Northern Missouri
Macon's City of Maples story starts with a tax deal
Macon's official city history ties the county seat to the Bee Trace, an 1863 move from Bloomington, and an 1872 maple-tree trade for back taxes.
Macon’s nickname has a better hook than a slogan on a welcome sign. The city’s own history page says John Beaumont donated 10,000 young maple trees in 1872 in exchange for a $116 payment of back taxes. Those trees are the root of “The City of Maples.”
The older map is just as useful. Before the town was laid out in 1856, the Bee Trace ran through the area as a path used by settlers looking for honey. The county seat moved from Bloomington to Macon in 1863. Modern Macon is a layered county-seat town: an old trail story, a courthouse move, and a maple-tree identity all sitting in the same place.
For a reader trying to understand Macon County, the point is not to memorize a date. It is to see why Macon carries the county’s public identity. Courthouse errands, city history, and the “City of Maples” name are tied to one town, not scattered across the county.
Where to see it
- Macon history and City of Maples context
Use the city history page for the Bee Trace, courthouse move, and maple-tree story.
References
More from Macon County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: July 16, 2026.