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Windsor History

By 1841 the area formerly known as Lillard County had become Lafayette County and then subdivided.  Our immediate region was called Rives County and finally Henry County, in honor of Patrick Henry.  Some time around 1839, the land which is now the center of our town was purchased by Mr. R.F. Taylor and Mr. Weeden Major.  Additional land was added by men named Foster and Mercer.  Accounts vary on whether the town was platted by R.F. Taylor, Weeden Major or by an attorney named William Steele, whose great-grandmother was a sister to George Washington.  They all reflect, however, that the town was first called Belmont, and that the four business blocks of town were laid out on September 10, 1855, with lots selling for five to fifteen dollars each.

Shortly afterward, it was discovered that Missouri already had a town named Belmont.  Discussion ensued on a new name.  Some favored "Spring Grove," but Mr. Robert Means proposed the name "Windsor Castle," in honor of the residence of Queen Victoria of England.  Initially the "Spring Grove" supports won out, until it was revealed that there existed another town of that same name previously established in the state.  As a compromise, our town was renamed "Windsor" in the year 1859.  It was incorporated by the county court on February 5, 1873, and became a city of the fourth class on October 15, 1878, with J.M. Burress as our first mayor.

Many people are confused by the directional designations of our city.  While highway 52 is predominantly an east/west route, its travel through Windsor is an angle running northeast to southwest.  The town's original plans and the present highway follow an old wagon road used by travelers and traders from the river towns heading southwest toward Osceola and on to Fort Scott, Kansas.

By 1860, Windsor's population was about 300 people.  A large log schoolhouse had been built and several new business buildings had been constructed.  The years of the Civil War meant hardship for the people here, as forces from both the Union and the Confederate armies battled back and forth across Missouri, which was known as a border state.  The first Confederate flag to be raised in Missouri was in Windsor, an event at which William Steele was the speaker of the day.

After the war, however, things began to look up for the people of our town.  By 1870 our population had grown to 872 residents.  We proudly claimed five dry good stores, two dram shops ( or pharmacies), ten hotels, two millinery shops, two butcher shops, one harness shop, two grocery stores, two lawyers, three doctors, seven preachers, and NO saloons!  The first railroad was built through town the year before this; it was named the Tebo and Neosho Railroad and its line extended from Sedalia, Missouri, to Fort Scott, Kansas.  Later this became the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, or M. K. & T. railroad.  The "Katy" depot was first built near the corner of Fifth and Colt Streets.

Windsor flourished in the years to come.  The necessity of a cemetery resulted in the surveying of Laurel Oaks on a six-acre site in March of 1871.  Our town's newspaper, the Windsor Review, was founded by Will Walker in the 1870s.  So was the Windsor Bank, which remained family-owned until 1986, when it was purchased by the United Missouri Bank of Warrensburg, now known as UMB Bank.

Farming has always been an important part of our community.  Beef and dairy cattle have always been popular, and in the summer of 1887 it is said that Windsor boasted of a single shipment of 19,000 pounds of butter.  In 1901, however, the Bowen Brothers moved to town, bringing the coal mining industry.  This inspired the Rock Island railroad to build a line through our town in 1904, and they created the lake which now graces our city park.  Rock Island officials conveyed the deed to this land to the City of Windsor on July 26, 1954, and the 35-acre tract is now Farrington Park, named in honor of the president of the Rock Island railroad.

Other industries in Windsor in the early 1900s included a broom factory and a button factory.  In 1919 a chicken hatchery was started by Eden Booth and John Powell.  The popularity of hatcheries expanded here, and at one time Windsor was known as the second largest producer of baby chicks in the world.  Today (in 2005), Marti Poultry Farm Inc., remains the sole tribute to this once prominent industry.  In 1933, despite the trials of the Great Depression, the International Shoe Factory opened a factory in Windsor.  The resulting jobs helped keep our town alive during this difficult time.  The factory remained in operation until 1985.  The year 1953 saw the reopening of the Sedalia Air Force Base at nearby Knob Noster, Missouri, which has since been renamed Whiteman Air Force Base.  Windsor welcomes many of the base personnel as residents, and we often enjoy the sight of the B-2 Stealth overhead as it either glides or thunders through the sky on practice runs.

Through the 150 years of our town's history, we've seen many changes.  Our population now exceeds 3,000 and we continually strive to improve as a hometown community. 
 

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WINDSOR'S HISTORY,
PLEASE PURCHASE YOUR VERY OWN COPY OF THE WINDSOR HISTORY BOOKLET OR THE "WINDSOR HISTORY SHOW", BOTH ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CHAMBER OFFICE.