 1835, the county originally included a vast area and as new counties were formed from it the county seat was relocated.
As the devastating effects of the Civil War began to fade and with the coming of the St. Louis and San Francisco R.R. in the late 1870s, the county began to prosper. The railroad, by advertising the 140,000 acres of Barry County land it owned, brought in a large immigration. Several foreign colonies were established in the region.
When the Frisco R.R. was laid through Barry County, Cassville was bypassed by 5 miles, and a connecting line, the Cassville and Exeter R.R., was laid, 1896. Still running, it is said to be the shortest broad-gauged railroad in the U.S.2 An important division point on the Frisco railroad was laid out to the north, 1887, and called Monnett for a railroad employee.
Corrections and updates since 1955:
1. Roaring River State Park now covers 3,358 acres of land.
2. The Cassville and Exeter Railroad discontinued operations in 1956.
"Additional notes: The City of Cassville, named after the Michigan statesman Brig. General Lewis Cass, became the county seat of Barry County in 1845 when the seat of government was moved here from McDowell. Lewis Cass was also a U.S. Senator, congressman, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State.
"At that time there were only three residences in the vicinity. One being the home of William Kerr and his family located just southwest of the big spring referred to in the beginning of this article; a second double log structure housing the family of Littleberry Mason and located on the east bank of Flat Creek west of the Fasco plant; and the third being the home of John 0. Burton near what is known now as the Crystal Springs Trout Farm.
"In the past 145 years, the town has grown to a community trade center and attracted several industries employing hundreds of industrial workers. But much credit is due those who have pioneered the way. ~ GEO * Trailblazer 1