Title:
Courthouse and Landscapes, Butler, Missouri
REEL ID:
L060R003
RUN TIME:
0:05:37
FORMAT:
16mm motion picture film
FILM TYPE:
Color Kodak Kodachrome
SOUND:
Silent (no synchronized sound)
Description:
This atmospheric home movie documents civic landmarks, downtown street life, and surrounding farmland in and around Butler, offering a grounded portrait of small-town Missouri and its rural outskirts. Shot on color film, the reel moves between moments of daily activity and quiet observation, capturing the rhythms of place across town and countryside.
The film opens with sunrise and sunset views over city streets, followed by cars moving through downtown Butler. The camera lingers on the Bates County Courthouse, highlighting its historic architecture as a focal point of civic life. Nearby downtown businesses come into view, including signage for the Butler State Bank. A monument honoring World War veterans appears, along with broader downtown views marked by the town’s water tower rising above the streetscape.
The reel then transitions to travel scenes beyond the city. Cars move along highways and gravel roads, passing fields, fence rows, and active farmland. Crops grow in open fields as farmers work the land, reinforcing the agricultural foundation of the region. An old abandoned bridge becomes a visual anchor—first seen from a distance, then through close-up shots of weathered metal and a low-water crossing where water flows steadily beneath.
Rural signage and textures follow: a “No Trespassing—Hunting or Fishing” sign stands along an overgrown fence row, while nearby river water moves calmly through the landscape. Train tracks cut across the scene as a train passes through a railroad crossing, connecting the countryside to broader routes of movement and commerce.
The camera returns to the land with views of cornfields heavy with crops, followed by scenes along the Marais des Cygnes River. A cemetery appears next, with tombstones and gravestones standing quietly among the grass, offering a reflective pause amid the travel footage.
The reel concludes with additional gravel road views through farm country—barns, farmhouses, and cows grazing in open fields—closing on images that emphasize continuity between town, land, and community life in western Missouri.
Together, these scenes preserve a richly textured snapshot of midcentury rural America, centered on Butler and the surrounding landscapes of Bates County.
Tags:
Missouri, Butler Missouri, Bates County, 16mm film, Color home movies, Small-town America, Courthouse, Bates County Courthouse, Downtown Butler, City streets, Automobiles, Butler State Bank, World War veterans monument, Water tower, Highway travel, Gravel roads, Farmland, Farming, Fence rows, Field crops, Cornfield, Corn crops, Abandoned bridge, Metal bridge, Low water crossing, River, Marais des Cygnes River, Train, Railroad crossing, Train tracks, Cemetery, Tombstones, Gravestones, Barn, Farmhouse, Cows, Rural landscapes, Americana, Postwar America, Analog film, Nostalgic footage