COMO and NORTHCOTT

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 COMO

      Como was started about 1880-1881 on the south side of today’s State Highway 58 about one fourth mile east of the Coffey County/Anderson County line. A post office was established there in 1881. Como’s hope was the St. Louis and Emporia Railroad would go through the town. The railroad was built in 1887 but passed one half mile to the south of the town.

     A new town sprung up about two and half miles east and half mile south of Como on the railroad and was named Northcott. The post office in Como was moved to Northcott in 1887 and the town quickly died. Today the town site of Como is the backyard of a local resident.

NORTHCOTT

      Northcott has the distinction of being the youngest town in Anderson County. In the fall of 1887, the St. Louis and Emporia Railroad laid tracks from the east county line in southern Anderson County running through the towns of Kincaid, Lone Elm, and Colony and on west to the Coffey County line. The small town of Como was on the Coffey County line on the west edge of Anderson County and believed the railroad would go through their town. However, Como was disappointed as the railroad passed south of the town. 

     Northcott sprung up along the railroad in the fall of 1887. On New Year’s Day, 1888, the first train ran on the tracks and the Northcott Depot was opened. The founders of the new town were J.M. Wandel and Charles LaRue. Wandel and LaRue built a general store in 1887 and the post office moved from Como to Northcott into the store. A cream station and poultry house were also at the store. Wandel became the first postmaster and railroad station agent. A second grocery store was built by Mr. Lucas, but he soon sold it to J.M. Wandel who connected the two store buildings and used one as his residence. The town also had a blacksmith shop, stock yards, and scales. Northcott was a hay shipping center in western Anderson County. There were at least six residences in the town.

     Dr. Henry Jefferson Lamons in 1903 purchased the general store and became the local preacher, postmaster, merchant and doctor. He was known for his treatment of skin cancers. A local lady once commented, “Dr. Lamons born ‘em, marries ‘em, and buries ‘em.”

The general store was purchased by Ernest and Sally Birge in 1911. Again the store was sold in 1914 to Bill and Ethel Bozeman. Bozeman bought hay and shipped it out of Northcott. Several large hay barns were located in Northcott and it was known as the “Hay Capital” of the United States for several years. Sam McDaniels and Hickory Foxworthy bought the general store in 1923. There was no longer a post office in town as it had been closed in 1906. The entire stock and building of the general store was sold in 1929 for $800.00. The building was used as a blacksmith shop and no other businesses existed in Northcott. The railroad was  removed in 1933. 

     In April, 2001, the Anderson County Commissioners took steps to vacate the old city streets and alleys of Northcott. Originally the town had been platted with streets and alleys and approved by the county commissioners when the town was originally formed. Vacating the town streets and alleys left the site to its present agricultural designation.

In 1898 the Methodist Episcopal Church was built north of the railroad tracks. The church’s first pastor was Rev. H.A. Cook. The church was last used for services in Northcott in 1919. After the church closed Charles Fox became the owner of the building and it was used for a granary. The Westphalia Methodist Church was destroyed by fire May 9, 1939. The congregation purchased the old Northcott Methodist Church and moved it to Westphalia on December 1, 1939. They did extensive repairs and restored the building and they had continuous church services until sometime between 1984-1986. They had a contents and property sale in 1987 and the building was torn down in 1988. 

     Sometime prior to 1912 a young woman named Jennie Morton arrived in Northcott. No one knew for sure why she came to town. Sharon Voorhees, a pastor at the Northcott Christian Church, said in early days the Church of Christ-Christian would send young women out into a town to start a Sunday School. In late 1912 a Christian Church was built south of the railroad tracks, probably due to Jenny Morton starting the Sunday School classes. She was the church’s first pastor. She later married a local man, Theodore Matter. Sunday School and Church services were held along with many activities including penny suppers. The church continues to be active at this writing with Sunday School and Church Services. Today Northcott is known only as a community and the only reminder there was ever a town located there is the Northcott Church. 

     Information for Northcott came from articles provided by Shirley McGhee and information provided by Darwin Kurtz, Dennis Tastove, Marilyn Ballard and the Anderson County Historical Society history book.