On August 9, 1769, a baby boy was born in Augusta County, Virginia, and was christened Kinkead Caldwell. The boy
became a man, and the man became a Captain of Militia, a Justice of the Court, and conveniently for us, the first
white settler in Franklin County.
Five generations later, another Caldwell lives on that same land, in a house built by his ancestors so long ago.
From the pioneer days to the space age, the Caldwells have left their footprints in the sands of time; for the
"Caldwell Place," as it is known, will become a historical museium for Franklin County.
The two-story brick home is on a Centennial Farm about four miles from Hwy 47 at Washington on Bieker Road. The site
includes seven buildings and a new home the Caldwells are building.
Our twentieth-century Caldwell, Samuel and his wife, Vertese have no children. "We didn't have anybody to leave it to, so we
just thought that would be one way to preserve it," he said. He deeded the property to the Department of Conservation,
retaining a life interest, and the Franklin County Historical Society has leased the buildings as a shelter for
historical artifacts.
Preserving the land and its history are important to the farm couple, who know first-hand how the cities creep out and
gobble up the wilds. "I tell you," Sam said emphatically, "The first time I went to St. Louis, the City of St. Louis
extended just to Kingshighway. Look where it is now!" he said with a sweep of his hand. "And where are the young
people going to go if we don't preserve some of this?"
The Caldwells, meanwhile, are footing the bill for construction of a second house nearby, where they'll live as caretakers
for the museum, model farm and wildlife center. Sam is building the house with his own two hands, just like he worked the
farm. But he calls the new house "instant housing" when compared to the way the "Caldwell Place" was built.
The way things were in those days," he motioned, "you didn't have 'instant housing'>" They cut cordwood, hauled that to
town, and then there were three kilns there in Washington, and they traded firewood for bricks. Then they cut part of
the rest of the wood from here--and they bartered for more wood--and that's the way they got going."
"And the rock . . . see they had to quarry their rock. . . you had an old drill that you had to use by hand to drill
with . . . everything was a lot different in those days than now," he said with a knowing smile. "Now back then . . ."
Back then. Back to Kinkead, who in 1798 obtained a Spanish Land Grant for 800 Arpents (Spanish measure of acreage) where
the Washington Industrial Tract lies now. . . "And you know," Samuel said, rubbing his chin with a gnarled hand, "I always
wondered why they left up there, left that good place up there and come out here on this rocky knoll."
"Well, you know," he said, "it was on account of the Indians. The Indians would use the river for a road, for
travel, and they would go back just about a mile from the river, and that was a far as they would go. Now, here, we're three
miles from the river, so you see they were out of danger here."
Kinkead, who came to Missouri when he was about 30, had married Sarah Kincaid, and the couple had a daughter, Lucinda,
on the banks of the Muddy Missouri. There followed a daaughter Annis, who died at four months of age; Virginia
Jane, born in 1804; a son, Kincaid, born in 1808 on the Spanish Land Grant; and a son, John.
By 1802, Kinkead was serving the Spanish as "Captain of Militia" and Justice of the Peace for Port Labaddie. He
held many important positions, and when the Franklin County Seat was at Newport, the first Justice was none other than
Kinkead Caldwell.
Kinkead had acquired considerable land for himself, including the several hundred acres on Dubois Creek where the
"Caldwell Place" stands today. In 1817, he and his son John built a log cabin near the creek; and in 1879, John's son,
Samue, built the brick home which will house the new museum.
Samuel built the new brick house with the help of his son, John William, then only eleven years old, on a knoll about
a fourth-mile from the original log cabin. John married, and beget a son, our twentieth-century Samuel, and a great great
grandson of Franklin County's first settler.
And Samuel E. Caldwell, fifth generation Franklin Countian, has decided to preserve his lands in the wilds. "Oh,
we had opposition to it," he said thoughtfully. "Some of them didn't want us to do it. But," he said with
resignation, "I don't care what you do, there is going to be opposition to it."
"You know," he added, "Jim Miller . . . I guess you know him . . . I was talking to him when I was worrying about it,
whether to do it or not. And he finally said, "You just as well forget about the opposition, 'cause if you try to
please everybody, you ain't even gonna please yourself."
So Sam did it. He preserved the wildlife, the buildings, the Caldwell legacy. And soon there'll be a very old, brand
new museum.
And these days, for a mighty good reason, Samuel E. Caldwell is at peace with himself.
Article covers the whole page and has a picture of the home, a picture of one side of the house and a picture of
Vertese and Samuel E. Caldwell. We will try to get digitized images to add later.