Kirksville, Missouri

== History ==
[[Image:Child workers in Kirksville, MO.jpg|thumb|Group of men and boys at Friedman Shelby Shoe Company in 1910]]
'''Kirksville''' was laid out in 1841 on a {{convert|40|acre|sqmi ha|2| adj=on}} site, and was first incorporated in 1857.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_pX0UAAAAYAAJ | title=History of Adair County | publisher=The Denslow History Company | author=Violette, E. M. | year=1911 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_pX0UAAAAYAAJ/page/n361 345]}}</ref>

===Origin of name===
According to tradition Jesse Kirk, Kirksville's first [[postmaster]], shared a dinner of [[turkey (bird)|turkey]] and [[whiskey]] with [[surveyor (surveying)|surveyor]]s working in the area on the condition that they would name the town after him.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ | title=How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri | author=Eaton, David Wolfe | year=1916 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ/page/n12 201]}}</ref> Not only the first postmaster, Kirk was also the first to own a hotel and a tavern in Kirksville.

Contrary to popular belief, the name of the city has no connection to John Kirk, onetime president of Truman State University from 1899 to 1925. However, the grandson of Jesse Kirk reported that the town was named for Kirk's son John, a figure of local legend credited with killing two deer with a single bullet. "Hopkinsville" was explained as a joking reference to the peculiar gait of John Kirk's lame father-in-law, David Sloan; the jocular name was discarded when the village was selected for the seat of justice in Adair County.<ref>Kirksville Daily Express, March 20, 1941</ref>

===Battle of Kirksville===
{{Main|Battle of Kirksville}}

The Battle of Kirksville was fought August 6–9, 1862, during the [[American Civil War]]. Union troops led by [[John McNeil]] forced Confederate volunteers under [[Joseph C. Porter|Joseph Porter]] to vacate the city. Casualty estimates (almost entirely Confederate) range from 150-200 dead and up to 400 wounded. According to the August 12, 1862, ''Quincy Herald'' there were 8 Federal dead and 25 wounded. The victorious Union commander, Colonel McNeil, gained brief national attention for his post-battle execution of a small number of Confederate prisoners. These prisoners had been previously captured in battle and then paroled with the understanding they would no longer take up arms against the Union, upon penalty of death if recaptured. Nonetheless, Confederate government officials were outraged, and it is said that Confederate president Jefferson Davis even called for the execution of Colonel (later Brigadier General) McNeil if he were to be captured.

===Tornadoes===
On the evening of April 27, 1899, an F4 [[tornado]] passing through Adair County cut a path of destruction three blocks wide, killed 34 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=1993 |publisher=Environmental Films |location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont |isbn=1-879362-03-1 |page=686}}</ref> The popular song "Just as the Storm Passed O'er" was based on the event, and the [[Kimball Piano Company]] exploited the incident for its advertising, when one of their instruments was carried a long distance by the tornado but still found in working condition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.truman.edu/gallery/Tornado/tornado.htm|title=The Kirksville Cyclone in 1899|website=library.truman.edu|access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref>

On May 13, 2009, Kirksville was again the victim of a large tornado. An [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF2]] tornado struck the northern edge of Kirksville destroying or severely damaging many homes, several businesses, a car dealership, and at least one factory. Two residents living just outside the city limits were killed by the tornado, and as many as a dozen other area residents were injured.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wgem.com/global/story.asp?s=10358639 |title=Three killed in Northeast Missouri storms - WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio |publisher=WGEM.com |date=May 13, 2009 |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217024851/http://www.wgem.com/global/story.asp?s=10358639 |archive-date=17 February 2012 }}</ref> The story and extensive video of the 2009 twister was featured in season 3, episode 4 of ''[[Storm Chasers]]'' on the [[Discovery Channel]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/storm-chasers/about/about.html |title=About The Show : Storm Chasers : Discovery Channel |publisher=Dsc.discovery.com |date=2008-09-10 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> as well as a 2010 episode of ''[[Storm Stories]]'' on [[The Weather Channel]].

===National Register of Historic Places===
The [[Adair County Courthouse (Missouri)|Adair County Courthouse]], [[Bear Creek Baptist Church]], [[Dockery Hotel]], [[Grim Building]], [[Capt. Thomas C. Harris House]], [[Journal Printing Company Building]], [[Kirksville Courthouse Square Historic District]], [[Drs. George and Blanche Laughlin House]], [[Masonic Temple (Kirksville, Missouri)|Masonic Temple]], [[Dr. E. Sanborn Smith House]], [[Orie J. Smith Black and White Stock Farm Historic District]], [[Sojourners Club]], [[Thousand Hills State Park|Thousand Hills State Park Petroglyphs Archeological Site]], [[Travelers Hotel (Kirksville, Missouri)|Travelers Hotel]], and [[Trinity Episcopal Church (Kirksville, Missouri)|Trinity Episcopal Church]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref><ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20110722.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings|date=2011-07-22|work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 7/11/11 through 7/15/11 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref name="nps1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20140321.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings|date=2014-03-21|work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 3/10/14 through 3/14/14|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>