Barry

Barry Township was first settled in 1824. Shortly after the town of Worcester was laid out by Calvin R. Stone of the firm Stone, Field & Marks of St Louis. Sadly Calvin Stone was killed on the Mississippi River when the steamboat Montezuma exploded. During this time it was discovered that another town in the state was named Worcester leading to the name being changed to Barry after the town of Barre, Vermont. Oral history states that a petition changing the name was drawn up by Dr. Alfred Baker who printed the name Barre in large Roman letters. When the clerk entered the petition, he changed the e to y. Over the decades Barry grew as a town of business containing many shops and mills. It also became a hub for the pork packing industry.