Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form
  • Home
  • About
    • Submit Your News
    • Contact
  • News
    • Voter Resources
    • Online Puzzles
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Kindness Awards
    • 2023 Garage Sale Directory
    • Parade
  • Job Board
  • Best of Grain Valley
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member
  • Business Directory Submission Form








​news

Looking Back: The O’Connell Place

4/9/2020

 
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society    
 
     At some point, John T. O’Connell put away his barber sheers and started a business on US Highway 40. Also known as “the Main Street of America,” it was the first highway to stretch coast to coast across United States. 
     Often referred to by locals as “Old 40” (Eagles’ Parkway), it was completed in 1926. The route was built on top of several older highways, most notably the National Road and the Victory Highway. The Victory Highway was an auto trail across the United States between New York City and San Francisco, roughly equivalent to the present U.S. Route 40. It was created by the Victory Highway Association, which was organized in 1921 to locate and mark a transcontinental highway to be dedicated to American forces who died in World War I.
When Patricia (Davis) Parr gave this photo to the Historical Society, she related to me the success of her grandfather’s business.
     Built about a half mile west of Buckner Tarsney Road (Main Street), it was the equivalent of our modern-day Casey’s convenience stores.
     The prominence of Sni-A-Bar Farms, located just across the road, and the newly completed highway afforded the O’Connell family a good living and a big new house on Walnut Street.
 


Picture
O’Connell’s Place, circa 1928. Pictured left to right: John T. O’Connell, Patricia Davis, Danese O’Connell, Creola Warren O’Connell, Nadine O’Connell Davis, unknown man and woman. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
 
Picture
Pictured: Nadine O’Connell was 23 years old when this photo was taken beside a gas pump at the family business. The year was 1930. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society
For more information on the Grain Valley Historical Society, visit www.grainvalleyhistory.com.
Bobbye Sanderson
4/10/2020 01:11:53 pm

Marcia, was wondering where their house was on walnut street. If it was close to the old Clarence Dodson house. Clarence left his house to our church, First Baptist of Grain Valley, and we bought it from our church.. just curious


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid19
    Covid-19
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Technology
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

Grain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. 
(c) 2023 Grain Valley News

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
Picture