Editing Pollock, Missouri (section)

==History==
Pollock was established in July 1873 by H.F. Warner and William Lane and originally consisted of thirty-two blocks. Another fourteen blocks, located south of the original, was added to the town plat in 1876 via Godfrey's Addition.<ref>''History of Adair, Sullivan, Putnam and Schuyler Counties''. Published by Goodspeed Publishing, Chicago Il., 1888 p.194</ref>
By 1877 Pollock included two general stores, a drug store, blacksmith shop, one hotel, a schoolhouse and a small depot for the Burlington & Southwestern Railroad with a town population of one hundred,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sullivancountymissouri.com/history3.html|title=List of Sullivan County communities|publisher=Sullivan County Missouri.com|year=2009|accessdate=July 13, 2011}}</ref> and a United States Post Office was established in Pollock in 1879. A major fire swept through a portion of the Pollock business district in January 1936. Three buildings—Rosenberry's Garage, Morlan General Store, and Anspach Cafe' -- were total losses, while buildings containing O.L. Casto's store and Miller's Store received major damage.<br>
The Pollock community had a high school between 1923 and 1939. Class sizes were predictable small considering the towns population, with an average of ten students per class year. The smallest class was 1938 with only three graduates, while the largest was the Class of 1937 with thirteen diploma recipients. Due to economic conditions the junior and senior years were discontinued between 1932 and 1937, and students in those grades had to finish their education elsewhere, primarily [[Milan, Missouri|Milan]], which was readily accessible via rail.<ref>''Graduating Classes of Sullivan County, Missouri: 1891-1993'', Published by ''The Milan Standard'' newspaper, July 1993</ref> The Pollock high school closed for good following the 1939 graduation and all secondary students incorporated into the Milan school district. The elementary school continued a few years longer into the mid 1950s. Currently all children in the Pollock area attend classes in the Milan C-2 school district.<br> 
[[File:Pollock Missouri 2.jpg|thumb|Pollock Community Center around 1994.]]
In the mid-1970s, not long after Pollock celebrated its centennial, eight new apartments—housed in two buildings—were constructed for use by the elderly. A new all-metal community building was constructed in the late 1980s, with an addition to the building to house the U.S. Post Office built in the late 1990s. Significant community support resulted in the building of a Pollock City Park around 1990. Residents William Casteel, Melvin Casto and Dick Stewart spearheaded a fundraising campaign and recruited volunteers from far and wide to acquire park equipment and prepare the grounds. 
Pollock suffered a significant blow on July 26, 2011, when the [[United States Postal Service]] announced plans to permanently close the Pollock post office as part of a nationwide restructuring plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/expandedaccess/states/missouri.htm|title=Expanded Access List|publisher=U.S. Postal Service|date=July 26, 2011|accessdate=July 26, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925011948/http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/expandedaccess/states/missouri.htm|archivedate=September 25, 2011}}</ref> An earlier attempt in the late 1980s to close the Pollock post office was appealed and overturned with the help of U.S. Senator [[Kit Bond]] and other Missouri politicians.