County of village: Lincoln County
Location of village: N-NW section of county; crossroads of MO-Z & CR-221, ½ mile W. of US-61
County is on the eastern boarder and middle of the state
Elevation: 797 ft (243 m)
Population: 75
Two signs here, the standard city limits with population and a welcome sign with population. They are almost side by side, so I am logging them as one.
Sign 1 Text:
WELCOME
[image of old school]
VILLAGE
OF
WHITESIDE
POPULATION 75
Sign 2 Text:
CITY LIMIT
WHITESIDE
POP 75
"A town in the northern part of Union Township, about fourteen miles from Troy. The post office was established by 1886. It was named in honor of William Whiteside, who gave three acres of land, a judgement in his favor for $500, and built the St. Louis and Keokuk Railway station in 1882 in order to secure the station for his farm. The railroad officials accepted his gifts and services and laid out the town. In the winter of 1861-62, Mr. Whiteside served six months under General Sterling Price." ~ History of Lincoln County, Goodspeed, pages 455, 627-8; State of Missouri in 1904, Walter Williams, page 429
"It was named after its proprietor, William Whiteside and is a village on the St. Louis & Hannibal (Short Line) Railway, situated in the central part of Township 51 north, Range 1 west, and about fourteen miles on a direct line from Troy. When the railroad was completed, in 1882, Mr. Whiteside, in order to secure the erection of a depot on his farm, donated to the railroad company, one-half of six acres of land for a town site, and a judgment in his favor for $500 and also built the depot. The railroad company accepted the donation and laid out the town. The first houses in the town were erected by Dayton Moxley and Benjamin Miller. These were frame dwelling houses. The first merchants were Dayton Moxley and W. Hull, under the name of Moxley & Hull, who kept a grocery... When the post-office was established, Dayton Moxley was made postmaster.
"Miss Emma Keightley taught the first school in Whiteside in 1886. In 1888, the village contained eighty to a hundred inhabitants." ~ Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri 1901, VOL. VI, Conrad, page 465; History of Lincoln County, 1888, Goodspeed, pages 455, 456