What is the history of Sedalia, Missouri?
The area that became Sedalia was founded by General George R. Smith in 1857 with the name Sedville. Until it was incorporated in 1860 as Sedalia, the city existed only on paper. General Smith would later go on to found nearby Smithton, Missouri. Both Sedville and Sedalia were named after Smith’s daughter, Sarah “Sed” Smith-Cotton. According to local lore, the town council changed the name to Sedalia in part because “towns that end in -ville don’t amount to anything.” (Lawrence Ditton) Sedalia’s early prosperity was directly related to the railroad industry with tracks and machine shops for the Missouri Pacific and Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad lines. Sedalia was also an important railhead for the Texas cattle drive of 1866. Sedalia’s library was built in 1895 and was the first of the Carnegie libraryCarnegie libraries in Missouri. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its magnificent white pillars distinguish it from the Victorian style architecture around the area
