The community of Enon, near the southeast corner of Moniteau County, came into existence through the entrepreneurial spirit of James McGinnis, who built the first house in the developing community in 1869.
In the coming years, the McGinnis family became involved in businesses and community activities — most notably a bank and a church. These two early structures remain one of few surviving links to his vision and a town that has nearly faded with the loss of mining operations and a railroad spur.
“The railroad coming through Enon in 1881 contributed to its growth,” wrote the late Dorothy Medlen in a summary for the 1988 book celebrating the sesquicentennial of Russellville.
“A plat was made in 1891 by Mr. McDowell and Mr. (Andrew) McGinnis and presented at the Moniteau County Courthouse,” she added.
More than one popular story has been handed down through generations that explains how the settlement of Enon received its name. However, the most widely accepted has biblical roots that refer to a watery site named AEnon, where, it was written, John the Baptist performed baptisms.
“(Mary Jane) McGinnis gave the name AEnon to the village when the Post Office was established back in the (1880s)” noted the “Historical Sketch of the Concord Baptist Association and its Churches,” printed in 1973. “The name was taken from John 3:23 and seemed fitting because the Moreau River flowed through the community and often flooded the lowlands.”
The railroad helped inspire several business endeavors such as a grist mill, general merchandise stores, harness shop, poultry house and drug store, to name but a few. One-room schoolhouses were also built in the area throughout the next several years and included New Zion School, Lincoln School, Mount Herman School and Contention School (later renamed Enon School).
Yet this slow and steady growth brought on by the railroad would soon be eclipsed by a massive, but short-lived, population explosion.
“Enon reached it peak as a boom town in 1901, when the mining town sprung up, on the hill west of town known as Tatesville,” explained the 1980 book “Moniteau County, Missouri History.” The book added, “It was platted by N.O. Tate, who was a foreman for the Central Missouri Mining Company. Miners rushed in and the population soon reached 750.”
An article appearing in the Miller County Autogram-Sentinel on Sept. 19, 1901, reported the mining company was erecting many fancy buildings, one of which was to have heated water, electric lights and contain a “bank, two stores, hotel, restaurant and barber shop.” Additionally, a company manager was quoted as saying, “Electric streetcars will be running in Enon in 14 months.”
But as quickly as this unprecedented growth came to the small settlement, it disappeared because of difficulties in securing financing for the mines. The mines soon closed, and Enon returned to its pre-boom existence as a small, non-descript town on the Bagnell Branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
For decades, the foundations of the buildings erected for the erstwhile mining community were left to crumble in a pasture along a gravel road west of Enon. This road, which was once the main route through the community, has been replaced by state Highway A, while the foundations have been removed.
The faith of Enon residents remained a central focus of their daily lives, inspiring a handful of those who had been attending the Rock Enon Baptist Church to establish a new congregation a few miles away in the community of Enon in 1899. The following year, the first Sunday school classes were held.
“First services were held west of the railroad tracks on the south side of McDowell Street, in a building used for a poultry and creamy buying station, which was bought by ardent Christian leader, Mrs. Mary Jane (Slayton) McGinnis,” wrote Dorothy Medlen.
The church was officially organized in 1904 and was for many years known as Enon Baptist No. 2 (Rock Enon Baptist was Enon Baptist No. 1) or Enon Station. The original “Rules of Decorum” highlighted expectations of its membership and were formalized in writing shortly after the 1904 organization of the church.
“No matter of dealings against a member shall be taken unless the legal steps of the gospel according to the 18th chapter of St. Matthew have been taken except for public offenses, which may be brought first to the church,” the records read.
Robert A. McGirk donated the property for a new church to be built in 1908. McGirk was the grandfather to the late Marjorie Morrow — a lifelong member of the church who played organ and piano and later finished a 43-year career as an educator after teaching at Enon School and later in Russellville.
A new church building was completed in 1909 at the cost of $1,000, and the congregation soon welcomed its first minister, the Rev. James M. Henderson. There were many occasions when large baptismal events were held in the nearby Moreau River, one of which was attended by 300 people in 1915.
The next few years were defined by growth in the church and the surrounding community, highlighted by the establishment of the Enon Exchange Bank in 1916.
The following year, a small brick building was erected west of the church to serve as the banking facility. John M. McGinnis, whose father helped plat Enon in 1891, was appointed to serve as the new bank’s president.
The community would weather the tumultuous period of World War I and the Spanish influenza pandemic, but the advent of the Great Depression and loss of the railroad would later signal disaster for the small community and test the endurance of Enon Baptist Church.
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of “Hidden History of Cole County.”
Courtesy/Christopher Jones
This 1904 photograph features John Henry Jones, left, an early deacon of Enon Baptist Church. Next to him is John McGinnis, also an early church member who served as the first president of Enon Exchange Bank.