Historical Barnhart/Imperial and surrounding areas

05/28/2026

Imperial, MO
Early 1800's

The modern village of Imperial, located in Rock Township in the northeast corner of Jefferson County, was founded in the 1800's, but this was not the first time the area west of Kimmswick had been inhabited. Evidence has shown that it was once the site of a prehistoric Native American village. Excavations of the area north of Rock Creek (directly behind Bethesda General Baptist Church) suggests that these prehistoric residents used the mineral springs for processing salt. Imperial is also the home of Mastodon State Historic Site where the bones of spear points of ancient inhabitants of the area are found.
The town was carved from a Spanish Grant given to Francis Labarge in the early 1800's. Many of the modern towns in Jefferson County started out with one name, and then changed to another over the years. The little community of Imperial was once called West Kimmswick, Liberty, and then Rockport before the present name of Imperial stuck. The name came from a clock factory that only existed about 2 or 3 years in a concrete building on the Bayer Garden property during World War 1, called the Imperial Clock Company.
The population of the town grew after 1904 when E.J. White and his wife, the former Margaret Miller, decided to open a general store. Mr. White, a mail carrier at Beck (now a part of Arnold), who was born and raised in Jefferson County, built the store with the help of his brother, William White. On April 15, 1904, he opened the general store and saloon (now Herrell's Market). Although the Frisco railroad ran nearby, there was no switch station; so White decided to build one. Before long, White convinced the railroad to make a stop at his depot, and the town began to prosper. A post office was established, and settlers built homes and businesses there. Local children were educated at either St. John's Catholic School or White School. In 1938, the new consolidated Windsor school was built south of Imperial on U.S. Hwy 61.
Today, Imperial is one of the fastest growing communities in Jefferson County. Residents enjoy the suburban setting of homes nestled in the rolling hills, but have easy access to the interstates and highways leading to St. Louis.

05/15/2026

We by no means authorize, endorse, support, nor accept any credit, promotions, or negative /positive remarks made by or for the below attached "Barnhart" page.

Also, If you see all the pics from Case and Bucks, you'll see all those pics were simply stolen from the original page as well. Some have been removed but some still stand.

Sorry for the drama as close to 10,000 followers but it was bound to come.

Copy cat page attached and reported.
CB using 1st amendment so enjoy their pics

https://www.facebook.com/share/14dhwvV4R7z/

Community

05/07/2026

Good morning. Our page is hacked so if anyone gets a message please don't answer
Thks

04/16/2026

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎 Joan Dean

Drop a comment to welcome them to our community,

04/02/2026

Thank you, Tom Wilson, for the added info!

Barnhart, MO
Captain Butterworth Home
1859

Located on Mulberry Hill Rd overlooking the Mississippi river (!on private property!) stands this beautiful home. The stone home was built for retired Captain Butterworth in 1859.

Tom wilson writes:
"In 1969 my folks bought this place and restored it to perfection. The main home has 18" thick limestone walls and a window walk on top which you got to from a closet. My room was a log cabin with a stone fireplace which was the slaves quarters. It overlooked the Mississippi. There was a 3 story barn, six ice houses. My Dad hired a carpenter named Ed Rhomberg. He was an older fellow. My Dad told Ed that Union Electric would have the electric on in two days. Ed said what do I need electric for? Turns out Ed did not even own 1 power tool. Everything was done by hand. Explains why he looked like Popeye! There was a log cabin foundation with a granite gravestone down by the river. All it said was FRITZ. An old timer told us Fritz was a German shepherd who pulled slaves from the burning log cabin and saved their lives. I walked right to it about eight years ago. We found a couple copper whiskey stills here and there in the woods. We were told they could keep a good lookout for the feds from there. Oh, and Mastodon bones everywhere by the river banks."

04/01/2026

Coming up on that 10k! Can't wait to tackle the post what a day of redemption we shall have 🙂 We'll be hosting a nice sponsor of ours for a day for helping us by donating scanning equipment and special hardware to download all pictures in HD that will available anytime, anywhere. It's going to take a long time, but we'll get it done! So look out for our sponsor and when we hit that 10k followers/likes. Keep rollin 🚂

03/22/2026

Big shout out to my newest top fans! 💎 Diane Nagy, Tim Sticht, Joan Dean, Nancy Terry Von Behren, Janet Roth

Drop a comment to welcome them to our community,

03/05/2026

We are coming up on 10,000 followers! Unbelievable. From the U.S.S. Windsor to the barrel of false teeth, from the worst train disaster in Missouri history to Camp Curtis, from the beautiful bright red Barnhart sign that is yet to be found to the Parkton Mansion that has ties to the Smithsonian, the roots of this area run deeper than most know. It's taken 15 years, but we got here. When we break this amazing milestone, I will be presenting a post that will be my finest hour. We have worked endlessly to make sure and get this one right. This post is not going to make everybody happy. I've been shaken down the tree before over this. But we have a right to know! And although the folklore runs deep with tradition, it MUST have the real truth behind the story. And your humble servant is going to answer every last question. Stay tuned, y'all...

02/19/2026

Big thanks to Diane Nagy, Tim Sticht, Joan Dean, Nancy Terry Von Behren, Janet Roth

for all your support! Congrats for being top fans on a streak 🔥!