Norborne

Located at the junction of 10 & DD

The town was located on the south 60 acres of the E1/2 of NW1/4 Sec 23; the N1/2 of the N1/2 of the SW1/4, and the W1/2 of the NE1/4

Established in 1868, when the North Missouri Railroad was built.

The first house in the town was built by Harvey McCoy and the first store was opened by January & Snoddy.

The plat of the original town was filed April 8, 1874, by John Dieterich, the owner of the town site.

The town was incorporated on April 20, 1874 and reorganized under a new state law in 1878 to become a city of the fourth class.

Norborne was started as a railroad town. The first railroad to play an important part in the history of the area was the North Missouri. In 1862 the North Missouri was consolidated with the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern Railroad. In 1879, another consolidation took place with the Wabash. The Santa Fe started its expansion east to Chicago in 1874 and completed the route in 1878, forming the double tracks in Norborne. (Running from Carrollton in the east to Hardin in the west.)

Norborne B. Coates was born in Randolph County, the son of Captain Thomas Coates, one of the earliest pioneer families of the Randolph County area. In 1868, Mr. Coates secured the position of Land Agent and Surveyor for the North Missouri railroad. He was also a notary public (with his signature on many old abstracts in Norborne). He came to the area in 1867 to contact owners of land and start negotiations for a right-of-way for the railroad. He surveyed land owned by John and Catherine Deitrich, purchased the railroad rights, then used his shrewd business talents to help plat a town on the site. Hence the name, NORBORNE.

Source: Norborne Centennial Book-1868 to 1968