14 April.pdf 2014 Pleasant Hill Chamber Directory | Page 8

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History

2014 PLEASANT HILL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DIRECTORY

mud. On the inside, about five feet from the
west wall and about five feet high, another
log was placed, running the width of the
building. This log and those of the west
wall supported the chimney. Fuel of any

length, not greater than the width of the
building could then be used. When it was
burned through the middle, the ends were
then pushed together so that they could be
burned. The door was of clapboards and on
either side of a piece of one log was cut out
and over the apertures greased paper was
pasted to make windows. Wooden pins
were driven into the logs running lengthwise, just beneath the windows, upon
which was laid a board for the writing
desks. Seats were stools or benches made
of logs."
The first brick school was built in 1868.
It was a three story building and was called
the "Union School".
In 1886, it was replaced by another
structure called the "Central School" and
housed grade school and later high school
classes. In 1923, a modern brick high
school was built next to the Central School
and for a while the two schools stood sideby-side until Central School was torn
down. It is said that a dozen houses was
built from the lumber of Central School. In
1985, this building was torn down and the
present District Offices and Elementary
school now stand where old Central and
the newer school stood.
During the Civil War, Missouri's Civil

War governor, Hamilton R. Gamble
started construction of a large stone mansion in Pleasant Hill. He died before the
War ended and before he could finish the
mansion, but his widow and son finished it
in 1866. Legend says that the family disappeared one night, leaving their evening
meal uneaten on the table as though they
intended to return within a few minutes.
Recently, it has been discovered that Mrs.
Gamble and her son are buried in Salt
Lake City, Utah where they evidently escaped retribution from certain pro-southerners. Some years later, Professor Poole
est