Hope some of this may be of some help to you..
************************
Villages of Crawford County, Missouri - LEASBURG
ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/mo/crawford/history/towns/leasburg.txt
***************************
Excerpt:
The permanent origin and development of Leasburg is credited to Samuel Lea, rather than to the Harrisons. Samuel Lea came to the site in 1858 and the next year built a log cabin twenty-four by twenty-six feet within the present limits of Leasburg.
In 1860 he bought a large portion of the present townsite from William H. Harrison, paying him $2,500 for the property. In that same year he built the first frame house in what soon became the town and opened a general store to become its first merchant.
During the year 1859 the railroad was constructed through the vicinity and little houses were built along the track, perhaps the first being the little box-type station which stood for many years. Directly across from it the Lea residence, store, post office, and hotel--all in one building--dominated the other structures.
**************************
Another Excerpt:
In the early days the hotel in Leasburg was the most important business in the little town. These were the times of railroad building, Civil War activities, and days in which the very important salesmen were popularly called "drummers." These salesmen traveled by railroad or hack and always took room and board at the hotel for several days while calling upon his nearby customers.
Samuel Lea built the first hotel in Leasburg and operated it for many years. His store, wareroom, family living quarters, and Iodgings for paying guests were all under the same roof. The visitor, or customer, entered the store from a porch or platform which extended almost to the railroad track. Just back of the store proper was the wareroom. To the rear of the wareroom was the dining room. The floor area back of the dining room was divided into two rooms, used as living quarters for the family. Two upstairs rooms which were over the family living quarters were rented to travelers. Just outside the dining room door was the rock-walled cistern which was eight feet in diameter and twenty-two feet deep. The hotel garden is now the site of the Orville Cresswell home.
It was in this hotel that GeneraI Thomas Ewing, junior, set up his headquarters during the Battle of Leasburg in 1864. The Lea Hotel was located directly across the railroad track and on the south side of the track from Leasburg's depot, the old freight house.
Samuel Lea had no children but he reared Benjamin Lea, the son of his deceased brother John. He also reared the two orphan sons of his brother, George Lea. George Lea's sons learned telegraphy in the freight station. Samuel Lea died in 1880 but others carried on until the building was destroyed by a fire. At the time of the loss of this old landmark it was occupied by Bill Pinnell. Today there is nothing to mark the site except the old cistern which is still being used.
On June 25, 1895, the old hotel grounds were acquired by William T. Hill for the sum of $500. Mr. Hill erected a new building and called it The Exchange Hotel. On November 10, 1897, he sold it to Elliot Davis for $1,000. William Davis bought the hotel November 21, 1898, and renamed it the Jefferson Hotel. A few years later Harvey and Ella Knight acquired the property and operated a hotel for several years.
When the depot was moved east to a new location the old hotel seemed to lose its importance and was finally closed. The building was wrecked in 1930 and the lumber was used elsewhere by Jim Cresswell.
*****************************
Depots
http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/depots/crawford.cfm
******************************
Some maps
http://www.usgwarchives.org/mo/crawford/crawmap.htm
***************************
Gay