County: Polk County
Location of courthouse: Broadway St. & Main Ave., courthouse lawn, Bolivar
Built: November 25, 1907
Architect: Robert G. Kirsch
Architectural Style: Romanesque
Location of county: in the SW quarter of the state: crossroads of MO-13, MO-83 & MO-32
Elevation: 453 meters (1,486 feet)
Population: 31,794 (2017)
"There are various versions of when the county was formed, and all of them are listed in the order of their appearance.
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"The county was first settled in 1810 by Tennesseans, and was organized in 1834 and named in honor of President James K. Polk." ~
Campbell's New Atlas of Missouri, 1874, p. 67
"Polk County was organized in March, 1835, but its present limits were not established until 1845. The Osages and Delawares were the occupants in 1832-33, when the Gunters, Jamiesons, Benjamin Looney and other pioneers came in." ~ A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region, Goodspeed, 1894, p. 27
"The first settlers came from Tennessee in 1820; of these there is little trace and no authoritative records of others until several years later. The Sac River in the southwest part of the county received the first immigration. There, in 1830, Martha, wife of J. H. M. Smith, wove the first cloth in a crude loom. In 1832 Aaron Ruyle had a cabin, and in 1835 he set out the first fruit trees; John S. Lemmon put up a saw and gristmill about the same time. In 1832-33, the first settlements were made near Bolivar ... Polk County was named in honor of James K. Polk, afterward President and was created by the act of the General Assembly of March 13, 1835.
The territory of the new county was taken from Greene and Laclede Counties. As its boundaries were defined by the General Assembly in the act of March 20th, following, its area was nearly three times what it is at present, and included nearly all of the present Dallas County, and portions of Hickory, St. Clair, Cedar and Webster Counties. It was reduced to its present dimensions in 1845. ...
"A log court house was built in 1835. In 1841, this was replaced by a two-story brick building, which is yet occupied (1901)." ~ Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, Conrad, Vol. 5, pp. 183-184
"The Polk County Court met for the first time February 9, 1835, at Donald M. Stockton's house, five miles southeast of Bolivar ... Having convened the second day, the court proceeded to divide the county into three townships: Washington, Marion, and Jackson.
"Polk County adopted the township organization by a vote in November, 1872, under which much of the business formerly devolving on the county court is now (1889) under the jurisdiction of township officials ..." ~ State of Missouri, History of Polk Co., Goodspeed, 1889, p. 295
"The first settlements were made as early as 1820, by emigrants from Tennessee, although the county was not organized until March 13, 1835, up to which time it had formed a part of Greene County. It was named in honor of James K. Polk, of Tennessee. The first court was held September 7, 1835, at Bolivar, Charles H. Allen presiding, and Joseph English, sheriff.
"John S. Phelps, of Springfield, was the first attorney admitted to practice in the court, his signature bearing date of August 7, 1837." ~ Gazetteer of Missouri, Campbell, 1874, p. 451
"Polk County was organized March 13, 1835. John P. Campbell, an early settler in Polk County was a second cousin of James K. Polk, and he suggested that it be named Polk. Polk was at this time a member of Congress and was elected President in 1844." ~ How Missouri Streams, Cities, Etc., Were Named, David W. Eaton, from The Missouri Historical Review, p. 342
"James Knox Polk of Tennessee was only a Congressman when Polk County was named for him, but was perhaps more popular then in Missouri than after his unexpected election to the Presidency ten years later." ~ Our Storehouse of Missouri Place Names, Ramsay, pp. 52-53.
"In central southwest Missouri, where the Western Prairie and the Ozark Plateau meet, Polk County was organized 1835, and named for Congressman, later U. S. President James K. Polk. The county lies in the 1808 Osage Indian cession and was roamed by Delaware and other tribes into period of settlement by Southern pioneers in the 1830's. An Indian flint quarry site and a number of mounds remain in the county.
"Bolivar, the county seat, was laid out by William Jamieson, 1835. Largest town in U.S. named for South American liberator, it has been presented with handsome equestrian statue and two portraits of Simon Bolivar by Venezuelan Government. the statue is in Neuhart Park. Also in town is Dunnegan Memorial Park. Since 1879, Bolivar has been home of Southwest Baptist (Junior) College.
"The Butterfield Overland Mail route ran through the county, 1858-61, and Bolivar was a meal and relay stop. Another relay station was near Brighton and the stage stopped in Brighton for a time when the telegraph reached there, 1859. The Frisco R.R. was built through the county in 1884.
"In Polk County grain, livestock, poultry, and dairy area, are the Pomme de Terre (Potato) River, named by French trappers, and the Sac River named for Sac Indians of north Mo. In 1957, a dam was begun on the Pomme de Terre in adjacent Hickory County to form a flood control reservoir.
"Humansville, the country's second town, was settled by James Human, 1834, who located near Paxton Spring, which has a measured flow of 445,000 gals. daily. In War Between the States, skirmishes occurred there Mar., 1862 and Oct., 1863. The county, divided in loyalty, was raided by guerrilla bands and Bolivar was occupied by troops of one side or the other during most of the war.
"Morrisville, laid out in 1870, was home of Morrisville (Scarritt-Morrisville) Methodist College, opened in 1872. Other early schools were Polk Academy in 1840 and Dunnegan Springs Academy in 1895. Playwright, poet Zoe Akins was born in Humansville. Other noted Polk Countians include Clyde E. Tuck, poet; William H. Hamby, writer; Marion C. Early, writer, lawyer. Charles U. Becker, writer, Mo. Secretary of State, 1921-34, lived in Wishart." ~ State Historical Society of Missouri, 1959
[NOTE: Update to 1959 marker:
1. The statue of Bolivar is standing rather than on a horse.
2. Southwest Baptist College became an accredited four-year college in 1965. In 1981 the school changed its name to Southwest Baptist University.
3. Charles U. Becker served as Missouri Secretary of State from 1921 until 1933.]