County of city: Morgan County
Location of city: Dead center in county; crossroads of MO Hwy 5 & MO Hwy 52
County seat
Founded: 1835
Elevation: 1,033 ft (315 m)
Population: 2,483
Town pronounced: Ver Sails in Missouri
"Commissioner Street Thurston selected the site for Versailles in Section 6, Township 42, Range 17 in Morgan County in 1835. Mr. Wyan and Hugh Galbraith donated 36 blocks of land, each 170 feet square, and platted the town. At this time, the remnants of the Osage tribe of Indians still lived in the county.
"The town was named after Versailles, France, possibly by residents of the county who were descendants of the French.
"Versailles became an incorporated village February 13, 1866. The city officials at that time were V.S. Walker, A.J. Hart, W.C. Reed, E. Lindley and R. Boyd Williams, with Mr. Reed as chairman and J. Tyler Campbell as City Clerk. The first mayor of Versailles, elected in 1881, was B. R. Richardson
"In 1846, a stagecoach line, operated from Jefferson City to Springfield by way of Versailles, Cole Camp and Warsaw; progressed from three trips a week to daily service. The first sidewalks were made of wood planks. By 1894 Versailles had gas lights, furnished by the Chicago Globe, Light and Heat Co. In 1904 the first electric light plant was established in Versailles as a municipal plant lighting the town from 7 p.m. to daylight. The first ice plant was built in 1909 to supply the town with ice.
"Versailles is a town of contrasts, charm and history." ~ City of Versailles
City pronounced: Var saye in France
"Versailles - is a city in the Yvelines département in the Île-de-France region, renowned worldwide for the Château de Versailles and the gardens of Versailles, designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the western suburbs of the French capital, 17.1 km (10.6 mi) from the centre of Paris, Versailles is in the 21st century a wealthy suburb of Paris with a service-based economy and a major tourist destination as well. According to the 2008 census, the population of the city is 88,641 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975.
"A new town founded at the will of King Louis XIV, Versailles was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789, before becoming the cradle of the French Revolution. After having lost its status of royal city, it became the préfecture (regional capital) of the Seine-et-Oise département in 1790, then of Yvelines in 1968. It is also a Roman Catholic diocese." ~ Wikipedia