Fenwick Settlement, Missouri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fenwick Settlement, Missouri
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Abandoned village
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Location of Perry County, Missouri
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| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Perry |
| Township | Brazeau |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS Feature ID | 736917 |
Fenwick Settlement was once a small village in Perry County, Missouri, in the United States. Today, it is an abandoned place, meaning no one lives there anymore. It was named after the Fenwick family, who were among the first European settlers in this area. They arrived on the west side of the Mississippi River when this land was part of Spanish territory.
Contents
History of Fenwick Settlement
Early Settlers Arrive
The story of eastern Perry County began in the late 1700s. At that time, American Catholic families started moving into the Spanish territory of Upper Louisiana. In 1797, a Spanish leader in New Bourbon noticed a group of these Catholic families living in Kentucky.
The Spanish government wanted more people to settle their lands. So, they invited these Americans to move. Joseph Fenwick, who was the head of one of these families, received an invitation in 1797. He was asked to bring his family, including his son, who was a doctor, and other American Catholics to settle in the Spanish territory.
On April 18, 1797, Joseph Fenwick arrived with about 25 or more Catholic families. They came from the White Sulphur area of Kentucky.
Why People Moved to Missouri
These American Catholics from Kentucky were descendants of Irish Roman Catholic families. They had first settled in Maryland. People sometimes called them "Maryland Catholics" or "English Catholics." This helped to tell them apart from the French-speaking Catholics already living there.
These families had left Maryland around 1785. This was after the American Revolution. They were looking for new land and a better life elsewhere.
Finding a New Home
After 1803, Joseph Fenwick left the village of New Bourbon. He might have had problems with land ownership. Or, he might have wanted to live further away from the government officials.
He first planned to settle near Apple Creek. This was close to where the Shawnee people were building their villages. However, having so many Native Americans nearby probably made Fenwick change his mind.
Instead, he decided to start a settlement at the mouth of Brazeau Creek. This area was in the Brazeau Bottoms, right on the Mississippi River. This small settlement was named Fenwick Settlement, after Joseph Fenwick himself.
The Settlement's Challenges
More Catholic families from Kentucky arrived, and the settlement grew to about 20 families. However, the land was not very good for farming. Because of this, the settlement did not become very successful.
By 1807 or 1808, the families of the Fenwick group began to move away. The settlement slowly became abandoned.
