Galloway in years gone by. (Courtesy of Sandy Wilson Reese)

GALLOWAY – Younger generations around Springfield know Galloway as a quirky, quiet destination that’s perfect for a happy hour with friends. A peaceful place to run through on the Galloway Creek Greenway trail; to retreat and reflect in Sequiota Park. Or, in recent months, as a hip place to live — given an explosion of development, including high-rise apartment communities, that came after the area was declared blighted in 2014.

Other people, however, remember a Galloway much different from the version most know today.

A Galloway that was separate from Springfield, and where families have spent generations. A Galloway that was a “company” town, where the lime plant was the center of the world. A Galloway that was full of historic buildings.

A Galloway that, they’re afraid, may quickly be lost forever.

In response to the magnitude of recent change, longtime residents have energized and organized. A neighborhood association was officially approved in November 2018. That same month, Springfield City Council approved a nine-month moratorium on new development, giving time for neighbors and officials to develop a thoughtful approach to the future of the area.

In the meantime, locals are also working on something else: Having Galloway structures designated as historic sites, giving a level of protection to the landmarks left of the community’s former life.

“The (developers’) attitude is that it’s old, and it needs to be gone,” says Kim Sisco-Yarham, a generational Galloway resident who is helping with the preservation efforts. “That it’s not anyone’s home or memories.”

Looking back

Nearly 200 years of history tie to the area today known as Galloway. It’s named for Major Charles Galloway, a Mexican-American War and Civil War veteran who was also a locally well-known farmer and merchant.

However, the first white man in the area is said to have been Jacob Painter. In 1840, abstract records show he spent $200 to purchase 160 acres of land that he later broke up and sold to locals.

Around a half-century later, the area’s main lifeblood — its quarry — really took off. It was purchased by Ash Grove Lime Works, a transaction that seemingly happened in the 1880s.

Upon the purchase, the community grew, thanks to the relocation of employees to the quarry, which also had operations throughout the Ozarks.

The area along today’s Lone Pine Avenue was much different in those days than nowadays. While the avenue ends near the intersection of U.S. 60 and 65, in the past it went through and was the first road to connect Springfield and Branson. It was a stop on the Chadwick Flyer, a rail route that went between Springfield and the Christian County town of Chadwick.

The area was also popular with tourists. Even in the late 1800s, visitors frequently came out to nearby Fisher’s Cave — at today’s Sequiota Park — for picnics and more. Such excursions were routinely chronicled in the newspaper, at times in great (and today, humorous) detail. Here’s an 1891 example from the Springfield Daily Democrat:

“The Chadwick train yesterday morning had a special coach filled with a jolly crowd of picnickers from the North Side bound for the Fisher Cave to spend the day. The front apartment of the car contained the ladies with one solitary husband of healthy aspect who, in profound meekness of spirit, occupied a secluded corner seat and listened in reverent silence to the animated chatter of feminine voices around him. The ladies were all married and happy, judging from their lively conversation and bright faces. A Democrat representative, always alert for such inviting news and quick to recognize ‘a thing of beauty as a joy forever,’ boarded the car at the Phelps Avenue depot and hastily surveyed the party. “After paying that regard to the fair excursionists prompted by a native impulse of gallantry, the newspaper representative turned to the lonely gentleman in the obscure corner of the car. He was of goodly build, and would have balanced the standard scales of the stock yards at about 225 pounds. “‘Have you the honor of chaperoning this handsome party?’ asked the reporter of the meek gentleman in holiday attire. Before the man could reply to this query, a chorus of musical voices answered: ‘Oh no; we admitted him in here for ballast only. He was elected to that seat because of his avoirdupois, just as sand is taken into a balloon by aerial voyagers. We have a chaperone of our own sex.’ “Going into the smoking car, the reporter found a number of husbands engaged in various masculine pastimes. Judge Sheffield and three other men had improvised a card table of one of the cushioned seats and were in the midst of an absorbing game of ‘sell out.’ The judge handled the cards deftly as though he had learned the art of shuffling the deck in a hay loft when the church bells were calling the pious boys to Sunday school. The north side justice looked at least twenty years younger than when he was trying the celebrated ‘Old Cook’ case last summer and endeavoring to find the rightful owner of ‘Top-knot,’ and her brood of spring chickens. “The party had a good supply of dinner baskets, and leaving ‘dull care’ behind, intended to make the day one of genuine pleasure and recreation. They returned in the afternoon as happy as school children who had been off on a vacation excursion.”

In addition to its touristic appeal, the cave and surrounding land were also used for various things at other times.

Inside the cave (Courtesy of the Springfield News-Leader)

At one point, the cave was used as a grocery store (operated by the aforementioned Maj. Charles Galloway); to raise mushrooms, rhubarb, celery and frogs, for their legs; and eventually, as a fish hatchery and state park, which spanned 1920 to 1959, when the operation was relocated to Table Rock Lake. Just down the road, Half-a-Hill, a popular dance hall, was added in 1920.

Inside the fish hatchery in 1952 (Courtesy of the Springfield News-Leader)

Bleeding on the border of Sequiota, though, was Galloway — and home for the folks who lived there, some of who today even go back generations.

Jack Sisco is part of one of those families. Today 84 years old, Sisco’s ancestors have been part of the area since long before he was born.

Jack Sisco is the small child held at right; the photo was taken near the hatchery in the late 1930s. (Courtesy of the Sisco Family)

“My grandpa lived here, and he worked at the lime plant,” says Sisco, who today lives in the heart of Galloway. His father worked there, too, and so did he — for a while, anyway.

“Two weeks,” says Sisco of his time at the plant. “I couldn’t breathe that lime dust, myself.”

The dust is one thing residents remember about Galloway from days gone by. Production at the quarry eventually changed, so dust isn’t an issue these days. But back in the past, it was nearly impossible to keep white powder from descending on everything.

“It’s a lot different since they took the (rock-crushing) machines out,” says Sue Sisco, Jack Sisco’s wife, who has lived in the area for around 60 years. “They can’t coat the houses with the lime dust.”

She talks about the days before air conditioning, when they really wanted to open the windows. “But if you left the windows open, your whole house would be covered (with dust),” she says.

The family doesn’t know of any long-term health effects, but says that at the time, there were individuals who dealt with related issues.

“There was a lot of people sick from that,” says one Sisco family member. “I don’t think there were any claims. They had to have a job.”

There were the louder-than-life whistles from the quarry, as well as a whole lotta shaking — though Jerry Lee Lewis wasn’t anywhere around.

“The house would shake,” says Shirley Cofer, a cousin of Jack Sisco who also grew up in Galloway in the 1960s and ’70s. “You just got used to it. If we’d had a real earthquake, we wouldn’t have known.”`

Back in the early 20th century, such things were simply part of “company” town life. The quarry owned the houses — some of which still stand today — and operated a company store, where employees could buy things on credit.

At least when it came to housing, there was little choice but to use what was offered.

“It’s kind of like coal mining days,” says Linda Sisco, another former resident and relative, who is in her early 70s. “They took out $10 for this, and $15 for that. So there was hardly anything left. So you were kind of compelled to stay there.”

Of course, there were other less-than-positive things that happened at Galloway over the years. There were accidents and deaths at the quarry. On Dec. 7, 1941 — the day Pearl Harbor was bombed — the village was also the venue for a double-death shootout at the iconic Coffee Pot Cafe.

The Coffee Pot Cafe/Tavern

Overall, however, longtime residents look back at their Galloway memories with a great deal of warmth.

Members of the Sisco family reminisce about they remember as an idyllic community. A place where neighbors left keys in their cars in case someone needed to move or borrow the vehicle. A community where kids ran almost free from house to house and came of age at Sequiota Park.

They talk of the nearby Sequiota School, where students went for class. Of the buildings, that today house a variety of businesses, that back in the day were their restaurants, barber shops and more.

There were stores like Hesterlee Trading Post, Treadway’s and Birchler’s. Places where kids could run in and grab snacks if they wanted, even sans cash thanks to charge accounts.

“I’m not sure he always charged our parents, because they would’ve been talking to us,” says Linda Sisco.

Hesterlee Trading Post (Courtesy of Sandy Wilson Reese)

As they do, however, things change with time. While the quarry continued operation, the Siscos say the company housing model went away around the 1950s.

Ease of access to miles-away Springfield also gradually improved. These were the days before the Battlefield Mall, and shopping frequently required a trip downtown.

“You might as well have gone to St. Louis,” says Sue Sisco of the distance.

The city’s amenities, however, got much closer with the construction of the Plaza Shopping Center. The center, located at the intersection of Sunshine Street and Glenstone Avenue, was added in the mid-1950s.

Springfield got even closer in 1969, when Galloway was annexed into the city.

It wasn’t the first attempt made to add Galloway to Springfield. Another was in 1959, when the area was part of a 9,000-acre proposal to expand city limits. Ultimately, that try failed.

A decade later, though, the question was up again. It was decided by a majority vote of 57.5 percent — a choice that was made by Springfield residents. Galloway locals didn’t have a say in the matter, a fact that they were reminded of in an article that ran the day their annexation became official:

“Wake up, residents of Galloway! You’re in the big city now. Oh, it might take some time for the amenities of city living sewers and things of that ilk to reach you, but as of today you get the protection of Springfield’s finest (and our firemen, too); your streets will be maintained by the city; and if, the annexation pattern holds true, City Utilities will rush a street light out to your corner to let you know you’ve finally made it. “You’ll also get to take an active part in city elections — and even though you didn’t have a chance to vote on your annexation, you’ll get even the next time.”

At least one of those changes didn’t happen quite as the reporter projected: A Springfield News-Leader article notes that the sewer conversion still wasn’t complete in 2004.

Galloway has experienced other more positive chapters of change since becoming part of Springfield. In the late 1980s, the area emerged as a destination for crafts and antiques, branding itself as Galloway Village. Not all of those shops, however, were long-lived. As they disappeared, other development plans emerged.

In 2014, a local developer discussed plans to build an $10 million apartment complex in Galloway — but wanted Springfield City Council members to declare the area blighted. Such a designation offers tax abatement, potentially saving developers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A suggestion by a Springfield official was made: Why not vote to blight the entire Galloway area, as opposed to the relatively small piece of land the developers wanted to use?

Springfield City Council ultimately voted to declare 75 acres in Galloway as blighted.

Some of Galloway’s new development, shown in January 2018.

In the years since, two large apartment complexes have been added, with additional (apparent) apartments still visibly in the process of construction. A retail development has been added. A luxury spa relocated to Galloway in 2016.

The rapid change of their soft tree-line to skyline spurred Galloway neighbors to act, and act fast.

“The people we hear about are definitely on board,” says Betsy Johnson, president of the Galloway Neighborhood Association. “Even people in the apartments — that (the atmosphere) is why they moved to Galloway.”

Old and new

Decisions and designations

A temporary moratorium on development was approved by Springfield City Council in November 2018, which gives a few months for locals and leaders to come together and formulate a plan for the future of Galloway.

But locals are also working to identify and preserve, as best they can, the few historical buildings that are left — some of which, Sisco-Yarham says, were built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Galloway and Sequiota

On a recent cold and snowy Saturday morning, locals gathered at a Price Cutter to discuss what should be done.

The half-dozen attendees shared different reasons for why activism is important. While the reasons are different, they all tie to a desire to leave the feel of the community’s flavor as it is — and that includes saving its history.

“We knew we were living next to a railroad track. We knew were living next to a quarry,” says one attendee. “We did not choose to live next to 300 apartments.”

Over the quarry area in December 2018.

“It’s home,” says Abby Ayres, another attendee who only recently moved to Galloway. “I want future generations to have the experience, because it’s a unique experience.”

For Ayers and her husband, part of that experience was tied to the freedom and eclectic feel of the area. “I really, really wanted a garden,” she says. “In this area, I have nearly a half-acre to do with what I will.”

A long-term resident is fighting to ensure she’s never pushed out of her home where she’s lived for decades.

“I want to know I’ll be able to keep my house for the rest of my life,” says Becky Little.

On nearby residential streets, there seems to be a divide between the old and new. Upscale housing developments face across from older, well-kept homes, some of which used to be company housing.

“The vibe of this community is tied to these buildings,” says Jaque Sisco Thummel, who grew up in Galloway and still lives there. “If we lose the buildings, we lose what has drawn all interest in Galloway.”

Want to learn more?

The Galloway area has a Facebook page where its members discuss goings-on and updates. To follow it, click here.

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Resources

“About us,” Ash Grove Cement Company

“Annexation okayed as amendment wins,” Springfield Daily News, Oct. 2, 1968

“As Galloway undergoes change, so does quarry,” Mike Penprase, Springfield News-Leader, Feb. 23, 2004

“The Chadwick Branch,” Abandoned Rails, accessed Jan. 27, 2018

“City council redefines ‘blight,’ then applies it,” Jess Rollins, Springfield News-Leader, May 13, 2014

“Could the ‘blight’ label apply in Galloway?” Jess Rollins, Springfield News-Leader, April 21, 2014

“Galloway neighbors left with mixed emotions after City Council passes rezoning and moratorium,” Alissa Zhu, Springfield News-Leader, Nov. 6, 2018

“Galloway Village becomes Springfield’s 20th registered neighborhood,” Melissa Haase, SGF Neighborhood News, Nov. 26, 2018

“The history of Sequiota Park,” Springfield News-Leader, July 8, 1993

“Hot Spots: Rising developments in downtown Springfield, Commercial Street and Galloway,” Vivian Wheeler, Biz 417, Jan. 2o18

“Merry picnicers,” Springfield Daily Democrat, Sept. 19, 1891

“MOzarks Moments: Grounds for Murder in the Coffee Pot Tavern,” Paul Johns, Bolivar Herald-Free Press, Aug. 17, 2016

“Trail breathes life back into Galloway,” Mike Penprase, Springfield News-Leader, Feb. 23, 2004

“Sequiota Park,” Springfield CVB

“Urban core may be cut from ‘blight’ rules,” Jess Rollins, Springfield News-Leader, May 8, 2014

“We’re bigger today,” Bill Davis, Springfield Daily News, July 1, 1969