Poplar Bluff marked the 200th anniversary of Missouri’s statehood on Tuesday with celebrations at locations key to the town’s history.
Ice cream socials were held at several historic locations, including the Poplar Bluff Historic Depot in downtown and the Mark Twain Museum on Main Street.
Sweet treats were dished up at the Mark Twain Museum from behind the service counter that is originally from the Saracini Store, which was opened on Main Street in Poplar Bluff in the early 1900s.
Michael Saracini, an Italian immigrant, opened the store, which was known for its confectionery goods, and it was later run by his daughter, Mary Millster.
The depot provided another refreshing treat on the triple-digit heat index day, root beer floats. Originally the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad Depot, the building and adjacent stairway were built in 1910 by a $50,000 bond subscription from city residents. The building replaced a smaller depot that burned in 1907, according to historic displays on site that record Poplar Bluff’s history, including the railroad, retail and timber industries.
The depot is also near the original site of the first frame home to be built in Poplar Bluff, by James S. Ferguson around 1859.
Butler County resident Donald Epps was among those who celebrated both the state and the county’s history Tuesday.
A cardboard cutout of an early 1900 photo of Epps grandfather, James Earl Houts, is part of the depot’s historic display.
Houts was 19 when it was taken and had just brought cattle into town for sale.
Today, Epps lives on the same property once farmed by Houts, and which was settled by members of his family prior to the Civil War.
Historic displays at the Mark Twain Museum also capture many stories of Butler County’s history and can be viewed from 1-4 p.m. Sundays.
The depot has an additional event coming up in August. It will have an exhibit of local artists, which is sponsored by the Bank of Missouri. The event will be from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Aug. 12.