This 130+ year old church is all that still stands of the once thriving town of Pink Hill, MO. Though heated by a wood stove, until only recently the church was still in use and has passed through a number of denominations. Sadly, instead of being preserved as a museum or historic site, the church is now on private property. Please respect the privacy of the landowners and don't stop and walk around on their land. That is why this is a drive-by virtual cache.
To confirm your find, look for a red sign with a white circle on it located directly across the street from the church. Enter the most prominent word on that sign here:
A Little About Pink Hill...
Pink Hill was organized in 1854 and originally consisted of a post office, four streets, and about 40 buildings. For its first six years the town grew quickly. Some estimates put the population at over 500 at its peak.
The Civil War and subsequent guerilla activity brought a temporary end to Pink Hill's short existence. Guerilla war between Missouri and Kansas, at the hands of groups such as Quantrill's raiders and the Pink Hill based Sni Raiders, brought harsh retribution to the area. In response to Quantrill's sacking of Lawrence, KS came the infamous Order 11. In August of 1863 the Union army drove all the residents of Pink Hill from their homes and burned every structure to the ground. The entire area remained virtually abandoned for years.
Eventually settlers began to return and rebuild, and Pink Hill returned to life. It was in 1871, during this brief period of rebuilding, that this church was built.
Unfortunately Pink Hill's hopes for prosperity hinged upon being on the route for the new Chicago and Alton Railroad. An older town with a similar history, named Stony Point and located about 6 miles south-southwest, had similar hopes. In the end, the railroad was routed through an emtpy valley halfway between these two towns. Residents of both towns moved out and converged in the valley by the railroad, forming the modern day town of Grain Valley. Pink Hill officially disbanded in 1878, though the post office continued to function until at least 1902. Stony Point and Pink Hill soon faded into memory, and only their namesake roads, some stone foundations in privately-owned fields, and the Pink Hill Church remain as any signs these towns ever existed.
Ironically this area is now once again bursting with new development and residents, but unless someone gets the idea to re-incorporate the area as Pink Hill it is likely that the former Pink Hill will soon become part of Grain Valley, the fast-growing neighbor to the south that replaced it.
Incidently the name "Pink Hill" is rumored to come from a settler named Robert St. Clair who described the area as a hill covered with pink roses and pink verbena. According to one of my history teachers years ago, this settler was probably smoking something. :) Maps (see photo link below) paint a different theory by showing a large swath of land owned by an "R.G. Pink"... though whether that name is accurate is a matter of some debate.
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