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The Kingdom of Callaway Flag


Be it resolved by the County Court of Callaway County, Missouri that a flag having a royal purple background, emblematic of the royalty of the county; bearing two blue bars representing the battles of Moore's Mill and Overton's Run; having its' center on a white background an outline of this county over which there is a golden crown; indicating that this is a kingdom; over which there are five jewels representing the five major rivers in the county, Missouri, Auxvasse, Middle, Cedar and Town Creek; the crown having a red lining representing the precious blood shed by the citizens of this county in the War Between the States; the bars heretofore noted bearing eight stars representing the townships in 1891, they being Auxvasse, Bourbon, Cedar, Cote Sans Dessein, Liberty, Nine Mile Prairie, Round Prairie, and St. Aubert; and the center star representing Fulton; be and is hereby adopted as the official flag of Callaway County, Missouri; that upon all public occasions it shall be displayed; that the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society be and is thereby made the official custodian of this flag which was today viewed by us, and that we hereby grant to aforesaid society the exculsive privelege to make and disseminate all representations of this flag.

Done by order of the Callaway County Court.

Signing the resolution were:
A.T. West, Sr. - Presiding Judge
E.E. Hord - Judge of the Eastern District
Howard Davis - Judge of the Western District
10/18/1961

The Kingdom of Callaway Flag was designed by Mr. & Mrs. Don and Clara Kurtz and Mrs. Malcom McDonald in 1961.


Legend of the 'Kingdom'

Callaway County becomes the 'Kingdom'


Early in October of 1861, six hundred (600) Federal troops began converging at Wellsville, Montgomery County, Missouri, on Callaway County's North-East border. Their mission was to subdue "Rebel Callaway". The lawyer and former State Representative, Jefferson F. Jones, with the help of many subordinates, quickly gathered six hundred (600) troops to defend our county from the Federal invasion.

These troops congregated at Brown's Spring, in North Central Callaway County to train and prepare. Equipped, with mostly shotguns and small caliber hunting rifles, they did what they could to present the appearance of a well trained army spoiling for a fight. They went as far as to paint logs black and hide them in the brush with wagon wheels to give the appearance of artillery.

After receiving reports from Union spies on the activities in Callaway County, the Federal commander, postponed his invasion. Afraid that his troops would be annihilated, he waited for reinforcements to arrive.

Meanwhile, Colonel Jeff Jones sent an envoy with a letter to the Federal commander. Though the envoy's primary mission was to apprise Jones of the status of the Federal troops, the letter stated that Jones' force was formed in self defense and that if the Federal Army would not invade Callaway County, nor molest or arrest any of its' citizens, Jones would disband his army.

The Federal Commander, General John B. Henderson, agreed to the terms rather than risk a loss in battle to this "well trained and armed" force of men. In essence he allowed Callaway County to negotiate a treaty as a sovereign state with the Federal Government. This treaty recognized our independence and granted Callaway its' own right to govern itself.

Callaway County became "The Kingdom of Callaway" in October of 1861. After the war was over the 'Kingdom' still refused to be reconstructed and be governed by outside forces. The right of the people was still our supreme law. We were proud that we had faced adversity, had stood strong against it, and had won our right to be who we wanted to be.



A Creed for Callaway


I Believe in Callaway County, its past, its present and its future. I believe in its people, its history, its traditions, its institutions, its resources, its possibilities and its aspirations.

I am for development along all lines - social, business, industrial, agricultural, educational, and religious.

I refuse to stand in the way of its progress, or to join in any destructive undertaking against its interests or its people.

I am willing to do my part, no matter how humble, toward its enrichment and betterment, and all I ask is the privilege of serving where I am best fitted to serve.

I live in Callaway; it is my home, the home of my family and the home of my friends.

I am a part of Callaway; its cause is my cause, its injury my injury, its advancement my advancement.

I uphold Callaway because it is my county, in my state and my country. I depend upon it for my material well-being. I owe it love and loyalty and these I give sincerely and to the utmost.