”Farmington.—A city of the fourth class, the seat of justice of St. Francois County, situated in St. Francois Township, two and one-half miles from Delassus, its shipping point on the Belmont branch of the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad. It is pleasantly located in the center of the richest farming section of the county. The town was laid out in 1822 on fifty-three acres of land donated to the county, for the locating of a seat of justice, by David Murphy, and was surveyed and platted by Henry Poston. In 1823 a courthouse and jail was built. The same year the first store was opened by John D. Peers, who was first clerk of courts in the county, in a small log building on the west side of the public square.

In 1872 the ‘Times’ was started by C. E. Ware and J. H. Rodehaver. This is one of the leading papers of St. Francois County, and is published by Theodore D. Fisher.”

Reference Data:

Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, by Howard Louis Conard, 1901, page 416