Wentzville

Wentzville, Missouri, was founded in 1855 by William M. Allen, a tobacco farmer and state senator. Allen knew that the new railroad would run through Missouri, so he used his senatorial influence to convince railroad engineers, particularly chief engineer Erasmus Livingston Wentz, to lay the tracks through his farmland and build a station with a promise to name the town after Wentz. The tobacco industry became a driving force for Wentzville's early growth. Since 1983, when General Motors built its plant on the outskirts of town, the population has exploded. Yet the Wentzville historic area maintains a small-town feeling that charms anyone who takes the time to explore.

Deborah Bowman is vice president of Wentzville Historical Society and is a member of the city's Downtown Committee and the Wentzville Arts Council. She has her master of fine arts degree in creative writing, is the senior managing editor of two medical journals, and is on the Board of the International Society of Managing and Technical Editors. Larry Marshall has been the president of Wentzville Historical Society for over 13 years and is vice president of the Wentzville Main Street Association. He has an intense interest and impressive knowledge of the history of Wentzville.