Humansville is a city in Polk County, Missouri, United States.

History

thumb|left|A crowd waiting to see and greet [[William Howard Taft|President Taft, circa 1910]]

Humansville was named after an American settler James Human who settled in the area in 1834. A post office called Humansville has been in operation since 1839.

During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought on the town's outskirts on March 26, 1862, in which approximately 300 to 400 Missouri Confederates under Col. James M. Frazier of Cedar County clashed with two companies of pro-Union Missouri State Militia. Casualties were few, but Col. Frazier was himself mortally wounded, which caused the Confederates to retreat.

The George Dimmitt Memorial Hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Geography

Humansville sits on Brush Creek and the line of the old Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railway. It is northwest of Bolivar, the seat of Polk County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

Humansville is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,048 people, 366 households, and 227 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 461 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 0.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.

There were 366 households, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% 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 3.04.

The median age in the city was 45.9 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 25.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census

Humansville has a public library, a branch of the Polk County Library.

Circle of Hope Girls Ranch was located in Humansville.

Transportation

Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Jefferson Lines.

Notable people

  • Zoe Akins (1886–1958), playwright and screenwriter
  • Kathie Browne (1930–2003), actress
  • Edgar Buchanan (1903–1979), actor
  • Billie Moore (1943–2022), college basketball coach
  • James B. Potter Jr. (born 1931), Los Angeles City Council member

See also

  • List of cities in Missouri
  • Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals

References

Further reading

  • Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, by Howard Louis Conrad, 1901. Page 324.
  • Woman's Who's Who of America, by John William Leonard, 1914. Page 40.
  • Historic maps of Humansville in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri