Phelps County
Phelps
county was officially organized on November 13, 1857, and was named for the
Honorable
John Smith Phelps, a U.S.
Congressman and former
Governor of Missouri from
1877-1881.
The first
Phelps County Court convened on November 25, 1857 in the John Dillon cabin.
The historic courthouse was begun in mid-summer of 1860, used as a Union
hospital during the
American Civil War and served as
the courthouse until February 1994, when a new courthouse was built. The
old courthouse is listed in the National Records of Historic Places.
Rolla, the
county seat, was officially surveyed, laid out and named in 1858. George
Coppedge, an original settler, and formerly of
North Carolina, favored "Raleigh"
after his hometown. The others founding fathers agreed with Coppedge, on the
condition that it shouldn't have "that silly spelling, but should be spelled
'Rolla.'
Much of
Phelps County is included within the
Ozark Highlands American Viticultural Area.
Vineyards and
wineries were first established
in the county by
Italian immigrants in Rolla.
Since the 1960s, winemakers have revived and created numerous vineyards in
Missouri and won national and international tasting awards.
Phelps
County covers 674 square miles, with a population in 2008 estimated at 42,205,
making a population density of 59 people per square mile.
Our Cherry
Creek property is typical middle-America. HOW typical you ask? Well,
according to the last census the
exact mean center of the U.S. population is only 6 miles to the east of these parcels.
Some towns in Phelps
County are:
Rolla
(County Seat) 2000 population:
18,438
Rolla is a bustling community offering
shopping, and employment, at stores including Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Staples,
JC Penney. Restaurants include well known choices, as well as some Mom &
Pop cafes. Rolla's Health and Recreation complex, includes a fitness
center, two gymnasiums, walking track, child care facility, an indoor
aquatics center, and an outdoor water park for summer. Hotels and bed &
breakfasts are plentiful, probably because Rolla is also home to
Missouri University of Science & Technology,
so those parents who just can’t let go have a place to stay. And you don’t
have to travel all the way to England to see
Stonehenge; the university has
one of their own. The
Rolla School District
includes 3 elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and a
technical center. Three private Christian schools round out Rolla’s
plentiful education options.
St.
James 2000 population: 3,704
If Phelps
County has claim to being typical middle-America, St. James is the
poster-town. The city-owned park has basketball, soccer, and baseball
fields, a community center, a public library, tennis courts, and swimming
pool. The
St. James R-1 School District
includes K-12 classes. Employers include Wal-Mart, Missouri Veterans Home, and
Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. St. James has health services, churches,
banks, and 5 area
wineries.
The 5th largest spring in the state,
Maramec Spring, is located near St. James.
Edgar
Springs 2000 population: 190
You can’t call Edgar Springs the center of all things
happening, but you can call it a nice place to mail a letter. There is a
post office, a gas station, a small grocery store, and maybe a garage to get
the vehicle worked on. The
Phelps County R3 School District
teaches children from Pre-K through 8th grade.
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Towns and Villages in Phelps County
(linked to Wikipedia)
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National Protected Areas
Missouri Department of Conservation Areas
