Betty Mirly discovered enough
information to write a book on the history of her hometown. And she
doesn’t even like history.
While doing a volunteer research project for the Scott County Historical
Association, Mirly learned that Chaffee is 90 years old this month.
I first got interested
in my family history,” she said. “I like the information and the stories
behind them.”
Mirly, who has lived in
Chaffee for about 50 years, found plenty of interesting stories while
researching the town’s origins. One focuses on the town’s name.
There are two
conflicting stories about how the town got its name in 1905. One group
believes that the town was named after a St. Louis real estate
developer. Another believes it was named after a war hero, Edna R.
Chaffee, who served in the Spanish-American War.
Although no one knows
for certain, it is more likely that the town was named after the Chaffee
Real Estate Company, Mirly said.
The company bought the
land for the city, and all the city streets except two, Heeb and Helen
streets — was named after prominent developers.
Of the 1,800 acres that
became the city of Chaffee, 150 acres were later given to the railroad
for a terminal.
The railroad is what put
Chaffee on the map,” Mirly said, adding that the site was chosen because
it was halfway between St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn.
During its early years,
the town was infamous among railroad workers because of its malaria
epidemic. Many of the workers lived in tents near the railroad station,
which used to be part of a swamp.
Mirly began her research
project about three weeks ago. She started at the library, but found
much of her information from local residents.
“People have really
responded,” she said. ‘There’s a lot of history in the town.
Now Mirly wants to
compile some of those facts and stories into a book.
“The hardest thing is
deciding where to start,” she said. “It’s like hitting the jackpot.”
She hopes to include a
history of the schools, churches and businesses in the town.
“I feel that Chaffee,
for its population, has more churches than other small towns around,”
she said.
Although the town
doesn’t have any celebration planned, it has held celebrations for its
50th and 75th anniversaries
“It will be interesting
to see what they do in 2005,” she said.
