Longtown, Missouri Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Longtown, Missouri
Village
Longtown, Missouri from Highway 61
Location of Longtown, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Perry
Township	Union
Area
• Total	0.13 sq mi (0.32 km²)
• Land	0.13 sq mi (0.32 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	656 ft (200 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	90
• Density	720.00/sq mi (278.38/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	63775
Area code(s)	573
FIPS code	29-43940
GNIS feature ID	2396724

Longtown is a small village located in Perry County, Missouri, in the United States. It is part of Union Township. In 2020, the village had a population of 90 people.

History of Longtown
Geography of Longtown
Nearby Communities
Population Changes in Longtown
- Longtown's Population in 2010
Gallery
See also

History of Longtown

Early Settlers and Community Beginnings

The first European settlers arrived in the Longtown area around 1817. These were English and Scotch-Irish Presbyterian families from North Carolina. They settled a bit south of the current village.

Soon after, in 1821, more English and Scotch-Irish families, who were Methodists, moved into the area where Longtown is today. Some of the first families included the Abernathys, Farrars, and Rutledgers. Many people moved from North Carolina after the War of 1812.

In 1826, these settlers built their first simple log meeting house. This was later replaced by the York Chapel Methodist church in 1836.

Growth and Naming of the Village

At first, the area was known as the "Abernathy Settlement." It wasn't a proper town yet, as people lived on farms spread out in the countryside. Emil Urban and Oliver Abernathy were the first people to open stores there.

By 1860, a small community had started to form along a main road called the King's Road. This road is now known as King's Highway.

In April 1874, the community officially became a village and was named "Longtown." There are two ideas about where the name came from. One idea is that it was named after a German couple, Johann and Maria Lang, who moved to the area. "Lang" means "long" in German. Another idea is that it was named after an early settler named John Long. The first mayor of Longtown was Velentine Bergmann. A post office was opened in 1883, but it closed in 1966.

Churches in Longtown

For many years, the German Protestant people in Longtown went to the Frieden (Peace) Lutheran Church in nearby Friedenberg. However, the dirt roads made it hard to travel, especially in bad weather. Because of this, people wanted a church closer to home.

In 1882, a new church called Cross Congregation Lutheran Church was started in the school house in Longtown. This church was for members who followed the Ohio Synod teachings. However, it was a small church and didn't last long, closing in 1898. Only the small Cross Cemetery remains today.

Another Lutheran church, Zion Lutheran Church, was built in 1897. The first church building was made of wood. By 1912, it was replaced with the brick church you can see today.

Life in the Early 20th Century

In the early 1900s, Longtown had about 158 people. It had two churches, a public school, three general stores, a bank, a tavern, and a flour mill. It was mainly a farming community.

Over the years, some businesses faced challenges. For example, the Hacker & Funke General Store and Barbershop had a bad fire in 1936. Later, in 1981, another fire completely destroyed the Wallace Hacker General Store.

Geography of Longtown

Longtown is a small village. The United States Census Bureau says that the village covers about 0.13 square miles (0.32 square kilometers) of land. There is no water area within the village limits.

Nearby Communities

This map shows Longtown and other towns and villages that are close by.

Longtown

Rockwood (12.4 miles)

Altenburg (10.6 miles)

Biehle (5.8 miles)

Frohna (8.6 miles)

Oak Ridge (11.9 miles)

Old Appleton (6 miles)

Perryville (6.1 miles)

Population Changes in Longtown

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	108	—
1910	158	46.3%
1920	162	2.5%
1930	150	−7.4%
1940	138	−8.0%
1950	139	0.7%
1960	113	−18.7%
1970	113	0.0%
1980	121	7.1%
1990	107	−11.6%
2000	76	−29.0%
2010	102	34.2%
2020	90	−11.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020

The table above shows how the population of Longtown has changed over many years, based on the U.S. Census. You can see that the population has gone up and down. For example, in 1910, there were 158 people, but by 2020, it was 90 people.

Longtown's Population in 2010

In 2010, the village of Longtown had 102 people living in 39 households. A household is a group of people living together in one home. Most of these households (30 of them) were families.

The village had a population density of about 785 people per square mile. This means that for every square mile of land, there were about 785 people.

Almost all the people in Longtown (99.02%) were White. A small number (0.98%) were from other racial backgrounds. About 2% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Many households (33.3%) had children under 18 living with them. Most households (74.4%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.62 people, and the average family had 3.07 people.

The average age of people in Longtown in 2010 was 36.7 years old. About 26.5% of the residents were under 18. About 12.7% were 65 years old or older. The number of males and females in the village was almost equal, with 50% male and 50% female.