WELDON SPRING



Weldon Spring is a city located in St. Charles County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,270. The city is named for its first settler, North Carolina frontiersman John Weldon, who in 1790 built a log home overlooking the spring which bears his name.

The city has a total area of 8.3 mi. 7.9 mi of it is land and 0.4 mi of it is water. The total area is 5.16% water.


The first Europeans to explore the Weldon Spring area were the Spainards around 1541. The area was claimed for Spain by De Soto and claimed for France by LaSalle. In 1658 King Louis XIV of France directed that a large area, that included Weldon Spring, be explored. French explorers from Quebec searched for potential locations for trading posts in the Mississippi River Valley. The French formally took possession of the area in 1682 which was part of a larger area they named Louisiana.

The village of Weldon Spring, Missouri, in St Charles county, Dardenne township; and more specifically, approximately one mile north of the Missouri river bank, and near the center of the Howell's Prairie Tract can trace its history to the days when our native Americans passed regularly through this future town.

Sioux, Osage, and other indian tribes were already here before the Europeans explored this area.  These native Americans were drawn to the beautiful spring where an unlimited supply of pure, sparkling water flowed out of the rocky hillside at a rate that exceeded the later estimation of twenty gallons per minute.  Year round water temperature at that time was estimated to be 53 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Indian's portage trail to the Misouri and Mississippi Rivers passed it and while building the new school and then the church, they found sound evidence that the hillside above the spring was a popular Indian campsite.

A frontiersman from North Carolina named John Weldon first settled Weldon Spring in 1790. He constructed a log home on high ground overlooking a spring (hence the name Weldon Spring).  During the early 1800’s Native Americans burned the cabin. Weldon, with the help of neighbors, built a larger home with four rooms downstairs, one room upstairs and two fireplaces. The Emmanuel United Church of Christ now occupies this land.

John Weldon along with his brother, Joseph Weldon were the early pioneers in Dardenne Township in approximately 1789.  It was near this date that John Weldon obtained  Spanish Grant No. 1796 for 425 acres, and Joseph obtained 340 acres.  In January, 1805, the first term of the Court for Common Pleas was held for the district of St Charles, John Weldon was amongst the first grand jurors.

The districts population in the early 1800's was then 765.  This included 275 heads of families, 95 taxable single men.  Taxes collected in 1805 totaled $501.80.

John Weldon, Sr.'s death is noted as 1815.  His burial site is not known.  He was survived by his widow and children; John Jr., Isaac, Joseph  and Catherine.

The Weldon Grant was sold by the family in 1829 and some years later John McMillin acquired at least a portion of the estate.  Earlier he had built a log home a short distance northeast of the spring.  German farmers and tradesmen began moving into the vincinty in the late 1840's.  Signs of a future town was developing.

Finally, in 1849, John McMillin, Jr. is credited with laying out the town, and calling it Weldon Spring.  The original plat shows 14 lots, some irregular in shape, on both sides of Marthasville Road (now known as Highway 94).

John M. McMillin, Jr., who is credited with laying out the town of Weldon Spring in 1849, was born December 16, 1829 to native Missourians John M. and Conanza (nee Howell) McMillian.  He married Miss Margaret M. Gates in 1852.  Possiblly it was about this time when he built his log home in Weldon Spring.

In the early 1800’s a cog mill was built, powered by water from the spring. A blacksmith shop, gun shop and gristmill were soon added. Fredrick Bunding built a general store and later added a shoemaker’s shop. He served as the village postmaster for 50 years.

In 1865, the first school was opened and in 1874, the Emmanuel Evangelical Church was constructed. It was the church, though, that really welded the little village into a close, cohesive unit.  By the mid-1800's, German immigrant families who had followed the teachings of John Calvin made up the majority of the population in and around Cottleville and Weldon Spring and the Rev. Jacob J. Hotz was to be their strong, dedicated leader coming out of the Mathasville Seminary (now Eden Seminary).  Rev Hotz preached occassionally at the school house near the spring until the church was built.

In the new year meeting of 1867, a majority of the membership seemed to favor constructing a church building near the spring.  On February 12, 1867, 4.45 acres of land adjacent to the public school including the spring were conveyed to trustees of the new church for $150.00.  The land was part of the Survey No. 1796 originally granted to John Weldon.  Rev Hotz and his wife, Verena would often visit the site of their new church, possibly to clear the land, cut down trees, burn the brush and to picnic near  John Weldon's sparkling spring.  The Hotz family moved into a newly built log house constructed on this property near the Spring and Rev hotz served from 1866 to 1868.

In 1888, the Oberle store opened for business and was until recently still in use.   Many of the original structures constructed in the community are still standing today. This early development is concentrated in the area immediately northeast of the U.S. Highway 40/61 and Missouri 94 interchange. Growth in the community continued at a very slow pace. During World War II, a TNT munitions manufacturing plant was constructed a few miles west of the community.

After construction of Interstate 70 in the mid-1950’s population growth in St. Charles County accelerated due to convenient access to St. Louis. By the early 1980’s, growth near the Weldon Spring area was cause for concern for early residents. These residents fearing massive developments in the area and loss of their rural community banded together and incorporated Weldon Spring as a town in 1984 (see photo at end of this article). The town’s status was later upgraded to that of a fourth Class City in the State of Missouri.


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