Clarksville City

Pike County, Missouri

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Clarksville City Hall is located at 111 Howard Street, Clarksville, MO 63336.
Phone: 573‑242‑3336.

Incorporated in 1887, Clarksville lies along the Great River Road, approximately half way between Hannibal and St. Louis. The city was named for Territorial Governor William Clark.

Beginnings [1]

The settlement of Clarksville dates from 1816. Before 1820, it is said, Territorial Governor William Clark, en route from St. Louis from Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, spent a winter here with a company of soldiers. In the 1850s rivermen called the place Appletown, because of the quantity of apples shipped each fall. The vicinity of Clarksville was overrun with rattlesnakes in the early days. According to John Davis, who settled in Missouri in 1820 and lived at Clarksville for many years, "snaking frolics" were a favorite pastime. On one occasion Mr. Davis and his neighbors killed 700 rattlesnakes in one day on a knob near the town. The record was later surpassed by Miles Price, constable and justice of the peace in Pike County.

  1. Federal Writers Project, Works Progress Administration, Missouri: A Guide to the "Show Me" State, American Guide Series, 1941, Missouri State Highway Department

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