History of McDougal

The store pictured below belonged to A. C. Read and was the place of business for many years. It was part of the community when it was named "Meade," before the name was changed to McDougal. The name change came when the community applied for a post office. There was already a town in Arkansas named "Meade, therefore the railroad company had to rename the town.

The story goes that one rail official had just gotten married and his bride's maiden name was McDougal. So that name was given around 1916 and remains today.

The store was moved to McDougal in the late 1920s and was located on the corner of what is now Cooper Street and Highway 62.

In 1931 it was a grocery store and gas station operated by Ralph and Ora Reed.

The building was torn down in the 1960s.

(Like so many names of soldiers serving in the military in World War Two, changes were made and because important papers were valuable documents, the names of families also changed and to this date remain changed. Therefore the name Read or Reed was accepted.)

Ora (Baker) Reed was born and reared in Pollard. Ralph Reed was reared in McDougal. They were married June 15, 1929 and to this union, seven children were born: Norma Young, Juanita Medling and Carl Reed all live in McDougal; Nat Reed, Larry Reed and Barbara Howe reside in Michigan; Carol Bell makes her home in Piedmont, Missouri.