Holman, Missouri

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Holman, Missouri is a former town on U.S. Highway 66 in Webster County near the Greene County line. The current location is Missouri Supplemental Route OO about fifteen miles northeast of Springfield. Nothing remains of the town except the name of a local road. The site is now occupied by Exotic Animal Paradise.

A 1903 newspaper announced the founding of the new town. A lake was built as part of the development, and can be found across I-44 from the site of the Ranch Hotel, which burned in August, 1961. The other buildings on the site were a rock "tenant house" and a rock gas station at the entrance to the lane that led to the hotel.

The property was purchased in 1959 or 1960 by Nolan Eugene McDonald. He had just accepted the position of General Manager of Hutchens and Son, buildier of semi-trailer suspensions. The company owned Marshfield Steel and Mr. McDonald was in charge of greatly expanding the plant and designing new products. He spent many months upgrading the hotel for the family residence. Nolan and his wife, Lois, threw a memorable New Year's Eve party in the hotel's huge ballroom. After only one year in the Ranch Hotel, the home burned to the ground while the family was visiting the Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend. The property was sold and the McDonalds built a new house in Marshfield, Missouri.