Pennsboro, Missouri facts for kids
Pennsboro is a small, unincorporated community located in the southern part of Dade County, Missouri, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It sits along Missouri Route 39, where it meets routes Z and K. This quiet spot is about three miles south of South Greenfield, Missouri. Two creeks, Honey Creek and Limestone Creek, flow nearby.
History of Pennsboro
Pennsboro was started in the 1880s. It was named after William Penn, an early settler in Dade County. A post office opened in Pennsboro in 1895, helping people send and receive mail. It stayed open until 1931.
The Railroad and Depot
Pennsboro was once a stop on the Greenfield & Northern Railroad. This train line was built in the early 1890s. Trains ran through Pennsboro until the mid-1930s, when the railroad line was no longer used. Just before the line closed, something interesting happened to the train station building. The entire depot was carefully loaded onto a flat train car. It was then moved down the tracks to Mt. Vernon. There, it replaced that community's depot, which had recently been destroyed by fire.
Early Schools in Pennsboro
Pennsboro was also known for having one of Missouri's first rural consolidated school districts. Around 1917, four smaller, one-room school districts decided to join together. They formed the "Dade County Consolidated School District No. 3 of Pennsboro," often called Pennsboro C-3.
However, the students from these one-room schools didn't all go to one central building right away. This didn't happen until the mid-1930s. The state board of education even criticized the district in 1932. They felt the district was still using four separate, less efficient one-room schools instead of bringing all the students to one place. This would have allowed teachers to focus on fewer grades.
The brick school building that still stands today was built when the one-room schools finally combined. It was used as a school until the 1950s. At that time, the Pennsboro district joined with the Greenfield R-IV School District.
Pennsboro Today
Today, Pennsboro is home to the Pennsboro Christian Church and a large cemetery. Several homes are also located there. The old two-room brick school building is still standing. It is now used as a community center for local events and gatherings.
