Morgan County, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. As of July 2007, the population was 20,820. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Versailles
Versailles, Missouri
Versailles is a city in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. According to the 2000 census the population is 2,565. It is the county seat of Morgan County...

.

History

Morgan County was organized in 1833 upon separation from Cooper County. It is named in honor of the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

 General Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan was an American pioneer, soldier, and United States Representative from Virginia. One of the most gifted battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War, he later commanded troops during the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion.-Early years:Most authorities believe that...

. Some parts of Morgan County touch the Lake of the Ozarks
Lake of the Ozarks
The Lake of the Ozarks is a large reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Extents of three smaller tributaries to the Osage, the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois Creek, are included in the impoundment...

.

Its varied history includes the Mulhollen Station, through which mail traveled with the Butterfield Stage Line in 1858. Established in 1853, the Martin Hotel was visited by P. T. Barnum
P. T. Barnum
Phineas Taylor Barnum was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus....

 and Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...

. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1978, the Martin Hotel operates as a museum. The Morgan County Courthouse, established in Versailles, burned in 1887; however, the majority of the records were rescued, and the courthouse was soon rebuilt.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 613.89 square miles (1,590 km²), of which 597.41 square miles (1,547.3 km²) (or 97.32%) is land and 16.48 square miles (42.7 km²) (or 2.68%) is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Cooper County
    Cooper County, Missouri
    Cooper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. In 2010, the population was 17,601. Its county seat is Boonville. The county was organized in 1818 and is named for Sarshall Cooper, a frontier settler who was killed by Indians near Arrow Rock in 1814.-Geography:According to the 2000...

      (north)
  • Moniteau County  (northeast)
  • Miller County  (southeast)
  • Camden County
    Camden County, Missouri
    Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 37,051. Its county seat is Camdenton. The county was organized in 1841 as Kinderhook County and renamed in 1843, for Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, Chancellor of England, and leader of the Whig...

      (south)
  • Benton County  (west)
  • Pettis County
    Pettis County, Missouri
    Pettis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was organized in 1833 and is named for U.S. Congressman Spencer Darwin Pettis. As of 2000, the population was 39,403...

      (northwest)

Major highways

  • U.S. Route 50
  • Route 5
  • Route 52
  • Route 135

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2007, there were 20,820 people, over 7,850 households, and over 5,549 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 13,898 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.34% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.51% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.63% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.12% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.16% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 7,850 households out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 27.30% from 45 to 64, and 19.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,659, and the median income for a family was $35,908. Males had a median income of $26,579 versus $19,072 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $15,950. About 12.10% of families and 16.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.60% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

  • Barnett
    Barnett, Missouri
    Barnett is a city in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 207 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Barnett is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Florence
    Florence, Missouri
    Florence is an unincorporated community in northern Morgan County, Missouri, United States. It is located about sixteen miles southeast of Sedalia on Route 135...

  • Gravois Mills
    Gravois Mills, Missouri
    Gravois Mills is a village in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 208 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town.-Geography:Gravois Mills is located at ....

  • Laurie
    Laurie, Missouri
    Laurie is a village in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 663 at the 2000 census. It is near Camp Hohn, a Boy Scout reservation.-Geography:Laurie is located at ....

  • Rocky Mount
    Rocky Mount, Missouri
    Rocky Mount is an unincorporated community in western Miller County and eastern Morgan County, Missouri, and western Miller County United States. It is located on six miles southwest of Eldon near the Lake of the Ozarks....

  • Stover
    Stover, Missouri
    Stover is a city in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 968 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stover is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Sunrise Beach
    Sunrise Beach, Missouri
    Sunrise Beach is a village in Camden and Morgan counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 368 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:Sunrise Beach is located at ....

  • Syracuse
    Syracuse, Missouri
    Syracuse is a city in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 172 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Syracuse is located at ....

  • Versailles
    Versailles, Missouri
    Versailles is a city in Morgan County, Missouri, United States. According to the 2000 census the population is 2,565. It is the county seat of Morgan County...


  • See also

    • National Register of Historic Places listings in Morgan County, Missouri

    External links

    • Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Morgan County from University of Missouri
      University of Missouri
      The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

       Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
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