Howell County Digital Magazine

Southern Howell County Named Places
AMY Post-office moved to Hocomo (q.v.) in 1932, was established by Dr. James Black and kept in
a store on his farm one and one-half miles no of the present site of Amy until 1903, when it was
moved to the home of Mrs. Rebecca Gill for a short time before the Carter Store of Amy took
charge of the mail. Dr. Black, district postmaster, suggested the name for his daughter.
BRANDSVILLE A small town in Howell Township, laid out in 1883 by the St. Louis and San
Francisco Railroad and named for Michael Brand who owned 17,000 acres of land in Howell
County, and gave the town site. Mr. Herman Wisch came with Mr. Branch (evidently Brand is
meant), and they put in a store and many acres of apple, peach and grape orchards, and started a
large sheep ranch. During the construction of the rail road, the place was known as Flag Pond
because the large marsh plants grew in such abundance and the place was a shallow pond.
CAUFIELD Village and post-office in Benton Township on Highway 80, near the Amyx mines in
Ozark County. John C. Harlin, of Gainesville, who was at that time state senator, suggested the
name for Governor Caulfield. Henry Stewart Caulfield, born in St. Louis in 1873, was governor of
Missouri from 1929 to 1933.
CHAPIN A station and discontinued post-office on the Frisco Railroad line, established in 1883 and
named by the railroad officials for Hugh Chapin. The village, sometimes called Chapin Station, was
also known as Chapinville.
CULL A village and post-office established in 1897 through the efforts of a prominent citizen,
merchant, landowner and Confederate soldier, David W. Cull, a native of Kentucky, who had come
here form Mexico, Missouri. Refusing the name sent in by him, the Postal Department gave his
name to the place.
HOCOMO A post-office established in 1931 in northeast Benton Township when Russell McHan
put in a store and filling station on Highway 80. The name was suggested by the merchant's father,
B. McHan, coined by combining the first two letters of Howell and the abbreviations of County and
Missouri.
POTTERSVILLE A village and post-office near the center of Spring Creek Township. Earlier it
was a village of considerable size. Josiah Carrico and Joel M. Potter came to the vicinity long
before the Civil War. Joseph Carrico, son of Josiah, was the first postmaster and named it for the
elderly man, Joel M. Potter who owned 160 acres of land near by.
SOUTH FORK The post-office and later name for Cross Roads, (q.v.), a very early name for the
community. It is located on the head waters of West Fork of South Fork of Spring River, from which
it took its name. William Black, father of James Black (see Amy), who had a store 2 miles west of
the road crossing was the first postmaster. The log cabin store was still standing in 1937. Now
owned by Thomas Divine.
WEST PLAINS The county seat, not just the hub of Howell County, this fast growing town is one
of the major hubs for the region. Forward thinking this town is diverse and offers much more to the
region than any other town for miles in any direction. Amenities, Education, Medical Services.