Editing Longtown, Missouri (section)

==History==
Some of the earliest Europeans to put down roots in the area were [[English people|English]] and [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]] [[Presbyterian]] settlers from [[Rowan County, North Carolina|Rowan]], [[Iredell County, North Carolina|Iredell]], [[Cabarrus County, North Carolina|Cabarrus]], and [[Mecklenburg County, North Carolina|Mecklenburg]] counties in [[North Carolina]] who settled to the south in [[Brazeau, Missouri|Brazeau]] in 1817.   Soon after, in 1821, they were followed by English and Scotch-Irish [[Methodist]]s also hailing from North Carolina, settling in the present area of Longtown.<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7j3NNrHFVR4C&q=longtown+missouri+history | title = Opening the Ozarks: A Historical Geography of Missouri's Ste. Genevieve District, 1760-1830 | isbn = 9780826263063 | author1 = Walter A. Schroeder | year = 2002}}</ref>  Among the earliest families were the Abernathys, Farrars, and Rutledgers.<ref>[http://mopioneers.mogenweb.org/pionab.html 'Gone But Not Forgotten'-Missouri Pioneers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>  These settlers were part of a large exodus from the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont region]] of North Carolina following the [[War of 1812]].<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7j3NNrHFVR4C&q=york+chapel+longtown+close&pg=PA396 | title = Opening the Ozarks: A Historical Geography of Missouri's Ste. Genevieve District, 1760-1830 | isbn = 9780826263063 | author1 = Walter A. Schroeder | year = 2002}}</ref>  In 1826 these settlers built their first log meeting house which was replaced with [[York Chapel United Methodist Church (Longtown, Missouri)|York Chapel Methodist church]] in 1836.<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=G-AlAAAAMAAJ&q=longtown+missouri+history&pg=PA271 | title = History of Southeast Missouri: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People and Its Principal Interests, Volume 1 | author1 = Robert Sidney Douglass | year = 1912| isbn = 9780722207536 }}</ref>

The settlement was initially known as the “Abernathy Settlement”,<ref>{{Cite journal | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pQoTAQAAMAAJ&q=Abernathy+Settlement+missouri+longtown&pg=PA425 | title = Campbell's Gazetteer of Missouri: From Articles Contributed by Prominent | author1 = Robert Allen Campbell | year = 1875}}</ref> although at this point the settlement could not be considered an organized community, as the population lay scattered on farms in the surrounding area.  Emil Urban and Oliver Abernathy were the first merchants in the settlement.  By 1860 a core community had formed along the [[U.S. Route 61|King’s Road]] (French: Le Chemin du Roi, Spanish: El Camino Real), known today as King’s Highway, but also known then as the [[Perryville, Missouri|Perryville]]-[[Jackson, Missouri|Jackson]] Road.<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7j3NNrHFVR4C&q=Chemin+du+Roi+missouri&pg=PA421 | title = Opening the Ozarks: A Historical Geography of Missouri's Ste. Genevieve District, 1760-1830 | isbn = 9780826263063 | author1 = Walter A. Schroeder | year = 2002}}</ref>

In April 1874 the town had been incorporated as "Longtown".  Two theories abound to the origin of the name.  One early explanation gives that the town was named after a German couple that immigrated to the area – Johann and Maria Lang (Lang being German for ‘long’).  The other explanation given is that the town was named after John Long, one of the earlier settlers.  The first mayor was Velentine Bergmann.<ref>A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets
Past and Present of Perry County, Missouri Compiled by Arthur Paul Moser {{cite web|url=http://thelibrary.org/lochist/moser/perrypl.html |title=A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets of Missouri |access-date=November 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103234016/http://thelibrary.org/lochist/moser/perrypl.html |archive-date=November 3, 2013 }}</ref> A post office was established in 1883 (closing in 1966).<ref>Missouri Postal History Society {{cite web|url=http://www.missouripostalhistory.org/pe157pe.htm |title=Perry |access-date=September 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021155317/http://missouripostalhistory.org/pe157pe.htm |archive-date=October 21, 2013 }}</ref>

Up until 1881 the Protestant German population had been members of the [[Peace Lutheran Church (Friedenberg, Missouri)|Frieden (Peace) Lutheran Congregation]] in nearby [[Friedenberg, Missouri|Friedenberg]].  However, due to the dirt roads becoming impassable in wet seasons or freezing temperatures in winter, the need for a local church had grown.  In 1882, Rev. A.G. Wetzel organized the Cross Congregation Lutheran Church, [[Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio|Ohio Synod]], in the school house in Longtown with former members of the Peace Lutheran Congregation of Friedenberg who followed the distinctive teachings of the Ohio Synod.  However, the church faced poor prospects because of limited membership.

Another Lutheran church - [[Zion Lutheran Church (Longtown, Missouri)|Zion Lutheran Church]] [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod|Missouri Synod]] - was established in 1897 with Rev. G.D. Hamm acting as the first pastor.   The original Zion Lutheran church was built of wood, but by 1912 had been replaced by the present brick church.

By 1883, the members of Cross Lutheran church had been asked to leave the schoolhouse as the building belonged to "Longtowners".  
Rev. Wetzel moved to a different location, more north-east of Longtown and organized and built the Cross Lutheran Church, Ohio Synod.  The small church only existed for 15 years from 1883 to 1898.  Only the small Cross Cemetery remains along country road #316.<ref>Cross Lutheran Church 1882-Longtown, Missouri Perry County http://www.slcl.org/content/cross-lutheran-church-longtown-perry-county-missouri</ref>
 
In the early part of the 20th century Longtown had a population of 158, with two churches, a public school, three general stores, a bank, a tavern and a flouring mill, and had largely remained a farming community.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/historyofsouthea01doug/historyofsouthea01doug_djvu.txt Full text of "History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests"<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AXcpAAAAYAAJ&q=longtown+missouri+bank&pg=PA349 | title = Biennial Report on Examinations of the State Banks and Trust Companies of Missouri to the ... General Assembly of the State of Missouri ... , Volume 10 | author1 = By Missouri. State Banking Dept | year = 1915}}</ref>  On April 20, 1936, the Hacker & Funke General Store and Barbershop had suffered severe fire damage.  In 1946 the Friedenberg Parochial School consolidated with the Longtown Parochial School.  In 1981 a fire completely destroyed the Wallace Hacker General Store.<ref>The Southeast Missourian Newspaper, April 20, 1936, https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19360420&id=xVYfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q9IEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4011,3277729</ref>