I haven’t verified this story is true, but a long-time resident of Boone County told me this story about 40 years ago, and I believe it. This is what he told me:

The town of Sapp, located south of Columbia, used to be called Hoopup (not sure of the spelling, since what I got was a verbal account). Somewhere in the town’s history, the state decided that Hoopup was not a proper name for a Missouri town. The state assigned the name Sapp, and put up Sapp signs along the highway at the entrances to the town. The residents were unhappy with the new name, and, within 24 hours, the signs had been all but destroyed by bullets. – Jerry Hyde