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Created page "Fenton, Missouri"
'''Fenton''' is a city in southwestern [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis County]], [[Missouri]]. It had a population of 4,022 at the 2010 census.
==History==
Archaeological excavations in the Fenton area have determined that it was inhabited by Native American tribes for several centuries before the European explorations of the Americas. Earthen mounds for a long time existed near the Meramec River, and pottery shards have been discovered consistent with the Mississippian culture (AD 1200-1400). Like the later American pioneers, the Mississippian tribes were likely attracted by the fertile land in the narrow Meramec floodplain.
Farmers of European origin began settling along the Meramec in the 1770s, first French-Canadians and later English-speaking Americans. An actual community was established in 1818 by William Lindsay Long, who named it “Fenton” for his Welsh grandmother, Elizabeth Fenton Bennett. The original town center was eight square blocks in area, which today is known as “Olde Towne Fenton.”
The new community prospered from its position on the Meramec and its proximity to [[St. Louis]]. A ferry service began in 1833, and the first bridge across the river was constructed in 1854. Gravois Road (later Missouri State Highway 30) was eventually extended southwestward through the town, giving Fenton direct access to St. Louis. The town was first incorporated in 1874, then later disincorporated, and finally re-incorporated in 1948, with Garrett Hitzert serving as its first mayor.<ref>http://www.fentonhistory.com/node/9</ref>
During the 1950s, Fenton’s population rose dramatically, from about 200 residents in 1950 to just over 1,000 in 1960. This was largely a result of the opening of a [[Chrysler]] assembly plant in 1959, which would be the foundation of the local economy for the next half-century and lead to many of the new streets being named for Chrysler models—Fury, Imperial, Valiant, etc.
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]
==History==
Archaeological excavations in the Fenton area have determined that it was inhabited by Native American tribes for several centuries before the European explorations of the Americas. Earthen mounds for a long time existed near the Meramec River, and pottery shards have been discovered consistent with the Mississippian culture (AD 1200-1400). Like the later American pioneers, the Mississippian tribes were likely attracted by the fertile land in the narrow Meramec floodplain.
Farmers of European origin began settling along the Meramec in the 1770s, first French-Canadians and later English-speaking Americans. An actual community was established in 1818 by William Lindsay Long, who named it “Fenton” for his Welsh grandmother, Elizabeth Fenton Bennett. The original town center was eight square blocks in area, which today is known as “Olde Towne Fenton.”
The new community prospered from its position on the Meramec and its proximity to [[St. Louis]]. A ferry service began in 1833, and the first bridge across the river was constructed in 1854. Gravois Road (later Missouri State Highway 30) was eventually extended southwestward through the town, giving Fenton direct access to St. Louis. The town was first incorporated in 1874, then later disincorporated, and finally re-incorporated in 1948, with Garrett Hitzert serving as its first mayor.<ref>http://www.fentonhistory.com/node/9</ref>
During the 1950s, Fenton’s population rose dramatically, from about 200 residents in 1950 to just over 1,000 in 1960. This was largely a result of the opening of a [[Chrysler]] assembly plant in 1959, which would be the foundation of the local economy for the next half-century and lead to many of the new streets being named for Chrysler models—Fury, Imperial, Valiant, etc.
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]