Webster County, Missouri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Webster County
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Webster County Courthouse in Marshfield
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Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
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 Missouri's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Missouri |
| Founded | March 3, 1854 |
| Named for | Daniel Webster |
| Seat | Marshfield |
| Largest city | Marshfield |
| Area | |
| • Total | 594 sq mi (1,540 km2) |
| • Land | 593 sq mi (1,540 km2) |
| • Water | 1.2 sq mi (3 km2) 0.2% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 39,085 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
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40,335 |
| • Density | 68/sq mi (26/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 4th, 7th |
Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,085. Its county seat is Marshfield. The county was organized in 1855 and named for U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster.
Webster County is part of the Springfield, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Webster County was organized on March 3, 1855, and encompasses some of the highest extensive upland area of Missouri's Ozarks. The judicial seat is Marshfield, which lies 1,490 feet above sea level. Webster County is the highest county seat in the state of Missouri. Pioneer Legislator John F. McMahan named the county and county seat for Daniel Webster, and his Marshfield, Massachusetts home.
Marshfield was laid out in 1856 by R.H. Pitts, on land that was given by C.F. Dryden and W.T. and B.F.T. Burford. Until a courthouse was built, the county business was conducted at Hazelwood where Joseph W. McClurg, later Governor of Missouri, operated a general store. Today's Carthage Marble courthouse was built in 1939-1941 and is the county's third.
During the U.S. Civil War, a small force of pro-Southern troops was driven out of Marshfield in February 1862, and ten months later a body of Confederates was routed east of town. On January 9, 1863, General Joseph O. Shelby’s troops burned the stoutly built Union fortification at Marshfield and at Sand Springs, evacuated earlier. During Marmaduke's First Raid, on January 9, 1863, Confederate Troops under the command of Col. Joseph C. Porter, led by Lt. Colonel John M. Wimer, burned the Fort at Hazelwood. By 1862, the telegraph line passed near Marshfield on a route later called the "Old Wire Road".
A part of the 1808 Osage Native American land cession, the county was settled in the early 1830s by pioneers from Kentucky and Tennessee. A Native American trail crossed southern Webster County and many prehistoric mounds are in the area.
The railroad-building boom of the post Civil War period stimulated the county's growth as a dairy, poultry, and livestock producer. The Atlantic & Pacific (Frisco) Railroad was built through Marshfield in 1872, and by 1883 the Kansas City, Springfield, and Memphis (Frisco) crossed the county. Seymour, Rogersville, Fordland and Niangua grew up along the railroad routes.
Early schools in the county were Marshfield Academy, chartered in 1860; Mt. Dale Academy, opened in 1873; and Henderson Academy, chartered in 1879.
On April 18, 1880, an intense tornado measuring F4 on the Fujita scale struck Marshfield. Its damage path was 800 yards (730 m) wide and 64 miles (103 km) long. The tornado killed 99 people and injured 100, and it is said that 10% of Marshfield's residents were killed and all but 15 of its buildings were destroyed. The composition “Marshfield Cyclone” by the African-American musician John W. (Blind) Boone gave wide publicity to the cyclone, which is still listed as one of the top ten natural disasters in the history of the nation.
Astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889–1953) was born in Marshfield and attended through the third grade in the public school system. A replica of the Hubble telescope sits in the courthouse yard and the Marshfield stretch of I-44 was named in his honor.
Marshfield holds claim to the oldest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi River. Former President George Herbert Walker Bush and wife Barbara visited the parade on July 4, 1991, while campaigning for the presidency through Missouri. Webster County also boasts the longest continuous county fair in the state of Missouri.
The annual Seymour Apple Festival, established in 1973, has grown to one of Missouri's largest free celebrations, with estimated crowds of more than 30,000 congregating on the Seymour public square each second weekend of September. The festival pays tribute to Seymour's apple industry, which began in the 1840s, with Seymour being called "The Land Of The Big Red Apple" around the turn of the 20th century, when Webster County produced more than 50 percent of the state's apple crop.
Geography
Webster County straddles the drainage divide between the Missouri and White rivers and the headwaters of the James, Niangua, Gasconade, and Pomme de Terre rivers arise in Webster County.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 594 square miles (1,540 km2), of which 593 square miles (1,540 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.2%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Dallas County (northwest)
- Laclede County (northeast)
- Wright County (east)
- Douglas County (southeast)
- Christian County (southwest)
- Greene County (west)
Major highways
Interstate 44
U.S. Route 60
Route 38
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Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 7,099 | — | |
| 1870 | 10,434 | 47.0% | |
| 1880 | 12,175 | 16.7% | |
| 1890 | 15,177 | 24.7% | |
| 1900 | 16,640 | 9.6% | |
| 1910 | 17,377 | 4.4% | |
| 1920 | 16,609 | −4.4% | |
| 1930 | 16,148 | −2.8% | |
| 1940 | 17,226 | 6.7% | |
| 1950 | 15,072 | −12.5% | |
| 1960 | 13,753 | −8.8% | |
| 1970 | 15,562 | 13.2% | |
| 1980 | 20,414 | 31.2% | |
| 1990 | 23,753 | 16.4% | |
| 2000 | 31,045 | 30.7% | |
| 2010 | 36,202 | 16.6% | |
| 2020 | 39,085 | 8.0% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 40,335 | 11.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010 2022 |
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As of the census of 2000, there were 31,045 people, 11,073 households, and 8,437 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 inhabitants per square mile (20/km2). There were 12,052 housing units at an average density of 20 units per square mile (7.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.20% White, 1.16% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Approximately 1.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 11,073 households, out of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.00% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were non-families. 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,948, and the median income for a family was $46,941. Males had a median income of $28,168 versus $20,768 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,948. About 9.60% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.
2020 Census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (NH) | 35,893 | 92% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 194 | 0.5% |
| Native American (NH) | 243 | 0.62% |
| Asian (NH) | 141 | 0.36% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 9 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 1,815 | 4.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 790 | 2% |
Education
Public schools
- Fordland R-III School District - Fordland
- Fordland Elementary School - (K-05)
- Fordland Middle School - (06-08)
- Fordland High School - (09-12)
- Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District - Rogersville
- Logan-Rogersville Primary School - (PK-01)
- Logan-Rogersville Elementary School - (02-03)
- Logan-Rogersville Upper Elementary School - (04-06)
- Logan-Rogersville Middle School - (07-08)
- Logan-Rogersville High School - (09-12)
- Marshfield R-I School District - Marshfield
- Edwin P. Hubble Elementary School - (K-01)
- Daniel Webster Elementary School - (02-03)
- Shook Elementary School - (04-05)
- Marshfield Jr. High School - (06-08)
- Marshfield High School - (09-12)
- Niangua R-V School District - Niangua
- Niangua Elementary School - (K-06)
- Niangua High School - (07-12)
- Seymour R-II School District - Seymour
- Seymour Elementary School - (PK-05)
- Seymour Middle School - (06-08)
- Seymour High School - (09-12)
Also, shared with neighboring counties:
- Conway School (Laclede County R-1 School District)
- Fair Grove School (Greene County R-10 School District)
- Strafford School (Greene County R-6 School District)
Private schools
- Ozark Mennonite School - Seymour - (01-10) - Mennonite
Public libraries
- Garst Memorial Library (Marshfield) https://webstercountylibrary.org/
- Rogersville Branch Library https://webstercountylibrary.org/
- Seymour Public Library
Communities
Cities
- Fordland
- Marshfield (county seat)
- Niangua
- Rogersville
- Seymour
- Strafford
Village
Unincorporated communities
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Webster (Misuri) para niños
