Mercer County, Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mercer County
U.S. county
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	February 14, 1845
Named for	John Francis Mercer
Seat	Princeton
Largest city	Princeton
Area
• Total	455 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Land	454 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Water	1.3 sq mi (3 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,538
• Density	7.776/sq mi (3.002/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th

Mercer County is a county located in the northwestern part of Missouri, a state in the United States. In 2020, about 3,538 people lived there, making it one of the less populated counties in Missouri. The main town and county seat is Princeton. Mercer County was officially created on February 14, 1845. It was named after General John F. Mercer, a hero from the American Revolutionary War.

History

How Mercer County Began

Mercer County was formed on February 14, 1845. It was originally part of Grundy County. The county is named after General Hugh Mercer, who was a brave soldier in the American Revolutionary War and sadly died in battle.

The first people to settle permanently in what is now Mercer County arrived in 1837. These were families from other parts of Missouri. James Parsons, from Tennessee, is thought to be the very first permanent settler in the spring of 1837. At that time, this land was part of Livingston County. Later, in 1841, it became part of the new Grundy County.

Before 1837, the land was mainly used by Native American tribes, especially the Sac/Fox and Potawatomi. They used it as excellent hunting grounds. Sometimes, these tribes would set up temporary hunting camps, but otherwise, the land was empty of people.

The town of Princeton was chosen as the county seat in 1847. It was named after the Battle of Princeton, where General Mercer was killed. For the first six years of the county's existence, its northern border was unclear because of the Honey War. This was a disagreement over land between Missouri and Iowa, but thankfully, no one was hurt. Before 1851, the border was about 9.5 miles farther north than it is today, until the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision.

Mercer County During the Civil War

Mercer County, like its neighbor Putnam County, strongly supported the Union during the American Civil War. Most residents had come from northern states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. They did not have the tradition of owning enslaved people, which was common in some other northern Missouri counties.

In 1860, only 12 families in Mercer County owned enslaved people, with a total of 24 enslaved individuals. Fewer than 20 men from Mercer County fought for the Confederacy. However, more than 1,000 men from the county volunteered to serve the Union.

Soldiers from Mercer County joined units like the 23rd, 27th, and 35th Regiments, the 2nd and 12th Cavalry, and the 5th Kansas Cavalry. The 44th Missouri Infantry (USA), which included men from Mercer, Grundy, and Sullivan counties, played a key role in the Union victory at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, in November 1864.

Geography

Mercer County covers a total area of 455 square miles. Most of this (454 square miles) is land, and only a small part (1.3 square miles, or 0.3%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Mercer County shares borders with these other counties:

• Decatur County, Iowa (to the northwest)
• Wayne County, Iowa (to the north)
• Putnam County (to the east)
• Sullivan County (to the southeast)
• Grundy County (to the south)
• Harrison County (to the west)

Main Roads

• U.S. Route 65
• U.S. Route 136
• Missouri Route 145

Population Facts

In 2010, there were 3,785 people living in Mercer County. The population density was about 8 people per square mile. Most residents (98.72%) were White. About 23% of the population was under 18 years old. The median age was 42 years.

2020 Census Information

Religion in Mercer County

Religion in Mercer County, according to ARDA (2020)      Evangelicals Churches (62.5%)     Anabaptist Churches (Amish and Mennonite) (9.1%)     Mainline Protestant Churches (6.2%)     None (19.6%)

Education

Mercer County has two main school districts:

• North Mercer County R-III School District - located in Mercer
  • North Mercer County Elementary School (Grades PK-6)
  • Mercer High School (Grades 7-12)
• Princeton R-V School District - located in Princeton
  • Princeton Elementary School (Grades PK-6)
  • Princeton High School (Grades 7-12)

Public Libraries

• Mercer County Library

Communities

Cities

• Mercer
• Princeton (This is the county seat, meaning it's the main town where the county government is located.)

Village

• South Lineville

Census-Designated Place

• Ravanna (A census-designated place is a community that looks like a town but isn't officially incorporated as one.)

Other Communities

• Mill Grove
• Modena

Historical Communities

These are places that used to be communities in Mercer County:

Townships

A township is a smaller division of land within a county. Mercer County has these townships:

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mercer (Misuri) para niños