History of the City of Clarksville

1803
Area Purchased

Area purchased from Spain by President Thomas Jefferson. Later known as the Territory of Missouri.

1808
Trading Post Established

Trading post established for trading with Native Americans.

1817
Clarksville Established

Clarksville established, perhaps named for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

1820
Agricultural Shipping

Agricultural shipping of cotton, tobacco, wheat, corn, apples, and grapes began on flatboats south to St. Louis and New Orleans.

1821
Missouri Became a State

President James Monroe proclaimed Missouri a state.

1835
Church Organized

Methodist Episcopal Church South, organized.

1847
Clarksville Incorporated by Governor

Clarksville incorporated by Governor John Miller on land patented by to him by President James Monroe.

1850
Clarksville Received Charter
1860
Population Approached 1,200

Population approached 1,200 with dry goods stores, grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores, meat markets, restaurants, a bakery, one hotel, a printing office, barber shops, and eight factories, including a vinegar factory, a milling company, a stave and barrel factory, two tobacco factories, a paper mill, a foundry, and a sawmill. Local vineyards yielded around 12,000 gallons of wine annually.

1871
Clifford Banking Company Established
1873
Mississippi Valley Railway Purchased

Mississippi Valley Railway purchased by St. Louis Railway Co., and service extended into St. Louis in 1879.

1876
First Hotel, the Carroll House
1880
Population Reached 1,600
1886
Clarksville Hosts Bicycle Race

Clarksville hosts 50 mile bicycle race and 100 mile race in 1887.

1910
Public Library Built
1921
Public Water System Established
1937
Fire Department Organized
1938
Municipal Light and Power Plant Constructed
1939
Dam #24 Construction Completed
1953
Clopton School Constructed
1962
Skylift Construction Completed
1966
Dundee Cement Company

Natural gas piped into community. Dundee Cement Company constructed.

1970
First Public Sanitary Sewer Completed
1993
Flood Level 37.5 on July 29
2005
City Website Established
2006
Terracing Steps Project Completed
2008
New Water Treatment Facility

Flood level 36.7 on June 23. New Water Treatment Facility completed in December.

2009
Clarksville Population 490
2011
River Front Park Project Completed

River Front Park Project completed, including: Park Entrance construction, walking path surrounding entire park area, new benches in place, and fence and ground work.

2012
Street Overlay & Storm Water Drainage Project Completed

Street Overlay and Storm Water Drainage project completed. Required Lagoon improvement initiated.

2013
MODOT Replacements & Repairs

MODOT 5 year replacement and repair project for 9 bridges on Highway 79 begins with completion in 2018.

2019
Flood Stage 37.11, Continuing for Longest Period in History
2022
Water Tower Construction Completed
2023
Flood Defense System Funded & Contractors Selected
2025
Greenwood Cemetery Formally Known as Public Burial Site