Avilla

History

Pioneers who came to this region in the 1830s and 1840s saw a "beautiful prairie land, interspersed with timbered belts along winding streams". Settlement of the grasslands presented more challenges than other types of terrain, and for this reason, northeastern Jasper County developed more slowly than the rest of the county. Split-log homes were built near wooded locations, and rock and sod were also used in early constructions. Although families were many miles apart, they still called each other neighbors. Arriving with his family in 1853, Dr. Jaquillian M. Stemmons was the first physician to practice medicine in the Avilla area, doing so from his farm. The town of Avilla was founded in 1856 and platted and laid out for public use on July 23, 1858, by Andrew L. Love and David S. Holman. Mr. Love was the first Justice of the Peace, and Mr. Holman was the first merchant and postmaster, establishing the post office in 1860. A Dr. Young later came just before the Civil War and established a medical office within the town limits. Dr. Jaquillian M. Stemmons, an early settler, town leader, and staunch Union man, organized a company of local men and neighbors in Avilla for the protection of their own homes from roaming bands of bushwhackers. In 1861, this town militia, also known as the "Avilla Home Guard", was one of the first in the area and consisted predominantly of the oldest citizens, as most of the younger men were leaving to join regular military forces. This action was strongly opposed by local secessionists, and it was even rumored that a price had been placed on the doctor's head. By March 1862, the town militia had been tipped off about an impending assault, and General James G. Blunt at Fort Scott, Kansas had pledged reinforcements, but they had not yet…

Geography

Avilla is located at (37.193821, −94.128991), ten miles east of Carthage, Missouri, on MO Route 96 (formerly Historic U.S. Route 66) and four miles west of the Lawrence County line. The village is surrounded by pasture and farmland, small forested areas, and branching spring-fed streams. White Oak Creek is the nearest to the south and east, and Dry Fork & Deer Creek to the north. Spring River runs past about three miles to the south, which is eventually fed by these headwater streams. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  487
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  431
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  386
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  385
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  305
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  303
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  292
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  277

Largest nearby schools

• CARTHAGE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CARTHAGE · 1,610 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• CARTHAGE JR. HIGH
  Middle · CARTHAGE · 752 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• FAIRVIEW ELEM.
  Elementary · CARTHAGE · 406 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• SARCOXIE HIGH
  High · SARCOXIE · 401 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• WILDWOOD ELEM.
  Elementary · SARCOXIE · 285 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• AVILLA ELEM.
  Elementary · AVILLA · 124 students · 9.5:1 ratio
• EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PAT CENTER
  Other · CARTHAGE · 115 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• CARTHAGE TECHNICAL CTR.
  High · CARTHAGE

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2010-05-21
  2 km SW of Centerton, Arkansas
• M 2.5 — 2010-04-29
  3 km SW of Centerton, Arkansas