Phelps County, Missouri

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Phelps County is a county in the south-central part of the state of Missouri, approximately halfway between St. Louis and Springfield. It had a population of 45,156 at the 2010 census.

Officially organized by the state legislature on November 13, 1857, the county was named for John Smith Phelps, then a prominent politician in southern Missouri. Rolla is the county seat and largest city.

History[edit]

The first definite settlements by American pioneers in what became Phelps County occurred in 1818, with establishments at Relfe Spring and York's Station. Most of the early settlers came from the Ohio Valley and the Upper South. Farming and small-scale crafts were the occupation of a majority of the population, though from the 1820s onward iron furnaces were set up along the Meramec River and its tributaries just to the east, taking advantage of the iron ore deposits nearby. By the 1840s, Rolla, the future county seat, was evolving into the area's most prominent town.^[1]

During the 1850s, regional entrepreneurs made plans to extend a new railroad southwest from St. Louis, which would pass through the area; in response, local leaders sought to organize it as a new county to benefit more directly from the process. In 1857, the Missouri legislature created Phelps County by detaching territory from neighboring Crawford, Maries, and Pulaski Counties; it was named for John Smith Phelps, a native of Connecticut who had moved to Missouri and become a prominent lawyer in the Springfield area, and was at that time a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (and would be state governor from 1877 to 1881). After a period of rivalry between several communities, each wanting the status of county seat, Rolla was finally chosen in 1860.^[2]

The long-planned railroad was extended all the way to Rolla by 1860, the same year in which the first courthouse was completed. However, the further development of the region was stalled by the outbreak of the Civil War. Most local residents had roots in the Southern states and sympathized with the Confederacy; having an important rail terminus with access to and from St. Louis, though, holding it was always an important objective for Union forces in Missouri. (Ironically, given the sympathies of most Phelps County residents, John Phelps himself was an ardent Unionist who fought at the battles of Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge, attaining the rank of colonel.) In June 1861, Union forces occupied Rolla and held it to the end of the war, with a major garrison and supply depot being established there.

After the war, Phelps County struggled like most areas in Missouri, but managed to rebound fairly quickly. The rail terminus at Rolla made the town an important hub for that part of the state, and other important communities, including St. James and Newburg, were founded not soon thereafter. Moreover, thanks to the many metallic and mineral ores nearby, the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy was founded at Rolla in 1870, providing the county with one of the few institutions of higher learning in southern Missouri at that time.

Phelps County continued to grow during the late 19th and 20th centuries. From the 1920s onward, its status as a crossroads was boosted further by the construction of U.S. Route 66, the first federal highway linking Chicago with Los Angeles, which ran through such communities as Rolla and St. James. The Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy was fully incorporated into the state's university system in the 1960s as the University of Missouri-Rolla, expanding its size and its impact on the local economy; today it is the Missouri University of Science and Technology. It was also the site of the first operational nuclear reactor in Missouri, in 1961.^[3] The area received a different kind of boost beginning in the late 1960s, when extensive vineyards began to be planted and to produce a variety of high-quality wines. Included in the Ozark Highlands American Viticultural Area upon its formation in 1987, this activity is especially concentrated around St. James, which boasts a number of prominent wineries.

The original 1860 courthouse continued to function until 1994, when its offices were transferred to a newly-built courthouse. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.^[4]

Geography[edit]

Phelps County is located in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, astride the direct transportation routes from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri, and from central Missouri to Arkansas. Somewhat crooked in appearance, its main body is generally rectangular in shape, with short north-south "arms" extending from its northeastern and southwestern corners. It is bordered on the east by Crawford County, on the southeast by Dent County, on the south by Texas County, on the west by Pulaski County, on the north by Maries County, and on the northeast by Gasconade County.

The county has a total area of 674.32 square miles, including 671.78 of land and 2.54 of water.^[5] It is mostly part of the Salem Plateau, a northern subdivision of the Ozarks characterized by rolling terrain with noticeable hills and limestone ridges, but few steep changes in elevation. Its highest point is an unnamed peak in the extreme south of the county, at 1,352 feet above sea level. The land tends to slope downward from south to north, with the floodplain along the Gasconade River in the northwest dropping to about 650 feet.^[6] The sandy loam and clay soils of the region, along with the well-draining slopes of the many hillsides, account for its suitability as a wine-production center.

The Gasconade River, which forms part of the county's northwestern border, is its most important waterway and drains its western and central portions. The Meramec and its tributary, the Bourbeuse River, drain the easternmost section.

The most important highways in the county are Interstate 44, which runs through its center in a generally southwest-to-northeast direction and connects the cities of Doolittle, Rolla, and St. James; and U.S. Route 63, which runs north to south through Rolla and Edgar Springs. Portions of the now-decommissioned U.S. 66, which I-44 replaced, still exist alongside the interstate. Other major routes include Missouri State Highway 8, which has its western terminus at St. James; State Highway 68, which passes through St. James and the easternmost part of the county; and State Highway 72, which runs southeast from its western terminus at Rolla.

Demographics[edit]

At the 2010 census, Phelps County had a total population of 45,156, with 17,564 households and 10,953 families; this represented a significant increase from its 2000 population of 39,825. The population density was 67.0 per square mile. There were 19,533 housing units, or about 29.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was about 91.70% White, 2.23% African-American, 0.56% Native American, 2.91% Asian, 0.07% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.37% from some other race, and 2.15% from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.04% of the population.^[7]

The median age in the county was about 33 years. 21.68% of the population was under the age of 18, 17.23% was between the ages of 18 and 24, 22.89% was between the ages of 25 and 44, 24.56% was between the ages of 45 and 64, and 13.63% was 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 52.3% male, 47.7% female.^[8]

As of 2018, the median household income in the county was $42,846, and the median family income was $59,438. Males had a median income of $44,693 versus $32,073 for females. The unemployment rate was 6.1%. The per capita income was $24,304. About 22.3% of the population was below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 years old or older.^[9]

Communities[edit]

Phelps County is home to five incorporated communities:

• Doolittle
• Edgar Springs
• Newburg
• Rolla (county seat)
• St. James

Government[edit]

Local government in Phelps County is provided by the elected officials. At present, nearly all of these positions are held by members of the Republican party.^[10]

Countywide official	Name	Party
Assessor	Bill Stoltz	Republican
Circuit Clerk	Sue Brown	Republican
County Clerk	Pamela K. Grow	Republican
Collector	Faith Barnes	Republican
Commissioner (presiding)	Randy Verkamp	Democratic
Commissioner (District 1)	Joey Auxier	Republican
Commissioner (District 2)	Gary W. Hicks	Republican
Coroner	Ernie Coverdell	Republican
Prosecuting Attorney	Brendon Fox	Republican
Public Administrator	Dana R. Sooter	Republican
Recorder	Robin Kordes	Republican
Sheriff	Mike Kim	Republican
Surveyor	Terris L. Cates	Republican
Treasurer	Carol Green	Republican

At the state level, Phelps County makes up part of four legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives. The northernmost section is part of the 62nd District, which also includes all of Maries County and portions of Cole, Crawford, Gasconade, Miller, and Osage Counties. It is currently represented by Bruce Sassmann (R-Bland), who was elected to his first term in November 2020, defeating Democratic candidate Nancy Ragan.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote Percentage
Bruce Sassmann	Republican	14,429	79.578%
Nancy J. Ragan	Democratic	3,703	20.422%

Sassmann roughly matched his overall total in Phelps County, winning 1,780 votes to 465 for Ragan.

The eastern part of the county, including the city of St. James, is part of the 120th District, which also includes part of Crawford County. It is currently represented by Jason Chipman (R-Steelville), who was re-elected to his fourth and final term in November 2020, defeating Democratic candidate Theresa Schmitt.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote Percentage
Jason Chipman	Republican	12,846	77.074%
Theresa Schmitt	Democratic	3,821	22.926%

Chipman roughly matched his overall total in Phelps County, winning 4,700 votes to 1,505 for Schmitt.

Most of the center and southwest of the county, including the city of Rolla, is part of the 121st District, which also includes part of Pulaski County. It is currently represented by Don Mayhew (R-Crocker), who was re-elected to his second term in November 2020 without opposition. The southernmost portion, including the city of Edgar Springs, is part of the 142nd District, which also includes parts of Howell, Pulaski, and Texas Counties. It is currently represented by Bennie Cook (R-Houston), who was elected to his first term in November 2020 without opposition.

In the Missouri State Senate, Phelps County is part of the 16th District, which also includes Camden, Crawford, Dent, and Pulaski Counties. It is currently represented by Justin Dan Brown (R-Rolla), who was elected to his first term in November 2018, defeating Democratic candidate Ryan Dillon.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote Percentage
Justin Dan Brown	Republican	42,382	70.077%
Ryan Dillon	Democratic	18,097	29.923%

Brown somewhat underperformed his overall total in Phelps County, winning 10,025 votes to 5,908 for Dillon.

At the federal level, Phelps County is part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District, which includes most of southeast and south-central Missouri. It is represented by Jason Smith (R-Salem), who won re-election in November 2020, defeating Democrat Kathy Ellis.

Candidate	Party	Votes	Vote Percentage
Jason Smith	Republican	253,811	76.86%
Kathy Ellis	Democratic	70,561	21.367%
Tom Schmitz	Libertarian	5,854	1.773%

Smith somewhat underperformed his average margin in Phelps County, winning 70.241% of the vote.^[11]

Political Culture

As the above numbers indicate, Phelps County is generally a very strongly Republican-leaning county, though this is moderated somewhat by the presence of a large college with liberal leanings. Though it frequently supported the Democratic candidate in presidential elections in the early and mid-20th century, it has done so only three times in the past sixty years: in 1964, 1976, and 1992. Since 2004, it has never given the GOP candidate less than 60% of the vote. In 2016, Donald Trump won the county decisively with 68.50% of the vote, increasing his total to 68.89% in the 2020 election.^[12]

Like much of southern Missouri, Phelps County can be included within the Bible Belt, combining social conservatism with economic populism. In 2004, it voted overwhelmingly in favor of Constitutional Amendment 2, which recognized marriage as between a man and a woman only--the measure passed in Phelps County with 77.94% support. In 2006, while the state narrowly passed an amendment to fund embryonic stem-cell research, the county narrowly defeated the measure with 52.25% voting against. At the same time, it often supports economic measures that appear to favor the working and middle class. In the November 2006 election, the county, like the state, supported a proposed increase in the state minimum wage, with 69.42% voting in favor; in November 2018, a similar measure (which passed the state at large) received 53.30% of the vote. These results generally align with the rest of southern Missouri.

References[edit]