Kendrick Place

Description

Two accounts of the history of Kendrick place follow: The Kendrick Place based on Marvin Van Gilder's account and Christie Ann (Hill) Russell's research. THE STORY OF HISTORIC KENDRICK HOUSE, Written in 1980 by Lucille and Jack Janney for the Jasper County Historical Society THE KENDRICK PLACE Marvin Van Gilder ’s historic account of the building of the Kendrick house at Kendrick Place is given in, History of Jasper County, Missouri. Sinnet and Elizabeth Rankin arrived in Jasper County from Ohio in 1842. Accompanying them were their sons William and Jacob, later to be joined by Sinnet ’s brother, also named Jacob Rankin. On December 26, 1846, they obtained a section of land from the U.S. government on Spring River. "Taking advantage of the natural deposits of limestone, they installed primitive kilns near the river and began the production of mortar for building purposes. These probably were the first commercial lime kilns in Jasper County. At the same time, the Rankin family also launched a rudimentary quarrying operation by removing large blocks of sandstone and limestone from the bluffs along the river and pulling them up the hillside on the site later to be known as Kendricktown for use as fireplace bases." Owning several slaves, the Rankin family put them to work beginning in 1849 "on the construction of a building which had all the characteristics of a mansion in the eyes of envious neighbors still confined to one-room log houses. Thomas W. Dawson, a neighbor and also a slave owner, was employed as building contractor. Dawson was said to be a wealthy man as the result of successes a few years earlier in the California gold rush, which began in 1849. He may have used the slaves of his household as well as those of the Rankins in the subsequent construction work which spanned most of five years. The slaves used straw and clay from the property itself as the basic ingredients of the bricks which were the principal building material. Large split logs from the timber along the Spring River bottoms provided framing and support." Sinnet Rankin transferred title to the property to his sons in 1854, who on April 10, 1856, sold the house and 635 acres of land to Thomas Dawson who had married their sister. Dawson subsequently rented the still new two-story brick mansion to William Kendrick who was living in Neosho, Newton County. Dawson and Kendrick were acquainted in Newton County as evidenced in the following document. William [T.] Kendrick made and appointed Joshua Draper Palmer Kendrick to be his "true lawful attorney in fact and in my name to do and perform for me any and all things he may think necessary and proper to be done." (power of attorney) witnessed by Thomas W. Dawson, Probate Judge Newton County. William T. Kendrick was in ill health and was leaving to travel to warmer climate. He died January 19, 1849 in Hempstead County, Arkansas at the home of McRea. The 1860 Slave Census of Newton County Missouri lists a 37 year old black female and six black children aged 12, 10, 7, 6, 4, and S owned by William Kendrick. No other record has been found to indicate any other slaves were owned by the Kendrick family.

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