County of city: Oregon County
Location of city hall: 2nd St. & Market St., Thayer
Location of city: Southern border, almost in the SW corner of county; crossroads of US-63 & MO-142
Elevation: 528 ft (161 m)
Population: 2,148 (2017)
The Person:
Nathaniel Thayer
Born: 13 June 1851 - Died: 21 March 1911
"Nathaniel Thayer, (Harvard class of 1871) died at his home, 22 Fairfield street, Boston, yesterday morning after an illness of nearly two years. For many years Mr. Thayer was prominent in railroad and financial circles, national as well as local.
Nathaniel Thayer, a descendant of the family which in 1630 settled at Braintree, was born in Boston, June 13, 1851. After graduating from Harvard in 1871 he travelled abroad for two years, returning in 1874 to associate in business with his father, who five years previously had given Thayer Hall to the College. He was made president of the Boston, Clinton and Fitchburg Railroad Company in 1876 and since then has been the guiding power in numerous banks, railroads and business concerns. He was also a member of the Corporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1877 and again in 1879 he was a Democratic candidate for the legislature.
"He was President of the Union Stock Yards Company of Chicago, a director of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and several other railroads, a director of the American Bell Telephone Company, American Telephone and Telegraph, Massachusetts Life Insurance Company, Merchants' National Bank, New England Trust Company, Old Colony Trust Company, United States Steel, and numerous other companies. He was a trustee of the Massachusetts General Hospital Corporation.
"Pauline Revere was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Revere 3d. She was a member of the Republican National Committee in 1924, "and was looked upon as advisor and confidante of both Presidents Coolidge and Hoover." Among many Boston charities, her favorites included the Massachusetts General Hospital." ~ New York Times, 22 March 1911
Partnered with a George Gould, he gained control of the Kansas City, Springfield and Memphis Railroad. You can read the article here: Gould Gets Another Railroad, New York Times, December 21, 1901
The City
"A small city in Thayer Township on the Frisco Railroad and on highways 63 and 19. Platted as Augusta (q.v.). When the post office was established, there was considerable confusion about a name. Upon a petition of the majority of the citizens of the town, the circuit court, on August 24, 1886, gave the name for Nathaniel Thayer of Boston, Massachusetts, a very wealthy stockholder of the railroad company." ~ Place Names Of Five Southern Border Counties Of Missouri, 1945, Pottenger
History of Railroads in Thayer:
"Thayer was built along the rails of the Kansas City, Springfield and Memphis Railroad.
"When the railroad planned to run a line through the area planners decided Mammoth Spring, Ark., was the best place for the division point. Railroad officials thought the land in Arkansas they wanted to buy was too expensive, so they settled on the Thayer area.
"The town was then appropriately named "Division". In March of 1884 the county ordered a public road be built between Alton, the County Seat, and the town to be known as Augusta. In February 1885 the name "Division" was changed to "Augusta".
"After a search by Missouri State officials, it was discovered that the name of "Augusta" was already taken by a town in St. Charles County [and still there]. The name was changed once more, this time to Thayer, in honor of Nathaniel Thayer, who was director of the Kansas City, Springfield and Memphis Railroad.
"Starting in the mid to late 1880's, the survival of Thayer depended on the life of the railroad.
"At one time there were as many as 400 railroad workers living at Thayer. The majority of businesses in the town were there for one reason only, to support the railroad and its workers.
"One of the earliest buildings constructed in Thayer was the Frisco Hotel. It was built to house Frisco employees and later guests and travelers. It was located on what is now Front Street and faced the railroad tracks.
"Passenger service to Thayer by what eventually became the Frisco Railroad ceased in 1968. Frisco sold to Burlington Northern in 1980 and the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroads merged in 1995.
"The train depot remains in Thayer. Springfield crews ride the train to Thayer where they lay over at the Mammoth Spring Lodge. The Thayer crew boards the train and rides to Memphis where they lay over.
"Approximately 30 trains a day pass through the city headed to Memphis. The majority of the trains are carrying coal from out west.
"The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad is still the largest employer in Thayer. Approximately 250 Thayer residents are employed by them, making it the community's largest employer. ~ The Tourist Information Center and Railroad Museum
My photo is from 2006. To see the original display (2001) you can see it here:
BN 12068