Blush

A rural post office in Polk Township maintained 1899-1904. The origin of the name could not be ascertained. (P.G., Road Map (1912)

Buckhorn

A small village in the southwest part of Big Creek Township, on Buckhorn Creek (q.v.), from which it is named. A post office was established in 1901. (Waggoner, Ferguson, P.G.)

Cedar Cabin

Beck (1823), notes Cedar Cabbin (so spelled), on his map in the extreme southern part of Twelve Mile Township.   Doubtless this was a well known stopping place or inn for travelers along the old St. Michael Trail (q.v.), from south of Greenville to St. Michael and thence to Ste. Genevieve. (Beck, Conard)

Deguire

A post office in the western part of Polk Township, maintained 1891-1897 and named for Michael Deguire, grandson of Paul Deguire  (P.G., Deguire)

Faro

A village in the northwest part of Twelve Mile Township, on the St. Francois River. The name is said to have been coined. See Saco. (Andrews)

Farrar's Mill

A post office maintained in 1867 and named for Robert Farrar, who operated the mill. The exact location of the place has been forgotten. (P.G., County Court Record, Waggoner)

French Mills

A village in the eastern part of Liberty Township on the St. Francois River, which was named for a Frenchman, Simon Durand, who owned land and operated a flour and grist mill as well as sawmills there.

The mills are no longer operated. A post office was established 1886. (Douglass I 379, Waggoner, P.G., La Plante)

German Township

See Marquand Township

Goff

A post office in the southern part of Polk Township, was maintained here 1891-1902, and named for a family.

Hahn's Mill

A community and mill in the eastern part of Castor Township. John Hahn operated a flour mill (waterpower), hereabout 1870.

The mill is still standing though it is no longer operated.(Schulte, Deguire, Ellis) (Watts)

Higdon

A small village in the northeast part of Castor Township. A post office has been maintained since1896.

It was named for Captain William H. Higdon (1839-), whose father came to Missouri from Tennessee in the 1830s. Captain Higdon served in the U. S. Army more than four years, then returned to Madison County and settled on a farm where Higdon is now located. (Douglass I 773, P.G., Ferguson, Schulte)

Ireland Township

A short-lived township in the northern part of the county, created in December, 1858, and in 1859 the "same is hereby vacated, set aside, and held for naught." Doubtless named for the country Ireland. (County Court Record)

Jack Diggins

A spot in Mine La Motte Township, about a mile east of the village which was prospected about 1868 by Jack Lunsford and others.

Was named Jack's Diggings, but in the course of time the common pronunciation prevailed and the name was spelled Diggins as it is pronounced. The loss of the apostrophe is also a common occurrence. (Watts, History of Mine La Motte)

Jewett

A post office and small village established in 1886 in the central part of Liberty Township. Possibly named for a family. The name is sometimes written Jewell. (Andrews, King)

Lance

A post office maintained 1894-1904 in the central part of Polk Township. It was named for Daniel Jefferson Lance who was born in Madison County in 1840 and owned 1,000 acres of land.

His father,Anthony Lance, came from Tennessee and put up the first wagon shop in Fredericktown. He also farmed. (Madison County Map, P.G., Madison County News, Goodspeed)

Lead Station

See Mine La Motte Station.

Marquand

A small village in the eastern part of Marquand Township, laid out in 1869 by Henry Whitener and named in honor of W. G. Marquand a director of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain Railroad, who donated a thousand dollars for building a Methodist Church in the village.(Douglass I 516, Conard IV 200, Whitener, Letts, Fitzsimmons 277-328)

Marsh Creek

A post office and rural communityin the eastern part of Liberty Township.

The post office was established in1921 and named for Marsh Creek (q.v.), on which it is located. (P.G., County Map, McCormick)

Mier

A post office maintained in 1853 in the northern part of Twelve Mile Township, named for the Mier (Meyer), family who were pioneers in the county.

The first wedding in Madison County was that of Andrew De Guire and Phebe Mier (Meyer), in 1818. (P.G., Andrews)

Mill Dam

A post office maintained in 1853 near the dam on Little St. Francis River in the central part of St. Michael Township. So named from the mill dam built for a much used flour mill. (Andrews, P.G. (1853), Schulte)

Millcreek

A small village in the western part of Castor Township on Mill Creek (q.v.), from which it is named. A post office has been maintained since 1910. (Andrews, Mouser)

New Village

A name applied to the second village of St. Michael, built after the flood of 1814 near the site of the present Fredericktown (q.v.). (Rothensteiner, Andrews, Thompson)

Pickerville

A mining village in the south part of La Motte Township. Zack Picker once owned all the land here and the place was consequently called Pickerville. (McCann)

Roselle

A village in the west part of Polk Township. A post office was established in 1896. The story concerning this name is one which Mr. Ferguson says an old man, Vinton Allen, told him.

This large community was on the main road from Ironton to Fredericktown, and in early days traveling road shows often passed by. Once the show stopped in this community and Roselle or Rosella, a girl in tights, performed. The community split into factions, the shocked or "aginsts" and the curious or"fers."

Soon after Roselle's appearance the post office was applied for and some of the "fers" suggested this name which was accepted by the post office department. Mrs. Andres, on the other hand, relates that a Mr. Downs says it is named for two daughters Rose and Ella of a settler, though who he was is not known. (Ferguson, Andrews, Douglass I 379)

Saco

A small village on Twelve Mile Creek in the west-central part of Twelve Mile Township. The name Saco was given by Carrol Ally when the post office was applied for in 1890.

The name is said to be coined, but the original words from which the syllables were selected are unknown. (Waggoner, Mouser, Brewington)

Silvermine

A small village in the southern part of Polk Township. A post office known as Einstein Silver Mine was established in 1886 and maintained under that name until 1893, since when it has been Silver Mine or Silvermine.

It had its origin in a discovery of silver made by Hiram N. Tong while following turkey tracks. He bought the land and put men to work in 1862; the results were encouraging enough to interest William Einstein, a capitalist, who bought out Tong and in 1877 organized the Silver Mountain Mining Company and began operations.

He planned to use water power and built a dam across St. Francois River, which is still in existence and the road to which is still called The Mill Dam Road. The silver mines are no longer operated. (Ferguson, Waggoner, Stevens II: 388- 390, W.P.A. Guide)

Simmstown

A small village in Mine La Motte Township, near the La Motte Mine, which existed in 1867 and was named for its most prominent family, Simms. (Watts, Schulte)

Skrainka

A Post Office kept in a farm house in the eastern part of Polk Township, 1891-1897 and named for the Skrainka Construction Company of St. Louis the operating in the county.

The construction company was owned by Wm. Fred, Louis, and Morris Skrainka. (P.G., Misouri Mother of the West V 194, Mo. G. & Dl (1890-91)

Slab Town

A village in Mine La Motte Township, so named because the houses were roughly constructed of slabs. (Cooper)

Sonderman Town

A small village in Mine La Motte Township, which was named for Ben Sonderman, who originally owned all the houses. (Sonderman)

Stringtown

A small village in Mine La Motte Township, so called because the village has only one street and the houses are in a string. (Stevenson, Mouser)

Tin Mountain

A temporary or "mushroom" community which grew up around Tin Mountain (q.v.). (Stevens II 387-88)

Twelve Mile

A settlement or village in the southern part of Twelve Mile Township, on Twelve Mile Creek (q.v.), from which it is named. (Mouser)

The Village

A spot where the original village of St. Michael stood before the flood of 1814. Nothing remains to mark the site. (Rothensteiner, Ferguson)

White Spring

A village or health resort which grew up at White Springs. Cf. above. (Andrews, White)

Zion

A post office was established here in 1886 and named from Zion Church (q.v.). It is in the south part of Central Township. (Gipson, Price)

Source:  The State Historical Society of Missouri

                Hamlett, Mayme L. "Place Names Of Six Southeast Counties Of Missouri." M.A. thesis.,                 University of Missouri-Columbia, 1938.

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