Higginsville is a city in Lafayette County,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, within the United States. The population was 4,797 at the 2010 census.

History

Higginsville was founded in 1869 and named after Harvey Higgins, the original owner of the town site. A post office has been in operation at Higginsville since 1870. Higginsville was formerly the site of the Missouri Confederate Soldiers' Home. After the last of the Confederate veterans died, the lands were converted into a Confederate Memorial Cemetery. This 135-acre site is preserved in memory of the more than 40,000 Missourians who fought under the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

. Captain

William Clarke Quantrill William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Having endured a tempestuous childhood before later becoming a schoolteacher, Quantrill joined a group of bandits who ...

is one of those interred here. The Confederate Chapel, Cemetery and Cottage, Houx-Hoefer-Rehkop House, and Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot at Higginsville are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

Higginsville is located on

Missouri Route 13 Route 13 is a highway in Missouri which runs almost the entire north–south length of the state. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 69/ 136 in Bethany. Its southern terminus is at the Arkansas state line in downtown Blue Eye, Misso ...

approximately ten miles southeast of Lexington and 20 miles north of Warrensburg.''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 28 According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 4,797 people, 1,961 households, and 1,208 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 2,234 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 5.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 1,961 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,682 people, 1,778 households, and 1,175 families living in the city. The

was 1,270.6 people per square mile (491.2/km²). There were 1,946 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile (204.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.56%

, 5.28%

, 0.43% Native American, 0.53%

, 0.68% from

, and 1.52% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.50% of the population. There were 1,778 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were

living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,497, and the median income for a family was $40,511. Males had a median income of $31,291 versus $21,596 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,982. About 7.1% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over. Ancestries were German 34.8%, Irish 10.7%, English 10.1%, United States 9.2%, French 3.1%, Scotch 2.3%, the census reported.

Education

Public education in Higginsville is administered by Lafayette County C-1 School District, which operates one elementary school, one middle school and Lafayette County High School. Immanuel Lutheran School is a private institution. Higginsville has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the Robertson Memorial Library.

Notable people

* William J. Cason, lawyer and politician * Jon Garrison, opera singer *

John Clark Salyer II John Clark Salyer II (August 16, 1902, in Higginsville, Missouri – August 16, 1966) was an American environmentalist and government administrator. Biography After earning a B.A. at Central College in Fayette, Missouri, in 1927, he attended t ...

, "Father of the National Wildlife Refuge System", principal architect for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's duck restoration program of 1934–36. J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge *

George Seals George Edward Seals (October 2, 1942 – May 6, 2022) was an American football offensive and defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Biography Seals was born i ...

, professional football player *

Lee Shippey Henry Lee Shippey (February 26, 1884 – December 30, 1969), who wrote under the name Lee Shippey, was an American author and journalist whose romance with a French woman during World War I caused a sensation in the United States as a "famous w ...

, journalist * Alonzo "Skip" Thomas, football player

References

External links

Official website
* Historic maps of Higginsville in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

Digital Library {{authority control Cities in Lafayette County, Missouri Cities in Missouri Populated places established in 1869 1869 establishments in Missouri