Cherryvale Fruit Farm -- ownership solved

The Cherryvale Fruit Farm name is cast in two sides on the stone.

As told by their granddaughter, Dorothy Armstrong, to Linda Chestnut.

William L. and Cora Ann "Perdue" Mesplay began the Cherryvale Fruit Farm around the turn of the 20th century. The property was located on Highland Avenue, approximately one-half mile west of Ash Street. They made their home here for 60 years, across the road from the grounds of the State Hospital No. 3 where William was the head gardener for 40 years. William had a huge greenhouse on the hospital grounds, which we worked out of, tending to the plants and flowers on the grounds of the vast facility. He was the only "State" employee, but had numerous "trustees" from the facility who helped him keep the grounds in a "park-like" condition. Flowers were also raised in the greenhouse from which he would make flower arrangements to send to the offices and wards on a regular basis.

He had many fruit trees on their farm and he also had beehives where he would harvest the honey to sell to those living in the community, along with the fruit.

The Missouri State Seal is cast in two of the sides of the monument.

His granddaughter Dorothy remembers him being very loyal and patriotic and perhaps this is why when he had a large cornerstone marker with the name of Cherryvale Fruit Farm engraved upon it, he also had the State Seal of Missouri etched on two sides of the stone. With this information, questions about whether the state owned the fruit farm have been put to rest.

William and Cora had two sons, and it was Dorothy's father, Jim, who was walking through the fruit trees one day with a friend and dropped a cigarette. This cigarette caught the fruit trees on fire, completely destroying the orchard.

On Aug. 22, 1961, Cora passed away and they called the oldest son, John, in California to let him know of his mother's passing. John began closing up his Chevron Station so he could prepare to come back to Nevada. Just after he had everything closed, he got into his car, and slumped over dead.

Their other son, Jim, lived in the Nevada area and had seven children. Jim was a lineman for the rural electric company, working in the Missouri and Oklahoma areas.

The property has since passed out of the hands of any family members, but the large cornerstone still stands along Highland Avenue today with the engravings still clearly visible.