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New London, Perry, &
Center New London New London was platted in 1819 just south of the Salt River by William Jamieson, a Virginian settler from Virginia. Jamieson was by employed by Charles Dehault Delassus, the last Spanish lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana, to bring in homesteaders to the region. The town is believed to have been named after New London, Conn., which in turn was named after London, England. New London's location on the Salt River Country Road (which later became known as the Red Ball Road and then US-61) and the arrival of a spur of the St. Louis, Hannibal, & Keokuk Railroad in the late 1870’s helped the town prosper. New London was named the county seat after Ralls County was organized in 1820. The first courthouse was a two-story log building that was completed in 1822. The courtroom was located on the upper floor with the lower floor being divided into a jail and a dungeon. A second courthouse made of brick was completed in 1835. The current courthouse was completed in 1858 and is on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered one of the finest examples of the Greek Revival period in architecture in the Midwest. This two-story temple-style courthouse features a two-story full-facade colonnaded porch and an impressive cupola. The courthouse exists in its original condition and its interior is kept in authentic repair. The facade was the model for Missouri’s buildings at the Missouri buildings in the 1939 New York World’s Fair and San Francisco Golden Gate International Exhibition. Perry The Perry area was settled as early as 1818 with a trading center being established at Lick Creek Crossing. This community was known by its post office names of Cove Springs and Lick Creek until Perry Crosswaithe and A. Mayhall platted Perry 1866. A branch of the St. Louis and Hannibal “Short Line” Railroad was completed to the town in 1892. There were large orchards of apples in the Perry in the first part of the twentieth century. Other products that have been manufactured in Perry were cigars, bricks, milk bottle carriers, hog catchers, soda, and water. The largest collection of Mark Twain first editions can be found at the offices of the Mark Twain Research Foundation. Mark Twain murals by Ellen Long Elam can be seen the Perry State Bank reception room. They may be viewed by appointment if the bank is closed. Mark Twain State Park, Mark Twain Lake, and the Clarence Cannon are only minutes away from Perry. Center Center
was platted in 1871 James Mason in the center of a 12-mile prairie near the
center of Ralls County with the hopes of attracting the county seat from New
London. A spur of the St. Louis & Hannibal Railroad was built in the
early 1890s and attracted most of the businesses from nearby Madisonville.
In the early 20th century there still was sentiment to move the county seat
to Center. An election was held in 1908 and open trenches can still be seen
in Center where oxen were barbecued to insure a maximum number of voters
election day. Although a barrel of whiskey accompanied the barbecue, the
proposal failed.
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