The community is named after Sylvester L'Abaddie,[2] a hunter who (by some accounts) was killed by a bear in nearby Labaddie's Cave.

A county history published in 1968, however, records that he "died peacefully in his bed in his 70th year, on July 25, 1849, at his home on Olive Street in St.

The Bethel Church and James North House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[5] In 2019, Ameren was ordered by a federal judge to install equipment at the plant to reduce its carbon emissions.

[6] Ameren has also faced backlash from community environmentalist groups due to the coal ash landfill located on the energy center's property.