Chad A Fuqua Memorial Park, located on the North side of Hollister Town Hall, features a .6 mile flat walking trail with resting benches, vintage light poles, and a gazebo. The park's location is steeped in history, reflecting the rich heritage of Hollister, Missouri, and the surrounding Ozark region.
Early Settlement and Development
With the establishment of the first US Land Office in Springfield in 1835, a migration of rugged pioneer families into the virgin Ozark wilderness of Southwest Missouri began. Malinda Fortner was one of these early pioneers. Little is known of her past or why she chose the demanding life of a homesteader.
The original 120 acre tract of land on which she established her claim in 1867 was the beginning for a crossroads settlement along the West Bank of Turkey Creek in the early 1880's. Around the turn of the century, Rueben Kirkham opened a general store and applied to the Post Office Department for permission to establish a Post Office suggesting the name HOLLISTER after the birth place of his daughter in Hollister, California. Permission was granted and in 1904 the name of the Ozarks settlement was established.
With the coming of the St Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad, the area was opened to new expansion. It became the headquarters for the Mo-Pac Agricultural Agent of the White River Division. The area achieved tremendous agricultural development.
Berries, vegetables, grape vineyards, orchards, cotton, and tobacco flourished, and the amount and variety of stock and produce shipped from the station in the early years was phenomenal.
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The Vision of an English Village
W.H. Johnson and Professor J.W. Blankenship platted and started the major development of a beautiful English style village which attracted visitors from all over the world. Johnson's dream resulted in the row of quaint Elizabethan structures which is now Downing Street. His son W.W. Johnson, built the historic Ye English Inn in 1912 and it became a stopover for travelers with special trains bringing visitors to a then remote area.
What's Hollister Missouri Like? History-Real Estate & More!
Hollister was incorporated as a town in 1910 with Professor J.W. Blankenship becoming the first mayor. Hollister is noted for bringing to Taney County the first major influx of tourism. Grape carnivals promoted by the railroad were gala affairs where men and women of an age gone by helped to build an unique English Village in the Ozarks.
Chad A. Fuqua and the Arts
Chad A. Fuqua Memorial Park also serves as a venue for community events, such as the StateoftheOzarks Writers Artists Night. This event provides an opportunity for people to exercise their creativity in collaboration with each other as a form of self-expression.
During the event, writers submit their original works to StateoftheOzarks, which then pairs many of the written pieces with regional artists, asking each artist to create an original piece inspired in some way by the written word. The event is free, open to the public, and encourages community engagement in the arts.
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