In 1828, seven years after the establishment of the State of Missouri, Andrew McCartney Elston, one of the original framers of the Missouri Constitution, purchased a substantial tract of land in western Cole County, Missouri. In 1867, Mr. Elston commissioned a surveyor to draft a town plat and in March of that year, he officially recognized the town. Nestled about halfway between St. Martins and the Missouri River on State Highway T, the sleepy town of Elston struggles to hold its place in the annals of Missouri history. Memories of Elston are slowly fading as modernity and passing time wear on the once commercial and lively Marion Township community. Cooking Up History in Elston, Missouri guides the reader through a collection of biographical sketches, historical vignettes, genealogical possibilities and culinary diversions in the history of a small, Midwestern town.