On May 1, 1843, President John Tyler signed an abstract giving certain lands to William Carpenter-part of this land was the site of the present town of Trimble, MO. In 1891, Amos and Dan Carpenter, William's sons, platted their inherited acres for a town to be called Carpenter's Store, MO. For 7 years, Carpenter's Store, MO, existed as a town, but in 1898, a lawyer, Mr. Trimble advised the good fo
lks of Carpenter's Store, MO to have their town incorporated. Accordingly, in April of that year, Mr. Trimble arrived by train and for a fee of $25 (a fair sum in those days) and in a 5 minute speech, offered to proceed to Jefferson City and file for articles of incorporation. The townspeople, grateful for Mr. Trimble's help and advice accepted his offer and countered with a proposal to name the town for him, and although this was bitterly opposed by the Carpenter family, the town was from that time called Trimble, MO. The Northern Town site Company platted the new town and gradually the name Carpenter's Store, MO was forgotten and in a way this is a pity, as it would have been a most unusual and different name. In 1898, Atchison Berry, kinsman of the famous Wallace and Noah Berry, was postmaster; Mrs. Mary Spanner ran a neat and orderly hotel; John Bradford and Son printed a Saturday weekly called "The Trimble Tribune"; the first school was begun and the little town was daily increasing its population. In 1900, a young bridegroom, 26 years old moved from Easton to Trimble. This young man was Mr. Wilson Lizar, still one of Trimble's most honored citizens. Lizar recalled that there were 3 blacksmiths in town at one time, Till Fry, C.O. Smith, Jack Beery; he also described a very unique "tavern" which was in Trimble. Two enterprising merchants set up two rows of forked poles and covered them with brush, forming a shelter of sorts, and beneath this shelter reposed a large tub covered with canvas which contained beer. Thirsty men came, paid their nickel and dipped a mug of cool brew. This early day 'tavern' was, of necessity, practical only at certain times of the year and was soon replaced by a building. George Shewey was the schoolmaster and he was paid $65 a month to teach 65 pupils discipline and, incidentally, to instruct them in the 3 R's; there were now 2 groceries and John Eby was beginning construction of a block of buildings on the old throughway between Kansas City and St. Joseph, now known as old Highway 169. Wilson Lizar and Dave Shackleford were hired to make brick and to tend the all-important kiln by day. The kiln, of course, had to be kept fired 24 hours a day and a second crew were hired for the 'night shift'. Soon thereafter, however, chickens began disappearing and the townsfolk were all 'up in arms.' The discovery that this night crew of Mr. Eby's were the chicken thieves caused a great deal of comment and doubled Mr. Lizar and Mr. Shackleford's work for they undertook the 24 hour duty, and that they were successful is proven by the rapid completion of a bank, grocery store, drugstore, restaurant, and a second grocery. Trimble was rapidly becoming one of the area's most progressive little towns. Alonzo A. Whitmore was the first mayor, a post he filled for 30 years until his death (Mr. Whitmore's son, Oakley, was the second elected mayor). Whitmore supervised the construction of a small jail, but there was never any real crime in Trimble and so, except for an occasional overnight 'guest,' the jail was simply a warning symbol. Until the great fire which destroyed Mr. Eby's business block, Trimble was a busy, successful town--2 railroads, the OK and the Grand Island served its citizenry and signs of prosperity abounded. The churches were full on Sundays, and much of the local social life was centered on the various church activities. The combination of the fire, the First World War, the depression, and the decline of the mighty railroads marked the end of a fast continued growth, but Cleo and Tom Adams rebuilt the bank and it is this building that houses the present post office. and Mrs. Hawkins own and operate an up-to-date grocery store. Mack Rupe has a garage, also in town, and those plus a barber shop are the remaining three businesses in town, but there are several others on the highway, new 169. The present mayor, Jasper Harris, is reputed to have bought for a City Hall the old school building, abandoned in 1961 when the school district consolidated many of the smaller schools and though the Church of Christ building is now for sale, the remaining 2 churches, the Baptist and the RLDS are very active and the population is again increasing. Trimble, a pretty town whose citizens favor large well-kept fenced yards around their homes today has blacktop streets and the day is not too distant when the people will be able to heat their homes with natural gas. At that time, though, the really beautiful wood and coal stoves which today enhance many homes will be forced to take their places in the past. For instance, in the homes of Mr. Lizar and Miss Whitmore, one is impressed by the comfort and beauty of stoves such as these . . . and when they "shook down" the ashes to better heat the rooms, we cannot help but compare the action to the care of impersonal modern furnace whose conveniences can hardly compare with the sense of well-being dispensed along with heat by the old fashioned stove. But perhaps this does not matter too much for the real strength and beauty of all towns reposes in its citizens and here Trimble is well blessed for her inhabitants are good people who know that their town is the very best of all. Copied from the Platte-Clay Shopper, January 10, 1963
