Morgan County, Missouri

Morgan County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,006. Its county seat is Versailles. The county was organized January 5, 1833, and named for General Daniel Morgan of the American Revolutionary War.

History

Morgan County was organized in 1833 upon separation from Cooper County. It is named in honor of Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan. Versailles, with a name referring to the French royal estate near Paris, France, was designated as the county seat and platted in 1854.

Established in 1853 there, the Martin Hotel was visited in the post-Civil War period by both showman and circus entrepreneur P. T. Barnum and outlaw robber Jesse James. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978, it now operates as a museum. In 1858 the Mulhollen Station was a mail stop here for the newly established Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line, which carried goods and mail for several years to San Francisco, California.

The Morgan County Courthouse in Versailles, which has also been listed on the NRHP, was designed with French-style details, such as a mansard roof, in keeping with the origin of the town's name. It burned in 1887. The majority of the records were rescued, and the courthouse was soon rebuilt and restored.

Coal mining was historically an important economic activity in Morgan County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Cooper County (north)
Moniteau County (northeast)
Miller County (southeast)
Camden County (south)
Benton County (west)
Pettis County (northwest)

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 50
20px Route 5
20px Route 52
20px Route 135

Geographical features

Brewner Hollow
Sawmill Hollow

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 21,006 and a median age of 46.4 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.2 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,548 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|13,570

|15,314

|18,693

|19,573

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19,298

|98.28%

|98.33%

|96.81%

|95.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.87%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|94

|97

|123

|style='background: #ffffe6; |126

|0.68%

|0.60%

|0.50%

|0.60%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.60%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|55

|68

|119

|113

|style='background: #ffffe6; |105

|0.40%

|0.44%

|0.62%

|0.55%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%

|Asian alone (NH)

|25

|21

|75

|style='background: #ffffe6; |61

|0.05%

|0.16%

|0.11%

|0.36%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.02%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|Other race alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |57

|0.07%

|0.03%

|0.01%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|214

|310

|style='background: #ffffe6; |905

|1.11%

|1.51%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.31%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|71

|69

|161

|365

|style='background: #ffffe6; |446

|0.51%

|0.44%

|0.83%

|1.77%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.12%

|Total

|13,807

|15,574

|19,309

|20,565

|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,006

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

Education

Public schools

Morgan County R-I School District – Stover
Morgan County R-I Elementary School (PK-04)
Morgan County R-I Middle School (05-08)
Morgan County R-I High School (09-12)
Morgan County R-II School District – Versailles
Morgan County R-II Elementary School (PK-05)
Morgan County R-II South Elementary School (PK-02)
Morgan County R-II Middle School (06-08)
Morgan County R-II High School (09-12)

Private schools

Dogwood Grove School – Versailles (02-09) – Mennonite
St. Paul Lutheran School – Stover (K-09) – Lutheran

Public libraries

Morgan County Library

Communities

Cities and towns

Barnett
Gravois Mills
Laurie
Rocky Mount
Stover
Syracuse
Versailles (county seat)

Townships

Buffalo Township
Haw Creek Township
Mill Creek Township
Moreau Township
Osage Township
Richland Township

Unincorporated communities

Aikinsville
Boylers Mill
Buck Creek
Excelsior
Florence
Glensted
Marvin
Proctor
Pyrmont
Riverview
Rocky Mount

Politics

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Morgan County. Republicans hold all but five of the elected positions in the county.

State

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"

|+ Past gubernatorial election results

|- bgcolor=lightgrey

! Year

! Republican

! Democratic

! Third Parties

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2024

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|79.04% 7,588

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|18.74% 1,799

|align="center" |2.22% 213

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2020

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|78.00% 7,372

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|19.89% 1,880

|align="center" |2.11% 199

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2016

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|66.35% 5,820

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|30.66% 2,689

|align="center" |2.99% 262

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2012

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|51.59% 4,575

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|44.91% 3,983

|align="center" |3.50% 310

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2008

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|47.58% 4,333

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|50.18% 4,570

|align="center" |2.24% 204

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|2004

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|60.18% 5,273

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|38.54% 3,377

|align="center" |1.27% 112

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|2000

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|53.57% 4,207

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|43.60% 3,424

|align="center" |2.83% 223

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|1996

|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|45.08% 3,220

|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|51.99% 3,714

|align="center" |2.93% 209

All of Morgan County is in Missouri's 58th Representative District in the Missouri House of Representatives, represented by David Wood (R-Versailles).

All of Morgan County is a part of Missouri's 6th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Mike Kehoe (R-Jefferson City).

Federal

References

External links

Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Morgan County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
Morgan County Sheriff's Office