Civil War

Hiking through the woods in the area that was formally the town of Hamburg Missouri I came across one of the few remaining signs of the old town, the Roth/Heck Family Cemetery. Philip Heck was a member of the Volunteer 48th Regiment Missouri Infantry during the Civil War.

In 1941 the US Goverment needed land to build a TNT plant and forced the citizens in Hamburg, Howell & Toonerville Missouri off their land to make way for the plant. The government offered very little in the way of compensation for the land or funds to help the families re-locate. Many of the families refused to sell and were forced off their land & several who did never received any of the money that was promised by the government. After the plant shut down in February of 1947 the War Assets Administration announced that 12,000 acres of the TNT area would be “released for agricultural purposes.” It appeared that many former landowners would be able to buy back their old properties. However, by month’s end the unpleasant truth was clear: the land was being purchased by the Missouri State Conservation Commission. The former owners would not be given the opportunity to repurchase their land after all. It's an amazing story, for the compelete details please check out The TNT Story [link] a great site with the full story, photos & memories of former residents of the three towns.