Hannah Cole - Briscoe Cemetery - near Bunceton, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 48.149 W 092° 51.245
15S E 512669 N 4294868
Her grave was unmarked until unveiling this boulder on October 30, 1932
Waymark Code: WM146JE
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/30/2021
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Geo Ferret
Views: 0
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County of marker: Cooper County
Location of marker: MO-5, 14 miles S. of Boonville, 2 miles NW of Bunceton
Erected by: Pilot Grove Chapter, D.A.R.
Date Erected: October 30, 1932

Marker Text:

HANNAH COLE
1762 - 1843
First white woman settler
of Cooper County
Whose unfailing courage
In facing the danger of
A wilderness and a
Cruel Indian War
Entitles her to be called
A PIONEER MOTHER
OF EARLY
MISSOURICIVILIZATION

"Hannah Cole and her family’s first home, circa 1800 near today’s Boonville, was said to have been similar to an Indian bark hut.

"Hannah Cole and her family’s first home, circa 1800 near today’s Boonville, was said to have been similar to an Indian bark hut. That structure was replaced with a one-room log cabin that included a fireplace and one window and a door. The marker for Hannah Cole’s grave in the Briscoe Cemetery pays tribute to “the first white woman settler of Cooper County whose unfailing courage in facing the dangers of a wilderness and a cruel Indian war entitle her to be called a pioneer mother of early Missouri civilization.” ~ Lake News Online   Jan 17, 2019

Web link: [Web Link]

History of Mark:
"Hannah Cole arrived in Missouri in 1809 with her husband (William Temple Cole) and kids. The next year, the Indians killed her husband and she found herself alone in the wilderness with 9 kids to take care of. For whatever reason, she decided to stay in Missouri and soon built a house on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River (where the city of Boonville is now). Hannah & her family were among the very first white families to settle in the area. And I mean settle, not just row by like Lewis & Clark.

"Morgan Street Park
Hannah’s house was turned into a fort & used by settlers for defense during the war of 1812, where it provided a safe water source for settlers. The first County Circuit Court session was held there and she obtained the first business license to operate a ferry (in 1816) across the river. After Boonville was settled and established as the county seat, her fort was used as the first school, church and voting place in the county. Hannah eventually moved about 15 miles south of town where she died in 1843.

"Boonville hasn’t shied away from their women’s history. If you search Monroe street you can find a plaque marking Hannah’s fort. There is also Hannah Cole Primary school and a statue of her in the Morgan Street Park, located just off Main Street.

"Briscoe Cemetery
Hannah Cole's Gravesite
The statue was erected during the Lewis and Clark anniversary in 2004. For that I suppose I can forgive them for surrounding her statue with busts of men.

"You can also visit Hannah Cole Roadside Park next to the Briscoe Cemetery, where she is buried, 15 miles south of town on Highway 5. ~ Missouri Women



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