In what ways is Southern Missouri southern, and in what ways is it not? (Kansas City: credit, houses)

[Trimac20]

Obviously it did not join the Confeds...but what about cultural differences today?

Their accent is somewhat southern, as is their love of barbeque which is evident in both St. Louis and Kansas City. St. Louis seems to keep some southern traditions, such as drinking sweet tea.

[ajf131]

Are you kidding me? St. Louis doesn't drink sweet tea. The only places you can get it are at Cracker Barrels, White Castles, Captain D's, and McDonald's. This is pretty much as available as it gets in every other Midwestern city like it. How misinformed are you? Most of Southern Missouri doesn't drink sweet tea either. The Ozarks have both Midwestern and Southern influences to them. St. Louis and Kansas City are not in Southern Missouri, though. My dad is from Joplin, originally. Love of barbeque is prevalent even in Chicago. Kansas City, St. Louis, and Chicago all produce their own barbecue sauces. Southern Missouri is southern in its religious demographics, its hillbilly characteristics, but is not southern where it concerns flora, fauna, and accents. The Southern accent is not prevalent there and its cuisine is very mixed. The Mississippi Delta part of Southern Missouri, below Cape Girardeau, IS southern, however, in every form. Cotton is even grown in that area of Missouri.

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by ajf131

The Mississippi Delta part of Southern Missouri, below Cape Girardeau, IS southern, however, in every form. Cotton is even grown in that area of Missouri.

Agree, my relatives live near Poplar Bluff, and they speak with a unique southern accent not so much Ya'll as You'ins
"You'ins goin down by the crik"

[OA 5599]

Oh boy, here we go again

Growing up in south-central Missouri, about a 45 minute drive from Arkansas, I feel qualified to answer this question.

Southern Aspects:
1. Rebel flags are seen fairly often, in yards, as decals on trucks, etc.
2. Most of the original settlers of southern Missouri were from Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina
3. The landscape is wooded, hilly, and poorly suited for agriculture outside of cattle farming. This is a very stark contrast from the rest of the Midwest.
4. Most current inhabitants tend to have Protestant religious views, and Southern Baptist churches are quite common. Catholicism is quite rare south of I-44, although Catholic churches can be found in some towns.
5. Generally speaking, the area is politically and socially quite conservative. Although that is not exclusive to the south....most rural areas across the country are quite similar.

Non-Southern Aspects
1. While a regional accent does exist in southern Missouri, it is not a Southern Accent. The accent is similar to that of the rest of the lower Midwest, such as Kansas and Southern Illinois. It is really more of a "Midwestern drawl" than an accent.
2. Most people in the Missouri Ozarks do not self-identify as southern. This is probably the biggest indicator or whether an area is really part of the South or not.
3. Sweet tea is not the drink of choice for most. You will find both sweet and unsweet tea in any restaurant.

While I have 5 Southern aspects compared to 3 non-Southern aspects of the area, the fact that most residents do not self-identify as being Southerners is a very larger reason why most of Southern Missouri should not be considered as the South. Growing up there, many people definitely self-identified as hillbillys, good-old-boys, or general country folk, but rarely went out of the way to say they were Southerners...because they aren't. The Southern influence is strong in parts of Missouri, but I can't say that the area feels anything like Mississippi or Alabama...more like parts of Kentucky of Tennessee.

[Hillman]

Well I'll have you know I was born and raised in Southern Missouri.My Families Name is a good Southern Name.There is Blacks that carry our name from the time my ancestors freed their ancestors.

Over 60,000 fought under this Flag including my Ancestors.We are not no dang Yankee and Southern in every way



hillman

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Hillman

Well I'll have you know I was born and raised in Southern Missouri.My Families Name is a good Southern Name.There is Blacks that carry our name from the time my ancestors freed their ancestors.

Over 60,000 fought under this Flag including my Ancestors.We are not no dang Yankee and Southern in every way



hillman

Over 60,000? That's not what history says. In any aspect, Southern Missouri was divided in loyalties for sure. The Missouri Ozarkians in particular were strongly opposed to slavery, as they in particular had no use for slavery where they lived as the Ozarks are not sufficient for crop growth. Not to disqualify what you said, as a great deal supported the Confederacy as well. Also, over 100,000 Missourians fought under the Union flag. Again though, I am not denying that Southern Missouri does have Southern influence to it...I like to think of most of it as just a transition area from the Midwest to the South. I agree it has similarities to Kentucky and Tennessee, but only to a limited extent, as Kentucky and Tennessee are unquestionably Southern in every form. Culture, flora, fauna, etc. Just out of curiousity where were you born and raised? I am not discrediting you in any way except in the number that fought for the Confederacy.

[Hillman]

Originally Posted by ajf131

Over 60,000? That's not what history says. In any aspect, Southern Missouri was divided in loyalties for sure. The Missouri Ozarkians in particular were strongly opposed to slavery, as they in particular had no use for slavery where they lived as the Ozarks are not sufficient for crop growth. Not to disqualify what you said, as a great deal supported the Confederacy as well. Also, over 100,000 Missourians fought under the Union flag. Again though, I am not denying that Southern Missouri does have Southern influence to it...I like to think of most of it as just a transition area from the Midwest to the South. I agree it has similarities to Kentucky and Tennessee, but only to a limited extent, as Kentucky and Tennessee are unquestionably Southern in every form. Culture, flora, fauna, etc. Just out of curiousity where were you born and raised? I am not discrediting you in any way except in the number that fought for the Confederacy.

Well there was several Slave holdings in Missouri.If you go to Springfield,go couple miles South off Chestnut on Haseltein Road you will come to Several Slave Keepers Houses,we owned a Barn where they were housed it burnt in '82.It was used for a Large Dairy Operation.The Slaves were kept where the Cows were milked.If you go West of Bunceton,Mo. there is still some very Southern Mansions with Slave quarters still standing.This is just a few I know of.Lots of Crop Land there to work.

I was born in Boonville,raised in Springfield.My ancestors moved from Kentucky to Kansas back to Boonville where their Slaves were freed.They kept our Family Name.

I did not say 60,000 fought for the Confederacy.I said over 60,000 Missouri Confederates fought under the Missouri Confederate Battle Flag including my ancestors.If you would like I could look up dates and all.But far as I know none died,several were captured.

Just another thing to offer on this

http://www.higginsvillechamber.org/memorial.aspx

hillman

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Hillman

Well there was several Slave holdings in Missouri.If you go to Springfield,go couple miles South off Chestnut on Haseltein Road you will come to Several Slave Keepers Houses,we owned a Barn where they were housed it burnt in '82.It was used for a Large Dairy Operation.The Slaves were kept where the Cows were milked.If you go West of Bunceton,Mo. there is still some very Southern Mansions with Slave quarters still standing.This is just a few I know of.Lots of Crop Land there to work.

I was born in Boonville,raised in Springfield.My ancestors moved from Kentucky to Kansas back to Boonville where their Slaves were freed.They kept our Family Name.

I did not say 60,000 fought for the Confederacy.I said over 60,000 Missouri Confederates fought under the Missouri Confederate Battle Flag including my ancestors.If you would like I could look up dates and all.But far as I know none died,several were captured.

Just another thing to offer on this

Confederate Memorial Missouri State Historical Site - Higginsville

hillman

Right, that's what I meant. 60,000 Missourians. But over 100,000 Missourians fought for the Union.

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Hillman

Well there was several Slave holdings in Missouri.If you go to Springfield,go couple miles South off Chestnut on Haseltein Road you will come to Several Slave Keepers Houses,we owned a Barn where they were housed it burnt in '82.It was used for a Large Dairy Operation.The Slaves were kept where the Cows were milked.If you go West of Bunceton,Mo. there is still some very Southern Mansions with Slave quarters still standing.This is just a few I know of.Lots of Crop Land there to work.

I was born in Boonville,raised in Springfield.My ancestors moved from Kentucky to Kansas back to Boonville where their Slaves were freed.They kept our Family Name.

I did not say 60,000 fought for the Confederacy.I said over 60,000 Missouri Confederates fought under the Missouri Confederate Battle Flag including my ancestors.If you would like I could look up dates and all.But far as I know none died,several were captured.

Just another thing to offer on this

Confederate Memorial Missouri State Historical Site - Higginsville

hillman

Interesting. Springfield, huh? Though you probably are a Southerner in every respect, I guess my point is that my dad is from Joplin, and he is well into his upper 50s and spent the first 20 years of his life there. He does not consider himself to be a Southerner. As I said before, Southern Missouri appears to be split. Both Midwesterners and Southerners have a heavy influence on the area.

[jackhitts]

I've wondered about this myself. I'm from Michigan, so it's definitely different than the Midwest I'm used to, but I've also lived in Texas and spent some time in Oklahoma. Missouri shares many more affinities with the Midwest, I think, than with Texas or Oklahoma or other states I've visited. I've never heard anyone from around here (Waynesville...and by that I mean Waynesville-area natives, not soldiers) refer to themselves as southern.

Although, one strange thing I've noticed: Waffle House. I thought there were purely Southern, and I've never seen them in southern Indiana or Illinois or Kansas. Hmm.