Appleton City, MO

Appleton City is a St. Clair County city first laid out in 1870 under the name Arlington. W. H. Appleton arrived by railroad and offered a library donation if the town took his name; another local account credits the Tebo and Neosho Railroad depot. Either way, Appleton City grew as a rail town with a strong library story. The Appleton City Public Library opened around 1871 and is now described as the third-oldest operating library in Missouri.

Appleton City R-II operates an elementary school and Appleton City High School, while the library continues to offer computers, media, and free Wi-Fi from its West Fourth Street building. Railroad Park and Forest Park preserve the town’s connection to the tracks and the original library site. St. Clair County’s farm roads fill the surrounding map, but Appleton City remains the county’s largest population center. It is a Missouri town where a railroad name, a century-and-a-half library, and a compact school system still meet.