Hannah Cole's Fort - Boonville, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 58.666 W 092° 43.888
15S E 523259 N 4314343
Historic fort sat on the Missouri River just north of this marker.
Waymark Code: WM1699A
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 06/06/2022
Views: 0
County of marker: Cooper County
Location of marker: E. Morgan St. & driveway, Bonville
Marker Erected: 1984
Marker Erected by: The Boonslick Historical Society Association of Howard and Cooper Counties MO.
Marker Text:
HANNAH COLE'S FORT
In 1810 Hannah Cole and her nine children crossed the Missouri River and built a cabin on the site of Boonville, thus becoming the first white settlers south of the river.
After repeated Indian trouble in 1814 it was deemed necessary to build a fort at Hannah Cole's place. The position of the fort on the bluff directly north from this marker, assured protection, water supply, and means of escape in the event of Indian attacks. Upon its completion all white settlers south of the river moved into the fort. The bluff or near-promontory that projected slightly over the Missouri River, was blasted away to make way for the railroad.
Hannah Cole's cabin served as the first church (1811), first school (1817), and first voting booth (1819) in the area. The fort served as a hospital, trading post, hostelry for hunters and protection parties, and was named the first county seat of Howard County in 1816.