County of town: St Clair County
Location of site: 2nd St. & Pine St., courthouse lawn, Osceola
1841 Osceola became the seat of newly created St. Clair County
"Osceola Survives
"By the time the Civil War had ended, Osceola, like other Missouri towns, was devastated – its buildings in ruins and its population reduced to just about 200 people. Though some rebuilding occurred, including a new courthouse and the Commercial Hotel in 1867, it would not see prosperous days again until the Kansas City, Osceola, and Southern Railroad began to make its way to the community.
"In the meantime, many of those who had served in the Civil War, were embittered and turned to outlawry, including the famed Younger Brothers of Lees Summit, Missouri and the James Brothers from Kearney, Missouri. The Osceola area was a frequent hideout of these young men, who were known to have often stayed at the Commercial Hotel.
"In March, 1874, Jim and John Younger were in the area, fleeing from Pinkerton agents who were hot on their trail. Two agents by the names of Captain Louis J. Lull (aka: W.J. Allen) and John Boyle (aka: James Wright) had arrived in St Clair County early in the second week of March, taking rooms at the Commercial Hotel. There, they met up with Osceola Constable, Edwin Daniels, who agreed to serve as a guide for the agents.
"The three soon set out searching for the outlaws. On March 16th, they spent the night at the Roscoe House in Roscoe, some 10 miles southwest of Osceola. The next afternoon, they started toward the farm of Theodrick Snuffer, a family friend of the Youngers, just a few miles out of town.
" John Harrison Younger Posing as cattlemen, they approached the Snuffer home, ostensibly to inquire of directions. Little did the lawmen know that Jim and John Younger were hiding upstairs, watching their every move.
"When the agents left, the suspicious Younger brothers followed them. On the road between Roscoe and Osceola, Jim and John approached the three men and John Boyle immediately fled. Jim took a shot at him, but the bullet succeeding only in knocking off the agent’s hat. The Youngers then disarmed Lull and Daniels, but unbeknownst to them, Lull had a small pistol in his pocket which he pulled and shot John Younger in the neck. John, who was holding a double barrel shotgun, instinctively fired back, hitting Lull's shoulder and arm with buckshot. Lull and Daniels both fled at that point, but Jim Younger shot and killed Daniel, while the wounded John, pursued Lull and fired at him with his pistol. After Lull went down severely wounded, John made his way towards his brother Jim, where he fell from his horse and died. Agent Lull would also die from his wounds three later. In the meantime, Jim was able to make his escape and John was buried at the Yeater Cemetery in an unmarked grave.
"Finally, the town of Osceola would once again see prosperity when the Kansas City, Osceola, and Southern Railroad began to make its way to the community. The building of the railroad itself provided jobs to area residents and when it was completed to Osceola in 1885, the town began to thrive through agriculture, mining and lumbering.
"By the turn of the century, the town's population had reached about 1,200 people and included several industrial businesses such as a flourmill, a sawmill, a cheese factory, a fruit cannery and large kilns producing a superior lime, and several rock quarries." ~ Legends of America