Visitors Guide to Malden, Missouri
Statue of Liberty replica
Malden is located in northern Dunklin County on a sand ridge that extends north and south between the lowlands of New Madrid County to the east and the foothills of the Ozarks Mountains to the west. Early settlers to the area engaged in hunting and trapping with few farms along the ridge. The first European settler in Dunklin County was Howard Moore, who in 1829, set up a homestead at a place just south of what is now Malden. To aid the region in prospering economically the Blanton Plank Road Company was formed and was incorporated under a special act of the Legislature in 1855 for the purpose of constructing a toll road across the swamps from New Madrid to the high land in Dunklin County. The road was barely completed when the Civil War interrupted the project and maintenance of the road was abandoned.
In 1877, the Little River Valley and Arkansas Railroad was extended from New Madrid into Dunklin County. At the western terminus of the railroad, the promoters decided to build a railroad town on the ridge to furnish supplies necessary for carrying out a proposed reclamation project. The town that was created was Malden. It is said that the origin of the town’s name was that it came to an associate of the engineer in charge of laying out the town in a dream. The town was incorporated in 1878 and became a city in 1889. The first brick building in the town were erected from 1889 through 1891. The Dunklin County Bank was built in 1890 and was one of the first brick buildings to be erected in Dunklin County. It still stands today and is currently occupied by Southern Missouri Bank and Trust at the corner of Main and Douglas Streets. Visitors interested in Malden’s history will find plenty of information at the Malden Historical Museum.
Bootheel Youth Museum
Malden became an integral part of the war effort during World War II and the Korean War. In 1941, the 2,900 acres of land about four miles north of Malden, Missouri, consisted of a few houses, barns, trees and lots of cotton fields. In late 1941 the War Department purchased 2,900 acres of land about four miles north of Malden and in the fall of 1942 construction began on Malden Army Airfield which provided a basic training course that included learning to land at night, to fly in formation, to use the two-way radio, identification of enemy aircraft and interpretation of weather forecasts. The first class of aviation cadets graduated in July 1943, and went to other bases for advanced flight training as fighter and bomber pilots. Hundreds of young men would follow and fly their "Vulcan Vibrators" in the skies over Malden and southeast Missouri. At one time, the base had a military population of 3,000. In the later years of the war, the field was also used to train troop carrier and glider pilots. In 1948 the War Department declared Malden Army Airfield excess to the War Assets Administration's needs and was deactivated. When the United States entered the Korean Conflict in 1950, the U.S. Air Force stepped up its pilot training program. Malden, with its existing facilities, was reactivated in 1951. In 1960 the base officially closed and ownership of the site was turned over to the City of Malden which turned it into the Malden Industrial Park and Regional Airport. Visitors wishing to explore this aspect of Malden’s history can visit the Malden Army Airfield Preservation Society located in the airport.
Malden’s newest attraction is the Bootheel Youth Museum which features 22,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits for kids of all ages. Visitors can experience the museum's many exhibits exploring the worlds of history, math, science, human relations, natural resources and the arts. Located west of town is Morris State Park situated on Crowley’s Ridge. The park has a two-mile barrier free loop trail that traverses a portion of this geologic oddity of a ridge that rises 200 feet above the Mississippi River’s floodplain.
www.kennettmo.com - The official website of the Kennett Chamber of Commerce.
