French fur traders were the first white men to visit the country which is now Daviess County. These traders ascended the Grand River, and from 1815 on, made many annual trips to acquire pelts from the Indians. Prior to this time, the territory had been inhabited by the tribes of Sac, Fox and Pottowatamie. Although fur traders moved through the area in the early 1800's no permanent settlement was made until 1831, when the Robert Peniston family moved from kentucky and built a home in what was then lower Ray County. The Black Hawk War was then in progress and at its close in 1832 many of those who had been moving through the count as soldiers decided to settle there. In 1834, the last Indian camp disappeared.

Peniston built a mill to grind corn. The mill was very successful and the small settlement remained the center of the milling industry for about 15 years. Many settlers were attracted to it and a town site was surveyed and platted. The new town, named Mill Port eliminated the need for settlers to travel to points along the Missouri River for supplies.

Mill Port was on the east side of the Grand River about three miles east of the present location of Gallatin. The community was flourishing when, in 1836, Daviess County was organized from part of Ray County. The county was named in honor of Colonel Joseph H. Daviess of Kentucky who fell in the battle of Tippicanoe in 1811. In 1837, the town of Gallatin was platted and was chosen as the county seat. As Gallatin grew, Mill Port slowly decreased in importance and finally disappeared.

The first settlement in Benton Township, where Pattonsburg is presently located, occurred in 1833 when Benjamin Sampson came from Tennessee and settled on the west side of the township. Later in the same year, H.W. Enyart came and settled about a mile away from the Sampson Family, Mr. Enyart taught the first school in the township and built the township's first loom. Liberty and later St. Joseph, were the principal trading points of the early settlers.

In about 1845, Matthew Patton built the first water mill in Benton Township. The mill was located on Big Creek about 1 1/2 miles north of the present sight of Pattonsburg. The settlement which sprang up near the mill was called Patton Mill, but the name was later changed to Pattonsburg. In 1873, plans were made to build the Chillicothe and Omaha Railroad through Daviess County. Benton Township realizing the importance of the railroad for the future development of the area subscribed $20,000 to bring the railroad within reach, with the understanding that the railroad would be built through Pattonsburg. When construction occurred the following year, the railroad, rather than passing through Pattonsburg, passed through Elm Flat, so named because of the presence of numerous elm trees. Elm Flat was located in the bottomlands of Sampson Creek. The residents of Pattonsburg charged that the railroad had deliberately bypassed the community in order that the promoters might profit from speculation in the Elm Flat area. The township contested the validity of the $20,000 subscription, and in the suit that followed the township was successful. In spite of the success of the law suit, the railroad remained where it was, and gradually the businessmen of Pattonsburg began to more to Elm Flat to take advantage of the railroad. The new town, which took the name of Pattonsburg, grew rapidly and was incorporated in 1877.

In 1897 and 1898, right of way for another railroad through Daviess County was secured, and the Omaha, Kansas City, and Eastern Railroad was constructed through Coffey, Pattonsburg and southwest toward Kansas City. The name of this railroad later changed to the Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City Railroad.

The presence of the railroad road in Pattonsburg made it an important market center for the agricultural goods produced in the surrounding area. Therefore, the town was successful in its early years and developed rapidly. On May 28, 1895, the business section of the community was almost completely destroyed by a fire. Damage was estimated at about $50,000; however, the town responded quickly and the business section was rebuilt.

In 1909, another disaster befell the community. A major flood involving both Big Creek, Sampson Creek and the Grand River inundated the county. In anticipation of the danger, the mayor and about 30 men worked diligently on the dike located near Pattonsburg in an effort to attempt to avert the flood. However, within a few hours nearly the entire town was flooded. In spite of this and many other floods, the residents of Pattonsburg remained determined to make the town successful at it original location.

By 1922, the town had grown to a population of 1,086 people. From its early concentration around the intersection of the railroad right-of-way and Lake street, the community had begun to develop to the south. The community continued to serve as a market center for the neighboring agricultural areas, primarily for dairy products and poultry.

The threat of flooding prevented Pattonsburg from becoming a thriving community. In spite of the construction of U.S. Highway 69 along the eastern edge of the community the community continued to loose population. In 1940, the community's industry consisted of five small creameries, a saw mill, and a vegetable canning plant which was operated by the farm women for their own use. Surplus canned goods were sold locally.

Since 1940, the community has generally decreased in population, from 1,017 in 1940 to 753 in 1960 and further, to 580 in 1970. While the community has made many efforts to improve itself, such as installing a new water and sewer systems, business development has been difficult, though not totally lacking. The Pioneer Cap Company (Pattonsburg Manufacturing Company) established a plant in Pattonsburg in 1946: the plant employed about 196 persons in 1968, many of whom commuted from the surrounding area. Some residents commuted to and from Kansas City and other neighboring communities such as Gallatin and Bethany for employment.

Pattonsburg suffered terribly from the 1993 flood. The Great Flood swept through Pattonsburg on July 6, 1993, exactly 84 years after the community’s first major flood disaster on July 6, 1909. In a well-rehearsed ritual, the villagers cleaned up their homes and shops, and moved back into the floodplain.

Then the Great Flood came back a second time. On July 23, the Grand River sent another sickening surge of muck and debris back through the community. This last flood was the last straw, bringing home the realization that Pattonsburg could not continue to survive in conflict with the river. In the fall of 1993, more than 90 percent of the residents voted in favor of relocating their town and rebuilding it on higher ground.

This wasn't’t the first time that Pattonsburg residents contemplated relocating their town. The possibility had come up a number of times throughout the years, but the financing had never been there to pull it off. This time was different, however. In the spring of 1994, Pattonsburg got news that it would receive $12 million in federal disaster assistance. The question then became how best to invest these funds. Pattonsburg was unlikely ever to see such a huge infusion of capital again; the money was quite possibly the community’s last chance for survival.

Pattonsburg Mayor David Warford appealed to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), asking federal officials to assist the village in making their new community a model of sustainable development. DOE and the Federal Emergency Management Agency saw potential in Pattonsburg and agreed to help the town. In the fall of 1994, they assembled a team of the nation’s best practicing experts in sustainable development. The team, with support from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of Energy, worked closely with Pattonsburg residents throughout the fall to develop a "master plan" for New Pattonsburg.

Pattonsburg's fortune turned in 1998, when the Ang Lee film "Ride with the Devil" was filmed on the old flooded out main street of Pattonsburg as a stand in to 1863 Lawrence, KS. Money poured into the community as Hollywood production artists created 19th century facades, covered the asphalt streets with tons of dirt, concealed fire hydrants with oak barrels, built a shack over an immovable railroad caboose and brought in hundreds of civil war reinactors and their horses.

Residents wanted to recreate Main Street in New Pattonsburg. They also wanted plenty of trees and sidewalks. The new community was designed so that no lot would be more than a five-minute walk from the town center. Cars have easy access, too, as the new town is located immediately adjacent to an interstate interchange and will benefit from the increased traffic. Pedestrians can access Main Street from the south, and cars pull in on the north side.

The Citizens of Pattonsburg have once again rose above the flood waters of adversity and the community continues to thrive despite "Mother Natures" best attempt to destroy it.

** Historical data taken from "Flood Waters of Opportunity" - The relocation and redevelopment of Pattonsburg, Missouri - March 10, 1995