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Lawrence County, Missouri
Lawrence County MO Courthouse 20151022-120
The Lawrence County Courthouse in Mt. Vernon
Map of Missouri highlighting Lawrence County
Location in the state of Missouri
Map of the U.S
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded February 14, 1845
Named for James Lawrence
Seat Mount Vernon
Largest city Monett
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

613 sq mi (1,588 km²)
612 sq mi (1,585 km²)
1.6 sq mi (4 km²), 0.3
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

38,001
Congressional district 7th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website https://www.lawrencecountymo.org/

Lawrence County is located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, in the area of the Ozarks. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,001.[1] Its county seat is Mount Vernon.[2] The county was organized in 1845 and named for James Lawrence, a naval officer from the War of 1812 known for his battle cry, "Don't give up the ship!"[3]

A previous Lawrence County, established in 1815 with its county seat at what is now Davidsonville Historic State Park in Arkansas, covered much of what is now southern Missouri and the northern third of Arkansas. When the Arkansas Territory was created from Missouri Territory in 1819, some of that earlier county became organized as Lawrence County, Arkansas.[4]

Just before that, in 1818, Missouri divided its part of the old Lawrence County into Wayne County and Madison County; with population increases, those counties were later divided into others, including the present Lawrence County.

Racial History[]

Following the Reconstruction era, southwestern Missouri became increasingly hostile to African Americans, and whites attacked blacks in Lawrence and other counties, seeking to expel them from the region. An African-American man was lynched in Verona, Missouri on January 26, 1894; his name was not recorded.[5] On August 19, 1901, three men were lynched by a white mob in the county seat, Pierce City, in Lawrence County. The mob also burned down some black homes, and drove roughly 30 families, a total of 300 African Americans, out of the city altogether. Whites took over their properties and the African Americans were never compensated for losses.[6]

As a result of such incidents, many African Americans left Southwest Missouri in the early 20th century.[7][8] The extrajudicial murders were part of a pattern of discrimination, repeated violence and intimidation of African Americans in southwest Missouri from 1894 to 1909.[7] Whites in Greene conducted a mass lynching of three African-Americans in 1906 in the courthouse square.[7][8]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 613 square miles (1,590 km2), of which 612 square miles (1,590 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.[9]

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • I-44 (MO) Interstate 44
  • US 66 U.S. Route 66 (1926–1985)
  • MO-39 Route 39
  • MO-96 Route 96
  • MO-97 Route 97
  • MO-266 Route 266

National protected area[]

  • Ozark Cavefish National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1850 4,859
1860 8,840 81.9%
1870 12,977 46.8%
1880 17,583 35.5%
1890 26,228 49.2%
1900 31,662 20.7%
1910 26,583 −16.0%
1920 24,211 −8.9%
1930 23,774 −1.8%
1940 24,637 3.6%
1950 23,420 −4.9%
1960 23,260 −0.7%
1970 24,585 5.7%
1980 28,973 17.8%
1990 30,236 4.4%
2000 35,204 16.4%
2010 38,634 9.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[1]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 35,204 people, 13,568 households, and 9,728 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km2). There were 14,789 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.68% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Approximately 3.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,568 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 24.50% 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 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.20% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,239, and the median income for a family was $36,846. Males had a median income of $27,309 versus $18,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,399. About 11.00% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education[]

Public schools[]

  • Aurora R-VIII School DistrictAurora
    • Pate Early Childhood Center (PK-02)
    • Robinson Elementary School (03-04)
    • Robinson Intermediate School (05-06)
    • Aurora Junior High School (07-08)
    • Aurora High School (09-12)
  • Marionville R-IX School DistrictMarionville
    • Marionville Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Marionville Middle School (06-08)
    • Marionville High School (09-12)
  • Miller R-II School DistrictMiller
    • Central Elementary School (K-06)
    • Miller High School (07-12)
  • Mt. Vernon R-V School DistrictMt. Vernon
    • Mt. Vernon Elementary School (PK-02)
    • Mt. Vernon Intermediate School (03-05)
    • Mt. Vernon Middle School (06-08)
    • Mt. Vernon High School (09-12)
  • Pierce City R-VI School DistrictPierce City
    • Central Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Pierce City Middle School (06-08)
    • Pierce City High School (09-12)
  • Verona R-VII School DistrictVerona
    • Verona Elementary School (PK-06)
    • Verona High School (07-12)

Private schools[]

Public libraries[]

  • Barry-Lawrence Regional Library[15]

Politics[]

Local[]

The Republican Party completely controls politics at the local level in Lawrence County. Republicans hold all elected positions in the county.

Lawrence County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Doug Bowerman Republican
Circuit Clerk Steven W. Kahre Republican
County Clerk Gary Emerson Republican
Collector Kelli McVey Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)
Sam Goodman Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)
Joe Ruscha Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)
Rodney Barnes Republican
Coroner Scott Lakin Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter Republican
Public Administrator Pam Fobair Republican
Recorder Pam Robertson Republican
Sheriff Brad DeLay Republican
Surveyor Aaron Austin Republican
Treasurer Kathy Fairchild Republican

State[]

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 69.34% 11,565 26.87% 4,482 3.79% 632
2012 57.51% 9,022 39.91% 6,261 2.58% 405
2008 49.15% 8,118 47.94% 7,918 2.91% 482
2004 70.22% 11,069 28.55% 4,500 1.23% 194
2000 58.24% 7,447 39.93% 5,106 1.82% 233
1996 54.20% 6,695 42.13% 5,204 3.68% 454

Lawrence County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, both of which are held by Republicans.

Missouri House of Representatives — District 157 — Lawrence County (2016)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 11,632 74.17% -1.94
Independent Stephanie Davis 4,050 25.83% +25.83
Missouri House of Representatives — District 157 — Lawrence County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Mike Moon 6,407 76.11% -23.89
Democratic Vince Jennings 2,011 23.89% +23.89
Missouri House of Representatives — District 157 — Lawrence County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Don Ruzicka 13,426 100.00%
  • District 158 — Scott Fitzpatrick (R-Shell Knob). Consists of a part of the southwest corner of the county, including about half of Pierce City.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 158 — Lawrence County (2016)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Scott Fitzpatrick 434 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 158 — Lawrence County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Scott Fitzpatrick 246 100.00% +16.55
Missouri House of Representatives — District 158 — Lawrence County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Scott Fitzpatrick 373 83.45%
Constitution Sue Beck 74 16.55%

All of Lawrence County is a part of Missouri's 29th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by David Sater (R-Cassville.

Missouri Senate — District 29 — Lawrence County (2016)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican David Sater 14,298 100.00%
Missouri Senate — District 29 — Lawrence County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican David Sater 13,580 100.00%

Federal[]

U.S. Senate — Missouri — Lawrence County (2016)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Roy Blunt 11,525 69.04% +14.46
Democratic Jason Kander 4,336 25.98% -11.41
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 440 2.64% -5.39
Green Johnathan McFarland 192 1.15% +1.15
Constitution Fred Ryman 199 1.19% +1.19
U.S. Senate — Missouri — Lawrence County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Todd Akin 8,510 54.58%
Democratic Claire McCaskill 5,830 37.39%
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 1,252 8.03%

All of Lawrence County is included in Missouri's 7th Congressional District and is currently represented by Billy Long (R-Springfield) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 7th Congressional District — Lawrence County (2016)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Billy Long 11,622 70.77% +12.23
Democratic Genevieve Williams 3,813 23.22% -6.55
Libertarian Benjamin T. Brixey 987 6.01% -5.68
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 7th Congressional District — Lawrence County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Billy Long 5,078 58.54% -6.22
Democratic Jim Evans 2,583 29.77% +1.17
Libertarian Kevin Craig 1,014 11.69% +5.05
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri’s 7th Congressional District — Lawrence County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Billy Long 9,956 64.76%
Democratic Jim Evans 4,397 28.60%
Libertarian Kevin Craig 1,020 6.64%

Political culture[]

United States presidential election results for Lawrence County, Missouri[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,426 80.43% 3,214 17.92% 295 1.64%
2016 13,089 77.86% 2,901 17.26% 821 4.88%
2012 11,421 72.49% 4,017 25.50% 317 2.01%
2008 11,263 67.50% 5,097 30.55% 325 1.95%
2004 11,194 70.82% 4,506 28.51% 106 0.67%
2000 8,305 64.36% 4,235 32.82% 363 2.81%
1996 6,099 49.46% 4,465 36.21% 1,768 14.34%
1992 5,608 43.50% 4,666 36.20% 2,617 20.30%
1988 6,911 60.73% 4,432 38.95% 36 0.32%
1984 8,370 69.23% 3,720 30.77% 0 0.00%
1980 7,921 61.68% 4,670 36.36% 252 1.96%
1976 5,784 51.93% 5,315 47.72% 38 0.34%
1972 8,445 72.96% 3,130 27.04% 0 0.00%
1968 6,834 59.73% 3,710 32.42% 898 7.85%
1964 6,047 48.65% 6,383 51.35% 0 0.00%
1960 8,406 65.22% 4,483 34.78% 0 0.00%
1956 7,372 60.62% 4,789 39.38% 0 0.00%
1952 8,029 65.30% 4,232 34.42% 34 0.28%
1948 5,392 53.61% 4,649 46.22% 17 0.17%
1944 6,836 63.76% 3,859 35.99% 27 0.25%
1940 7,317 57.88% 5,279 41.76% 45 0.36%
1936 6,185 49.72% 6,184 49.71% 70 0.56%
1932 4,146 38.63% 6,411 59.74% 175 1.63%
1928 6,328 63.17% 3,646 36.40% 43 0.43%
1924 4,499 49.35% 3,768 41.33% 849 9.31%
1920 6,093 61.33% 3,532 35.55% 310 3.12%
1916 3,228 50.83% 2,809 44.24% 313 4.93%
1912 1,312 23.36% 2,384 42.45% 1,920 34.19%
1908 3,028 50.87% 2,532 42.54% 392 6.59%
1904 3,077 52.55% 2,372 40.51% 406 6.93%
1900 3,552 50.44% 3,313 47.05% 177 2.51%
1896 2,962 46.46% 3,369 52.85% 44 0.69%
1892 2,623 44.44% 2,428 41.14% 851 14.42%
1888 2,460 47.46% 2,181 42.08% 542 10.46%



Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)[]

Voters in Lawrence County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) received more votes, a total of 2,628, than any candidate from either party in Lawrence County during the 2008 presidential primary.

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Aurora
  • Marionville
  • Miller
  • Monett
  • Mount Vernon (county seat)
  • Pierce City
  • Stotts City
  • Verona

Villages[]

  • Freistatt
  • Halltown
  • Hoberg

Census-designated place[]

  • Chesapeake

Other unincorporated places[]

  • Albatross
  • Bowers Mill
  • Clarkson
  • Elliott
  • Grays Point
  • Heatonville
  • Lawrenceburg
  • Logan
  • McKinley
  • Minden
  • Olinger
  • Opal
  • Orange
  • Paris Springs Junction
  • Phelps
  • Plew
  • Red Oak
  • Rescue
  • Round Grove
  • Spencer
  • Stinson

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29109.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 184. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ. 
  4. ^ "1815 city got off to fine start". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (behind paywall). 1 November 2015. http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/nov/01/1815-city-got-off-to-fine-start-2015110/?f=news-arkansas. 
  5. ^ "Lynching in Missouri", Saline County, Missouri/MOGenWeb Project, 1996-2018; accessed 12 April 2018
  6. ^ "Pierce City: August 19th, 1901". Ozarks Afro-American History Museum Online. http://oaahm.omeka.net/exhibits/show/exodus/ozarksraceriots/springfield. 
  7. ^ a b c Kimberly Harper, White Man's Heaven: The Lynching and Expulsion of Blacks in the Southern Ozarks, 1894-1909, University of Arkansas Press, 2012
  8. ^ a b Lynching in America/ Supplement: Lynchings by County, 3rd edition Archived 2017-10-23 at the Wayback Machine, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015, p. 7
  9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  12. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mo190090.txt. 
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  15. ^ Breeding, Marshall. "Barry-Lawrence Regional Library". Libraries.org. https://librarytechnology.org/library/20234. 
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 37°07′N 93°50′W / 37.11, -93.83

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Lawrence County, Missouri. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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