The village of Historic Hollow was originally named Deutsch Hollow by German settlers and for “Dutch” Charlie Paffrath, who bought property from Samuel Harris and opened a tavern on Market Street, now Manchester Road, the much-traveled highway connecting St. Louis to the capital in Jefferson City. That tavern, together with William Barthold’s home and stables, became popular stopping places for travelers camping there during the California and Kansas migrations. Throughout the 1800s, Hollow had a store, blacksmith, carpenter, and tavern, and it also served as a relay point for the Jefferson City stagecoach line. Although little remains of the original settlement except a few houses, the original tavern was rebuilt in 1858 and became Stovall’s Grove, a dance hall and roadhouse that continued as a well-known live music venue. In 1849, the Hencken family bought land in Hollow and kept it for 100 years, Henry Hencken donated the land for the Hollow School House in 1869, and his home is now owned by the Wildwood Historical Society. In the mid-1900s, as the road carried more traffic, Hollow had two general stores, one run by the Hencken Brothers and the other by Henry Poertner, as well as a shoemaker, a harness maker, two blacksmiths, including one operated by Joeseph Tieman, and a carpenter shop.