VILLAGE OF CLAYCOMO HISTORY
The Village of Claycomo started as a 412 acre farm that belonged to the Barnes family. The farm was purchased by the Munger Investment Company who made plots and acreage. Roads were graded and streets were named after poets. Mr. Munger donated land for McMurry Church and Munger School. The Claycomo Improvement Association was formed and met in the Claycomo Sunday School. Mr. John Matheson was president. On November 21, 1946 the Village of Claycomo was incorporated. On April 24, 1951 the Village of Claycomo welcomed Ford Motor Company as a local business. In 1957 a special election passed and allowed for a city hall and fire station to be built. Currently the police and municipal offices share a building and the fire department stands on its own next to the library. The Village boasts a community building that can hold as many as 300 guests and has two parks for residents to enjoy, complete with shelter houses, tennis courts and ball field.
Claycomo has come a long way from the farm land it sprang from. Major interstates, 435 and 35 cross Claycomo’s limits and 69 Highway is the main highway running through Claycomo, giving residents quick access to major thoroughfares. Several businesses call Claycomo home, including Enterprise Bank, El Sombrero Mexican, Ma & Pa Kettles, and Nelle Belle’s, Cooper Automotive, Centerfire indoor firing range, Walgreen’s Pharmacy, and may other services that benefit residents and non residents alike.
The Village puts on events throughout the year to allow residents and employees to mingle and get to know each other. Concerts in the park, bon fires, and stream clean up are all opportunities for people to gather.
Claycomo offers ambulance services, a fully staffed fire department and 24/7 police protection, a municipal court, and a committee dedicated to preserving and enhancing the parks.
Did You Know?
The Village of Claycomo was incorporated in 1946. This is
around the time when Kansas City was beginning to annex large areas of the
Northland. Most of the streets in Claycomo are named after poets, authors or
playwrights. Etymology is the study of the history of words. Street name
etymology considers how street names were selected. Typically streets are named
after numbers, landscape features, surnames or historical events. Prior to
incorporation, the area was known as Claycomo Acres. If you have historical
information to add, corrections or insight, send it in to City Hall.
Street names with known or suspected etymology:
·
Browning:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) popular English poet who married another
popular poet, Robert Browning (1812-1889) author of the Pied Piper.
·
Bryant:
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) was a poet, journalist and editor of the New
York Evening Post.
·
Drake: Joseph
Rodman Drake (1795-1820) American poet.
·
Emerson: Ralph
Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American philosopher and poet.
·
Eugene Field:
Eugene Field Sr. (1850-1895) American newspaper writer and children’s poet. His
father was the attorney in famous Dred Scott slave case.
·
Hawthorne:
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist and short story author. Wrote
The Scarlet Letter.
·
Longfellow:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American educator and poet known for
lyrical or musical style of poetry, including Paul Revere’s Ride.
·
Lowell: Robert
Lowell (1917-1977) American poet. He is related to American poets Amy Lowell,
James Russell Lowell and Maria White Lowell.
·
Munger:
Purchased the Barnes Family Farm and was the developer of Claycomo Acres.
Donated land to McMurry Church and Munger Elementary School.
·
Poe: Edgar
Allan Poe (1809-1849) American writer, poet and critic. Writing styles include
mystery and macabre, such as The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart.
·
Riley: James
Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) American writer and poet, known for children’s poems
Little Orphan Annie and Raggedy Ann and Andy.
·
Thornton:
Probably refers to Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) Author and playwright. Awarded
three Pulitzer Prizes. Perhaps the street was named for his first name, in
order to distinguish it from another popular author, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
·
Whitney:
Adeline Dutton Train Whitney (1824-1906) American girl’s writer and poet.
·
Whittier: John
Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) American Quaker poet Street names
of unknown etymology:
·
Briar Lane: Given
the nomenclature of the majority of streets in the Village, one might suspect
that this street name could be a reference to the Uncle Remus stories with
Bre’r Rabbit and the briar patch. These stories were the inspiration for the
1946 Disney movie Song Of The South and it’s song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.
·
Meadowbrook: Could
be a literal description referencing the open field sloping down to Thornton
Mill Creek. May also refer to a car made by Dodge between 1949 and 1954 called
a Meadowbrook.
·
Miriam: Could
refer to Miriam, the sister of Moses in the Bible. May also refer to a short
story, Miriam, published in 1945, by noted author Truman Capote.
·
Park: Existed
before the Village was incorporated and is listed on old maps as Park Drive.
Compiled by Captain Eric McCollom, Claycomo Fire Department
Old or Historic Photos Historic Articles and stories
Fire Department Discover North Article Feb 1975
Pancake Days Past /Discover North article 1.pdf
Police Department /Discover North article 2.pdf
/Discover North article 3.pdf
/Discover North article 4.pdf
/Discover North article 5.pdf