History of the Jesse James Festival - History of Kearney

History of Kearney

Kearney, located in Clay County, Missouri is approximately 15 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. State Highway 33 runs through from the North to the South and State Highway 92 runs from East to West and 1-35 runs near the western boundary.

What is now the Southeastern portion of the town of Kearney was originally called Centerville, and was laid out by David T. Duncan and W.R. Cave in the spring of 1856. Duncan lived on and owned the South half of the site of Centerville. Cave purchased the North half from his father, Uriel Cave, the original owner. The first houses were built by Adam Pence and W.R. Cave, and theirs were the first families In the village.

Barney Spencer, a Kentuckian, owned the first store in Centerville, which was conducted for time some in the beginning by his brother-in-law, Sam Trabue. The second store was owned and run by John Wade, of Ohio. These stores were established in the spring of 1857. John Gilboe had the third store. A school house was built in about 1858 by W.R. Cave.

Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Centerville contained about 20 families, but when it closed there were only two or three. During the war only two houses were destroyed, however, and these were burned by the Federals-- Ford's and Jeanison's men. They were owned by John Corum and John Gilboe, but at the time they were burned, Dr. Cravens lived in Corums house, and W.R. Cave had a small grocery in Gilboes building. The Federals claim that they did the burning in retaliation of Mr. Bond by the bushwhackers.

The murder of John Julius, an old man and a reputable citizen, by Lysander Talbott, shortly after the war, was the only tragedy of note that ever occurred in Centerville. The killing was wholly unprovoked. Talbott was on the "warpath" and "wanted to kill somebody". He was arrested, indicted, took a change of venue to Clinton County, escaped from jail, went to Texas, and was killed himself in a fight.

April 12, 1869, Alfred Pyle shot and killed Charles Smith, in a difficulty in Kearney, but Esquire Corbin acquitted Pyle on the ground that he had acted in self-defense, and he was never afterwards indicted.

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