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Situated in northwestern Wayne County, in southeastern Missouri, the city of Piedmont was settled in the mid-1850s. Originally, the land was purchased by James and William Daniel, who planned to raise crops along McKenzie Creek. When he found his land to be unsuitable for farming, he opened a general store that attracted several customers, as well as others who bought land nearby, opening other businesses and building houses. Initially, the town that grew up there was known as Danielsville, for the Daniel brothers. A school called the Blue Moon School was established, and church services were also held there. The town gained a post office in 1855, along with a stagecoach service that ran from Ironton to Doniphan. Shortly after the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad extended its track through the area, the town’s name was changed to Piedmont, for its placement at the foot of Clark’s Mountain, using the French words pied (foot) and mont (mountain). Construction of the Clearwater Lake Dam was begun in 1940, but World War II caused a delay in the project, which was not fully completed until 1958. Located six miles from the city limits, the man-made lake brings tourists into the city during the summer months. Today, Piedmont is home to two drive-in theaters, which are among only fourteen in the state. Gads Hill is north of Piedmont, Patterson is west, Webb and Ruble are east, Hadley is southwest, Mill Spring is south, and Greenville is southeast. The city is nearly surrounded by portions of the Mark Twain National Forest.

 

 

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