C.G. Page (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

In 1882, the builders of the courthouse in Marshall placed a cornerstone on the southwest corner of the structure. "C.G. Page, Sup't." is inscribed below the names of the three judges of the county court. "C.G. Page was the commissioner appointed by the county court to superintend the construction of the new court house, and the building was constructed under his special direction and supervision," according to W.B. Napton's "Past and Present of Saline County."

Chastain Garland Page was born in 1835 in Virginia, and at age 14 he became an apprentice to his father, a miller, and helped to build and operate a saw and gristmill. When he was 21, he set out for Missouri by steamboat. Page was once asked how he happened to come to Missouri and he answered, "I somehow got hold of a book called 'Wild Western Scenes' … it pictured a life of stirring adventure on the frontier of Missouri … My brother, Ed, had gone to Missouri in the previous year, so when I became of age, the spirit of adventure sent me forth to Missouri along with thousands of others." (From "Chastain G. Page: An Appreciation" by Thomas E. Spencer) The Page brothers became successful contractors and land developers in Saline County.

When the railroad was built through Marshall in 1878, Chastain Page joined partnership with P.H. Rea, first selling lumber and building materials, then adding a grain elevator and a mill where grain was purchased, milled and shipped. Their partnership became Rea and Page Milling Company, which operated in Marshall for many years.

In 1880, Page and his young daughter Mary suffered the loss of wife and mother, Elizabeth Kirtley, whom Page had married in 1865. Considering his daughter's education as well as the development of the town, Page served on the board of directors of the Marshall public school system during a time of reformation and the building of a new school.

Page was appointed superintendent of construction of the courthouse in 1881. He gathered 12 different architectural designs for the courthouse and submitted them to the county court on Jan. 9, 1882. After the plans of J.C. Cochrane were chosen, Page gathered proposals from various builders for the construction of the building and oversaw every aspect of construction. Even the heating plant, furniture and fixtures were acquired by Page.

(Contributed photo)

When Wood & Huston Bank incorporated in 1882, C.G. Page was one of five incorporators. He served on the board of directors throughout his lifetime, was vice president of the bank in 1896 and chairman of the board in 1912.

Page married Annie Haffords, a teacher from Cape Cod, Mass., in 1882. He built a beautiful home for his family on North Brunswick Avenue and had two children by this marrige. Nellie Chastain Page, born in 1891, married dentist W.L. Carter and authored children's books under the pen name "Page Carter." Charles Garland Page was born in 1894 and was a sergeant in the Army during World War I and a carpenter by trade. Sadly, Page's oldest daughter Mary died in 1899.

Throughout his lifetime, C.G. Page was a leading businessman in Marshall, contributing to the growth and progress of this "frontier" county, and was respected by many for his honesty and integrity.

Upon the death of C.G. Page in 1916, Thomas E. Spencer wrote of him: "A Virginian of a distinguished family … yet he possessed a richer heritage than blood. He had a will to work and to work well, whether with the hammer or saw in his hands, or with the plan in his brain. He earned fairly the place he held in the esteem of his fellowmen."