Founder of McLouth Dies at Ninety-Two
“Uncle Amos” Sleeps near Scene of Early Labor — Entire Community Does Honor to Memory of This Pioneer Builder, Soldier and Engineer.
From the Oskaloosa
Independent, November 27, 1931
The entire community of McLouth, including its business
houses and schools, did formal honor Wednesday afternoon to the memory of the
man who laid out the town-site fifty years ago. “Uncle Amos” McLouth was laid
to rest in Wildhorse cemetery, following services at the United Brethren church,
where old friends paid tribute to his personality and his career.
Death came peacefully at the National Military Home, on
Monday morning, Nov. 23. He was in his usual health, though feeble when his
nephew, County Commissioner Amos H. Leech, called on him, Nov, 15th,
as he was accustomed to do twice a month. Attendants report that they observed
nothing wrong until an hour or two before his passing.
Born in Lambertville, Mich., November 30, 1838, he was
reared in that state, followed surveying as a youth, until the Civil War, when
he enlisted in the 8th Michigan cavalry. He was wounded at the
Battle of Lookout Mountain.
His coming to Kansas, in 1868, was timed with the needs of
this young empire for pioneer builders. Amos McLouth had the instincts of a builder
and the capacity for executing constructive tasks. He purchased a quarter
section of upland in eastern Jefferson county, buying from the Union Pacific
railway for $3 an acre, and engaged in farming. He became county treasurer in
1873 and again in 1877. In 1880 he was elected state senator from Jefferson
County.
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| "Tin bridge," Jefferson County, Kansas |
About this time came the Leavenworth, Topeka andSouthwestern railroad project; McLouth took a lead in furthering it, and when
it became assured that the road would pass through his farm, he proceeded to
plat a town-site thereon, and named it McLouth. The old McLouth homestead is at
the eastern border of the town, the residence being directly at the end of the
leading east-and-west street. McLouth took an active interest in affairs of the
community which developed around the shipping point, helped organize the bank
which is now the Bank of McLouth, and was an early member of the Masonic Lodge.
In the 1880s he became associated with the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron company as an engineer and salesman. He sold bridges all over
the West and South, including a long span across Galveston Bay, and by reason
of this occupation he formed an acquaintance perhaps wider than that of any
other of our early citizenry. “Tin bridges,” they are called in these days of
concrete spans, but they represented the best thought and engineering skill of
their time and their construction was one of the major factors in the taming of
the wild and boundless West. In bridging the streams they bridged distance and
knit communities together into the fabric of our social structure; they bridged
isolation and fear and changed the quality of our civilization; they bridged
time and speeded the forward march of our conquest over material forces. In
this constructive work, Uncle Amos was proud to have had a part. Given but
seven more years and he would have completed the long span of bridging a
century with his lifetime.
He later years were spent quietly at the soldier’s home,
with frequent journeys back to the old home community of McLouth and to
Oskaloosa.
He is survived by several nephews and nieces: Amos H. Leech,
Ray E. Leech and Alma Mayer, all of Oskaloosa, Kans.; Lawrence and Lewis
McLouth, of New York City; Ora Leech, Mrs. Alta Frye; Mrs. Mary Greene, Mrs.
Annie Dennis, Mrs. Ella Thistle, Lambertville, Mich.; Dr. Geo. W. Davis, of
Ottawa, Kans.; and Tulla H. Davis of Longview, Wash., are second cousins.
Funeral services were conducted by Rev. Frank Bennett,
pastor of the McLouth United Brethren church. Tributes to the memory of the
deceased were made by Judge Horace T. Phinney of Oskaloosa and Dr. Geo. W.
Davis of Ottawa.
Honorary pallbearers were H.T. Phinney, W.E. Huddleston,
R.W. Reynolds, H.H. Kimmel, T.J. Minney, M.L. Stigleman, J.W. Malloy, David
Edmonds. Active Pallbearers, D.K. Dick, A.C. Chapman, J.J. Groshong, Jas.
Graham, G.M. Casebier, H.W. Steeper, J.E. Bond, O.H. Harding.
This article appeared in “Yesteryears” in October 2008.
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