The village of St. Michaels, of which Fredericktown is the successor, was established about 1802 by several French families that had received grants of land in the vicinity.  It consisted of a little cluster of log houses, some twelve or fifteen in number, and a store kept by Charles G. Goin.  

When, in June 1814, the Saline and Castor Creeks overflowed their banks, an drove the inhabitants out, some of the families refused to return, and established what was known as the new village, one and one-half miles north of St. Michaels, where in 1820 a church was built.  

In 1819 Fredericktown was laid off on the Saline, opposite St. Michaels, on land owned by Nathaniel Cook, by Theodore F. Tong, John Burdett, Joseph Bennett and Herry Whitener, commissioners appointed for that purpose.  It was named in honor of George Frederick Bollinger, of Cape Girardeau County.  

The first stores were opened by S. A. Guignon, S. B. Pratte, and Moses and Caleb Cox.  The former occupied a house just below where Dr. Nifong's office now is, and the latter house standing on the site of W. L. Cohen's residence.  Zenas Smith, Henry Janis & Co. and John B. Bossier were merchants there at a little later

date.  

A hotel was opened by Moses Baird, where Judge Allen now lives.  

In 1827 the town was incorporated with Moses Cox, Thomas Mosely, Jr., Zenas Smith, Moses Baird and S. A. Guignon as the first board of trustees.  The town grew slowly, but did not change very much until after the completion of the railroad..  In a list of the business men of the "fifties" are found S. A. Guignon, Gregoire & Leclere, William Cox, George Janis, T. S. Nifong, H. N. Tong and Henry Wernecke.

In 1847 a newspaper called the Expial was established by James Lindsay, and is said to have been the first Free Soil paper in the state.  It was published but a short time.  

About 1855 W. H. Booth began the publication of the Fredericktown Journal, which he continued until September, 1861.

In 1866 the Conservative was established by S. Henry Smith.  He sold the office to Charles E. Barroll, who published the Bee about two years.  It was then purchased by E. P. Caruthers, and in 1875 was merged into the Plain Dealer, which was established by William Gosner in 1874.  

In 1876 W. J. Collier became the editor and proprietor, and continued the publication until 1882, when it passed in the hands of the present owner, O. K. Clardy.  The Fredericktown Standard was established by E. D. Anthony

in December, 1887.  The Jeffersonian, edited by H. M. Williams, the Farmer and Miner, by C. W.Dunifer, and the Clarion, by Perry D. Martin, have each had a brief existence at Fredericktown.  A paper called the Advertiser was published at Mine La Motte for a few months in 1877.

During the past ten years Fredericktown  has made great progress, both in the number of inhabitants and the character of its buildings.  It now covers, not only the original site of Fredericktown, but that of the old village of St. Micheals and all the intervening ground.  The following is a business directory of the town:

General Merchandise

A. & W. Pierce

J. & V. Schlessinger

John E. Clardy

Crow & Buford Bros.

W. L. Cohen

Drugs

Dr. L. J. Villars

H. Christoph

Hardware

L. Riggs & Co.

C. Bengert

Groceries

Menteer Bros.

Henry Jones

James G. Donnell

Harness

H. W. Schwerner

James McKinney

Undertakers

R. Brooks

E. H. Day

Marble Works

L. M. Hebner

Wagon and Blacksmith Shop

T. N. Horne

Liberty Roller Mills

M. De Guire & Co.

 Source:  History of Southeast Missouri  1888