Parnell was platted on July 5, 1887 as a station stop on the Chicago Great Western Railway and it was formally incorporated in 1888. Parnell is the birthplace of Ben A. Jones, horse trainer.
- CountyNodaway County
- Population135 (2020 U.S. Census)
Parnell was platted on July 5, 1887 as a station stop on the Chicago Great Western Railway and it was formally incorporated in 1888. Parnell is the birthplace of Ben A. Jones, horse trainer.
Parnell, Missouri gifts and souvenirs: 17 designs made from Parnell's own map, landmarks and history, from $16 to $95. Printed to order and shipped free in the USA.
| Popular | Price |
|---|---|
| Parnell Hometown Ornament | $23 |
| Parnell Varsity Crewneck | from $57 |
| Parnell Est. Tee | from $33 |
| Parnell Town Line Mug | from $26 |
| Parnell Market Tote | $37 |
Ceramic keepsake, gold ribbon, in 3 styles
Heavy-blend fleece, street map printed on the back
Red heavy-blend crewneck, knit-stitch town print
Soft Bella+Canvas jersey
Kids' Bella+Canvas jersey, youth sizes
Bella+Canvas toddler jersey
Bella+Canvas baby bodysuit
Glossy ceramic, dishwasher safe
Weatherproof, for the front walk
24″×16″, printed coir-look fibers, rubber back
12″×12″ printed wood, ready to hang
Soft-touch, zip cover
Sturdy all-over-print tote
Glossy top, cork back
Soft fleece, 50″×60″
20 oz, double-wall stainless
The town's earliest Sanborn fire-insurance map, drawn building by building and hand-coloured, from the Library of Congress
Parnell was platted on July 5, 1887 as a station stop on the Chicago Great Western Railway and it was formally incorporated in 1888. The Chicago Great Western route passing through the community was called the Diagonal Route. It ran at northeast direction from Kansas City to Waterloo, Iowa including passing through the community of Diagonal, Iowa. Among the first businesses was the Diagonal Hotel.
Ben Jones father Horace Jones organized the founding of the community and an early proposed names was Jonesville until it was discovered there was another Jonesville in Missouri. The name ultimately chosen was in honor or Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell who was at the peak of influence in creating Irish homerule when Parnell was incorporated.
The elder Horace Jones started a ranch on the northeast side of Parnell where he raised Angus cattle and saddle horses. At the ranch Ben (along with his son Horace "Jimmy") trained a horse named Seth which was in the top 20 of the national thoroughbred sires list from 1925 to 1928. This in turn got the attention of Herbert M. Woolf, owner of Woolford Farm in Prairie Village, Kansas and Ben trained Lawrin which won the Kentucky Derby in 1938. The two were lured by Warren Wright, Sr. to train horses at Calumet Farm in 1939 where they racked up a record training 7 Kentucky Derby winners (1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1957, 1958) and two Triple Crown winners (Whirlaway and Citation). Ben's record of 6 wins remains a Derby record. He was succeeded by Jimmy as trainer and Jimmy was the trainer of record for the 1957 and 1958 wins although Ben stayed on as Calumet manager until 1961. Jimmy stayed at Calumet until 1964 when he became manager of racing at Monmouth Park.
After he retiring in 1976 Jimmy returned to 1,750 acre ranch in Parnell. He sold the ranch in 1986. He had no children and died in Maryville, Missouri in 2001. He left $7.2 million to St. Francis Hospital there.
Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Parnell, Missouri, revision 1374786611 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
We share a part of every Parnell sale with local partners, and we'd love to print from your collection. Old photographs, maps and postcards make the best keepsakes.
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Parnell's population was 135 in the 2020 U.S. Census, down from 191 in 2010.