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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATION OF THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF HIGGINSVILLE
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HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
sesquicentennial of Higginsville, Missouri. For the past 150 years,
Higginsville has served as the hub of Lafayette County and the home of
a tight-knit, caring community. May it stand for another 150 years as a
glittering example to other towns around the country.
In 1869, the town was incorporated on land purchased by its namesake,
Harvey Higgins. A post office was soon established, and the growth of
the town took off from there. The first school was built in 1886 and
enrolled 572 students by 1888. Powered by coal mines, manufacturing,
and agriculture, the population exploded until it had over 2,500 people
living there in 1910. To point the way to a bustling town, the yellow
``Welcome to Higginsville'' finger signs were installed on Highway 13
and US Highway 40 (now I-70) in 1924. These four iconic signs stand
today as a sunny tribute to the hospitality of Higginsville's people.
The 20th century and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal
programs brought development and investment, including Fairground park,
a swimming pool, and a new post office with a mural done by a student
of the great regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton. After World War
II, further investment brought a golf course, additions to the park, a
new city hall, new school buildings, and a municipal airport.
In 1967, the Higginsville and Corder School districts were
consolidated forming the Lafayette County C-1 school district. The
school has grown to serve almost a thousand students and stands as a
center of academic excellence. It was Accredited with Distinction in
Performance by the State of Missouri for the 2009-2010 school year. The
district's competent instructors, small class sizes, and abundant
resources makes it one of the best schools in the county.
Situated less than fifty miles outside of Kansas City and near I-70,
Higginsville residents have the advantages of both easy access to city
and country living. Jobs in Kansas City are easily accessible, and
there are also good jobs in Higginsville. Lafayette County's top
employer is the Higginsville Habilitation Center and Northwest
Community Services. Higginsville also serves as the central police
dispatch for Lafayette County, making it essential to keeping the whole
county safe. Higginsville also has innumerable civil society
organizations and churches that are the backbone of the community. From
the Freemasons and the Odd Fellows to the Rotary and 4-H, the people of
Higginsville are civically minded and active volunteers. These
volunteers come together every September to put on the Country Fair, a
bustling week of activities and contests that culminates in a bustling
street fair and parade.
Furthermore, Higginsville is home to some of the best retirement
facilities in the area. Meyer Care Center and John Knox Village East (a
not-for-profit retirement community) are cornerstones of the community
and world-class homes for senior citizens.
The quality schools, solid jobs, and caring retirement communities
make Higginsville a good place to grow-up, work, and retire.
Higginsville is successful because of its citizens' commitment to
improving the community, through their community organizations,
churches, and fraternal spirit. This commitment will never diminish,
and Higginsville will continue to be a crossroads of Missouri and the
center of Lafayette County. Madam Speaker, please join me, Missouri's
Fifth Congressional District, and citizens across the nation in
honoring the City of Higginsville for 150 years of community and
growth.
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