Local History At No Cost

Are you a history buff and planning to visit Grundy County and Trenton any time soon? If so,
you might want to take time out of your schedule and check out the seven places in our area that
have been included on the National Register of Historic Places. Thanks to the efforts of persons
interested in preserving our community’s history, visitors to the area now have the chance visit
these unique sites. They are all very easy to find and, best of all, can be viewed at no cost.

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St. Philip's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal Church located at 205 E. Ninth St. in
Trenton. The one-story Gothic Revival-style limestone building was built in 1898 and has a high
gable on the primary facade, a clerestoried chancel with projecting polygonal apse and locally
crafted windows of colored cathedral glass. The church was listed on the National Register in
1979, thanks to the efforts of longtime member, the late Carolyn (Mrs. William O.) Lenhart.
Weekly services continue to be held at the church.

The Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library is a historic library building located at 1301 Main
St. in Trenton. It was built in 1891 by Jewett Norris, an early settler of the community, and is a 2
½-story Romanesque Revival-style red brick and limestone building. It has a high stone base and
broad stone steps leading to a porch with heavy, round stone arches. The library features a
children’s library and an extensive genealogy department in the basement area and the main
reading area is on the second floor. The top floor contains an auditorium area used for various
community activities, including plays and musical revues. The library was listed on the National
Register in 1984, again through the efforts of Carolyn (Mrs. William O.) Lenhart, who was a
member of the library board.

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The Crowder State Park Vehicle Bridge is a small single-arch span of reinforced concrete with
a facing of cut stone. The bridge, located at the north end of the park lake, was built around 1939
and is the only surviving structure erected in the park by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The
bridge is no longer used by vehicles but is used by hikers as part of the park’s trail system as well
as an area by those fishing in the park lake. It was listed on the National Register in 1985 as part
of a comprehensive nomination of various CCC-built projects throughout the Missouri Park
System.

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WPA Stock Barn and Pavilion, also known as the Rock Barn, is a historic barn and pavilion
located on Oklahoma Avenue in Trenton. It was built in 1938 as a Works Progress
Administration project and was first used as a livestock pavilion. It consists of a two-story,
octagonal barn with attached one-story stock pens. The building is constructed of native stone on
a concrete foundation. The building is owned by the city of Trenton and is used for many
community activities, including as an exhibit area for the annual North Central Missouri Fair.

The Rock Barn was listed on the National Register in 1994 with the late Carolyn (Mrs. William
O.) Lenhart making the nomination.

Plaza Hotel is a historic hotel building located at 715 Main St. in downtown Trenton. It was
built in 1929 and 1930 and is a five-story Art Deco-style reinforced concrete building. It has a
pre-cast, concrete block exterior, concrete roof and floors. The building was originally used as a
hotel for visitors and included a movie theater and coffee Shop. Efforts of local residents known
as Plaza Apartments LLC resulted in the building being renovated into much needed housing
along with some business rental space while maintaining the structure’s Art Deco appearance.
The building currently provides housing. It was listed on the National Register in 2001 as part of
the local group’s renovation efforts.

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Trenton High School, also known as Trenton Junior College and Adams Middle School, is a
former historic school building located at 1312 E. Ninth St. in Trenton. It was built in 1924 and
is a three-story, rectangular Classical Revival-style reinforced concrete building with brick walls.
It has a concrete foundation and flat roof with shaped parapets with cast stone coping. It features
decorative cast stone trim. The school closed in 2005 and was renovated as a business site before
becoming a housing unit, which it is being used for presently. It was listed on the National
Register in 2010 by Rosin Preservation LLC on behalf of Cardinal Developers.

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The George W. Wolz House, also known as the McCullough home, is located at 605 W.
Crowder Road in Trenton. It was built in 1896 and is 2 ½-story Queen Anne Free Classic-style
wooden dwelling with a limestone foundation. It is one of the few remaining Queen Anne
residences in Trenton that clearly represents the Queen Anne Free Classic-style without strong
influences from other styles of the period. Stories about ghosts having been present in the home
have added to the interest in the home. The home is currently used as a private residence. It was
placed on the National Register in 2018 by John McCullough, who owned the residence at the
time.

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Blog written and submitted by Diane Lowrey.