|
 The Webber Homestead - Rolla, MO Posted by:  YoSam.
N 37° 56.796 W 091° 46.751
15S E 607264 N 4200592
The first residence in Rolla
Waymark Code: WMN96V
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 01/23/2015
Views: 7
County of marker: Phelps County
Location of marker: Kingshighway (bus. I-40), University of Missouri Rock Mechanics lawn [former Missouri Trachoma Hospital], Rolla
Marker text: The Webber Homestead
John Webber established the first homestead in what in now the city of Rolla on this site in about 1845. The one and one-half story, single rook log cabin he constructed stood just north of this plaque. The concrete marker that covers Webber's water well is the only remaining feature of Rolla's first residence. The commissioners who located the Phelps County seat at Rolla in 1857 used Webber's cabin as a meeting place, and Webber's homestead was included within Rolla when the city was created in 1861. Webber lived here until 1880 when he moved to southern Phelps County where he died in 1889.
Link to the Homestead: [Web Link]
History if no Link:
"The site also has great local significance. Immediately south of the hospital near highway 66 is a capped well surrounded by a small wrought iron fence. The well was once part of the first homestead located in what would become the city of Rolla. Philadelphia native, John Webber left his home in Gallatin County, Illinois with his wife and two young children and headed west. Webber, for unknown reasons, chose to settle on the high knoll in 1844 where the hospital now stands. He immediately constructed a home and purchased the forty acres where his residence stood."
"Thirteen years later, in 1857, Phelps County was created. Fifty largely undeveloped acres were donated by railroad contractor, Edmund Ward Bishop to become the seat of Phelps County. Bishop’s donation became the city of Rolla. In the same year, the city’s boundaries were determined by Webber, Bishop and George Coppedge, another early settler, at Webber’s home. Even the name of the new city, supposedly a phonetic spelling of the North Carolina capitol Raleigh, was agreed upon at the Webber residence. Webber and his family remained at the home until 1876 when they moved to Edgar Springs in southern Phelps County. Webber died in 1889 and is buried in the Rolla Cemetery."
~ kirksvilledailyexpress.com
Structure Type: Log Cabin
Additional Parking or Point of Interest: Not Listed
|
Visit Instructions:
A clear picture of the Homestead, Marker or Plaque taken by you. And if you like a picture of you and GPS at the marker.
No Copyrighted images please.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|
|