Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Elsberry
Tour Description
Locations for Tour
City Hotel (Hurricane House)
Broadway and Hwy 79: This is the site on the Eastern side of Hwy 79 where the Burlington Northern Depot stood. It was a busy, busy place in the heyday of Railroad travel. Across from the Depot on the West side (where the ATM machine now is) was the…
Elsberry Swamp
In 1879 most of present day Elsberry was a swamp. Standing here at 3rd and DuBois then you would have been looking at Lost Creek as it crossed over DuBois, Broadway and then on to what is now Hwy 79. It flooded every spring and made this area “below…
DuBois Elementary
On the Northeast corner of 4th and DuBios where the fire company now sits, was Elsberry’s first Elementary school. It was built in 1883 and was a two-story school. During its first 2 years it was a private academy open 10 months per year at…
The Old Hall
The Old Hall sits on the Northeast corner. Built in November, 1879 by a community-wide fund drive. It was built to be used by all denominations until churches could be established, It is currently owned by the City and used for art exhibits and for…
Cannon, Goodman & Company
(Southeast corner) Across the street was the two store Foley building. It had a millinery shop on the bottom and a community center above. Broadway does not look today as it did when originally built! There have been five major fires along Broadway…
Falmouth Hotel
Built in 1836 in Falmouth, Missouri, it was one the finest hotels on the River. The hotel was owned by Mordecai Watts in 1879 and he moved it to Elsberry piece by piece in wagons. The old stone steps on the south end of the porch are from Falmouth…
Henry Leo's Blacksmith shop
Here was the blacksmith shop of Henry Leo. The building has been repurposed through the years as a blacksmith shop first, then a livery, and gas station. The shop was moved from the town of Nelson when Elsberry was established. This was a fairly…
Starting at 5th & Griffin St.
This is the general area of Nelson Watts' home. Nelson Watts and his father William were river captains and slave traders. They bought 145 acres in 1843, which included all of the land that is now the town of Elsberry. They built the first brick…