HIGGINSVILLE, Mo. — Located 55 miles east of Kansas City, just north of I-70 and Missouri Highway 13, you’ll find Higginsville just 10 miles south of Lexington, and 20 miles north of Warrensburg.
Higginsville was founded after the Civil War in 1869 and named after Harvey J. Higgins, when the Lexington and Sedalia railroad was built. It’s now a link of the “Missouri Pacific” line.
“And a guy by the name of Harvey J. Higgins found out this was going to happen, bought some land, and founded the town of Higginsville,” longtime resident Don Smith said.
Twenty years later in 1889, a group of former Missouri Confederate soldiers gathered in Higginsville for a reunion and started plans to build a site to aide aging veterans. The grounds opened about two years later and served over 1,600 people who fought in the Confederacy.
The last veteran died there in 1950 and was buried on the grounds along with about 800 others.
The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a space of reflection and recreation for Higginsville residents and visitors alike.
But the town is more than its Civil War history and ties.
“We have a strong German heritage, and you’ll see the German influence in the buildings,” Smith said.
Higginsville also has a rich history with America’s first railroads. Visitors can read all about that at the Harvey Higgins historical society, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today Higgisnville is home to over 4,600. With affordable housing, a historic downtown area, and an active recreation community, residents are proud to call it home.