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Wentzville
St. Charles County, Missouri
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The
City of Wentzville calls itself the “The Crossroads of the Nation”
because it is conveniently located at the intersection of Interstate 70
and Highway 40-61 (Interstate 64). Wentzville was founded in 1855 as a
depot with seven blocks along the south side of the planned route of the
Northern Missouri Railroad. William P. Allen who named the town
Wentzville after Erasmus L. Wentz, Allen’s friend and the railroad’s
survey engineer, donated the land and money for the site. Wentzville
began to grow after 1857 when the railroad arrived, bypassing the older
town of Flint Hill by about four miles. During the American Civil War, the city was the site of a series of
skirmishes along the railroad from July 15 to July 17, 1861. Elements of
the 2nd and 8th Missouri Infantry Regiments en route to Mexico, Missouri
engaged Confederate guerillas that were threatening the railroad. From
the time of its founding
Wentzville became a shipping point for local farmers and the railroad
allowed the town to prosper and incorporated in 1872. During the 1870’s
Wentzville developed into a tobacco-manufacturing center, giving rise to
some of the industry’s most notable capitalists, including George S.
Myers (Ligget & Myers Co. began here) and Paul Brown (founder of Brown
Tobacco Co.)
In December 1967, before the Tet Offensive, the town
dedicated what is believed to be the first memorial to Vietnam veterans.
The original memorial was replaced in 1985 by today’s monument, a column
with a red granite base and topped by an eagle. Notable natives include
rock and roll legend Chuck Berry. The song "Back to Wentzville" by
George Thorogood is a tribute to the city of Wentzville and Berry.
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