Monett had four other names before it was called Monett. It was first named Kings Prairie Depot, and it began as a Frisco Railroad town because of its location. By 1875, Plymouth had become a new name for Kings Prairie Depot, although that name originally belonged to the town now known as Billings. The town name of Plymouth began in July 1880, when Plymouth was a flag station and telegraph office at the junction of Frisco's main line and the Arkansas Branch. In 1882 it became known as Plymouth Junction, a name frequently used in newspaper articles and advertisements. In 1887 the name was changed to Gonten because the post office refused to recognize the name Plymouth since it was already in use elsewhere, and instead referred to the town as Gonten after its postmaster, Fredrick von Gonten. The names Plymouth, Plymouth Junction, and Gonten were often used at the same time from about 1880 to 1887. Much of the original town of Plymouth burned in a fire in 1886, likely started by sparks from a passing train, but houses west of Central survived, leading to the name West Monett. The town of Monett was laid out next door to Plymouth and was named for Henry Monett, a prominent official of the New York Central Railroad. It was heavily promoted in the Missouri press through the fall of 1887, including a large auction of town lots in October that year. Separated from Monett only by the width of today's Central Avenue, Plymouth lost its separate identity and became part of Monett, although it was sometimes still called West Monett into the early 20th Century.