Vernon County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the western region of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, on the border with

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,707. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. The county was organized on February 27, 1855, considerably later than counties in the eastern part of the state. It was named for Colonel Miles Vernon (1786–1867), a state senator and veteran of the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. This area was part of the large historic territory of the

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) () is a Midwestern Native American nation of the Great Plains. The tribe began in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 1620 A.D along with other groups of its language family, then migrated west in the 17th cen ...

of Native Americans.

History

The county was developed by European Americans for agriculture and is still mostly rural. Vernon County suffered considerable damage during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Guerrillas and insurgents had waged raids against Union troops and carried out personal vendettas in the county. On May 23, 1863, Union Army soldiers burned the county seat of

, along with the courthouse, in retaliation. The present courthouse was completed in 1907. Vernon County was one of four Missouri counties that were wholly depopulated by Union General Thomas Ewing Jr.'s

General Order No. 11 (1863) General Order No. 11 is the title of a Union Army directive issued during the American Civil War on August 25, 1863, forcing the abandonment of rural areas in four counties in western Missouri. The order, issued by Union General Thomas Ewing, J ...

, which ordered the people evacuated to end support for Confederate

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

operating in the area. Most of the residents were not allowed to return to their homes until after the Civil War ended in May 1865.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Bates County (north) * St. Clair County (northeast) * Cedar County (east) * Barton County (south) *

Crawford County, Kansas Crawford County is a county located in Southeast Kansas. Its county seat is Girard, and its most populous city is Pittsburg. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 38,972. The county was named in honor of Samuel Crawford, the ...

(southwest) *

Bourbon County, Kansas Bourbon County is a county located in Southeast Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Fort Scott. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 14,360. The county was named after Bourbon County, Kentucky, the former home o ...

(west) * Linn County, Kansas (northwest)

Major highways

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific an ...

* U.S. Route 71 * Route 43

Transit

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 20,454 people, 7,966 households, and 5,432 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 8,872 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.99%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.61%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.79% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Approximately 0.84% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 7,966 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,021, and the median income for a family was $37,714. Males had a median income of $28,182 versus $19,026 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $15,047. About 10.10% of families and 14.90% 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 ...

, including 20.30% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Education

Public schools

*Bronaugh R-VII School District – Bronaugh **Bronaugh Elementary School (PK-06) **Bronaugh High School (07-12) *Nevada R-V School District –

**Bryan Elementary School (PK-01) **Benton Elementary School (02) **Truman Elementary School (03-05) **Nevada Middle School (06-08) **Nevada High School (09-12) / Northeast Vernon County R-I School District – Walker **Northeast Vernon County Elementary School (PK-06) **Northeast Vernon County High School (07-12) *Sheldon R-VIII School District – Sheldon **Sheldon Elementary School (PK-06) **Sheldon High School (07-12)

Private schools

*Nevada Seventh-day Adventist Christian School –

(02-07) –

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...

*St. Mary Elementary School –

(Early Childhood) –

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Colleges and universities

Cottey College Cottey College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Nevada, Missouri. It was founded by Virginia Alice (Cottey) Stockard in 1884. Since 1927, it has been owned and supported by the P.E.O. Siste ...

–

A private, four-year college for women.

Public libraries

*Nevada Public Library

Communities

Townships

* Bacon Township * Badger Township * Blue Mound Township * Center Township * Clear Creek Township * Coal Township * Deerfield Township * Dover Township * Drywood Township * Harrison Township * Henry Township * Lake Township * Metz Township * Montevallo Township * Moundville Township * Osage Township * Richland Township * Virgil Township * Walker Township * Washington Township

Cities

* Bronaugh *

(county seat) * Schell City * Sheldon

Villages

* Deerfield * Harwood *

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

* Milo * Moundville * Richards * Stotesbury

Unincorporated communities

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (film), a 1985 American made-for-television drama film * Amos (guitar), a 1958 Gibson Fl ...

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

* Bellamy * Blaine * Bristow * Carbon Center * Dederick * Ellis *

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

* Fair Haven * Horton * Katy * Ketterman * Montevallo *

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

* Portia * Swart * Rinehart * Virgil City * Walker *

Zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

Former settlements

* Fort Carondelet

Politics

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Vernon County despite the Democratic Party's historical control. Republicans hold all but three of the elected positions in the county.

State

All of Vernon County is a part of Missouri's 126th District in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

and is represented by Patricia Pike (R-

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ma ...

). All of Vernon County is a part of Missouri's 31st District in the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

and is currently represented by Rick Brattin (R- Harrisonville).

Federal

All of Vernon County is included in Missouri's 4th Congressional District and is currently represented by

Vicky Hartzler Vicky Jo Hartzler (née Zellmer; born October 13, 1960) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party (United Sta ...

(R- Harrisonville) in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Political culture

Like many neighboring counties, Vernon County has become increasingly Republican over the past few presidential elections. The last time a Democratic candidate has carried this county was in 1996 by Bill Clinton.

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Former U.S. Senator

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

(D-

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) received more votes, a total of 1,434, than any candidate from either party in Vernon County during the 2008 presidential primary.

References

External links

Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Vernon County
from

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

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books {{coord, 37.85, -94.34, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 1855 establishments in Missouri Populated places established in 1855