For Example:

Did you know that when Missouri first became a state the area now known as Johnson County, Missouri was contained in a large county named for state legislator James Lillard?  Lillard County reached from the Missouri River to the Osage River and Lexington was founded as the county seat in 1822.  The name of the large county was changed to Lafayette after the tour of the French general in 1825.  By 1834, the new county of Johnson was established with its original county seat in Columbus.

Welcome to Accidental History

This Johnson County (Missouri) Historical Society Blog is to share the interesting items that are uncovered daily in our archives and museum.  It's a way to publish the fascinating stories which we accidentally uncover on the way to the actual research being conducted.  Every now and then we run across stories that we share among ourselves at the Heritage Library, but we've wished for a platform to share on a regular basis with our members and interested friends.  Please bear with us as we discover blogging as a way to showcase our shared history with a larger audience.
The building illustrated here is our 1840s Old Courthouse, still maintained as a museum on the original town square.

                                           Lisa Irle

                                         JCHS  Curator

                                           Warrensburg, MO