Pilot Grove Center Church 1953

   It is said that the name "Pilot Grove" came into existence because the groves in the southwestern part of the township were used as landmarks to pilot the Indians and perhaps caravans across the county, and until recently, there were trace of trails in these woods. 

   The first mention of Pilot Grove in the public records of the county is from the County board proceedings of April 18, 1861. The name Pilot Grove as a subdivision of the county occurs for the first time under the date of Sept. 6, 1870. At the time an order was passed making all of township 73, range 37 into one civil township by the name of Pilot Grove.

   On January 3, 1871, A. B. Milner was allowed $7 as clerk of Pilot Grove township for the year 1870, and is the first officer mentioned in any records. Other officers were Briggs Olds who served as trustee and B. L. St. Clair as assessor in 1870. The next year W. J. Petty and A. Harrison were trustees with J. A. Deming clerk.  In 1872, Edwin B. Kerr was clerk and J. A. Shuey, justice of peace.

   Among first settlers, and probably the first, was John Dodd who homesteaded in the southwestern part of the township and whose son Joseph, born Dec. 5, 1850, was the first boy born in the township. The first girl baby was Prudy Cook born in April 1856. In 1853 Samuel Coe settled at Coe's Grove, Sec. 7, near Elliott and L. C. Cook and John Burnside came in 1854 with A. M. Powell settling in 1856. They remained only a short time moving to other parts of the county. Jacob Focht came from Ohio settling in 1856. They remained only a short time moving to other parts of the county. Jacob Focht came from Ohio settling in the eastern part of the township in 1856. The winter of 1856 was extremely cold, with snow on the ground from December to March, and Mr. Focht had to go to Savannah, Mo. for groceries and clothing as it was the nearest trading post. In 1861 Mr. Focht enlisted in Co. F, 106th regiment and was mustered out in 1861 and returned to Pilot Grove to make his home. The first marriage in the township was that of James Penry in the spring of 1857 by Squire Conner on the Nodaway.

   Settlers came from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York after the Civil War and by 1869 the township was growing. The people who came from the east were unable to cross the Tarkio because there were no bridges and the first settlers remained on the east side of the creek. The land was owned by the railroads, schools and speculators and early settlers paid from $3 to $10 an acre for it. Transportation was slow and difficult those days.  L. R. Fuller came by covered wagon and bought his land on the east side of the Tarkio. There were no schools, but he established a blacksmith shop and had a fine race track with fine horses from all over the country. He built the first big barn in the township, part of which is still standing.

   J. W. Pettit, another early settler, came with a yoke of steers from Wisconsin and "broke prairie" for other settlers to make payment on his first 60 acres of land. Corn was 15 cents a bushel and interest rates 18 per cent. Jack Pettit came by foot from Indiana about this time and was known all over the countryside as "Uncle Jack".

   One of the first things the early settlers did was plant trees and many planted large orchards. In 1870 Thomas Wall and I. H. Page each set out 500 apple trees and in 1880 Mr. Wall raised 200 bushels of "very fine apples."

   The first school was called Pilot Grove and was located in the district which is now No. 9. The first building stood on what is now known as the J. D. Baird farm in the southwest corner where the east and west road joins the north and south graveled road. There is still a depression marking the spot. The desks were logs were logs split in half and the seats were similar style. It was here that Mr. Edson Buss went to school when he came to Pilot Grove, walking four miles either barefoot or wearing cowhide boots. Later the location was moved to the site known as Sunny Dale, where the present school building now stands. By 1881 there were nine un-graded schools with 6 men and 3 women teachers, a total of 244 pupils and an average attendance of 170. At this time the average cost of tuition per month was $1.25 for each pupil. In 1920, after much controversy, Pilot Grove school districts consolidated, but.....

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1930 Pilot Grove Sunday School Class