| McDonald County | |
| Organized March 3,
1849, from Newton County and named for Alexander McDonald, Revolutionary
War soldier. Originally defined by the Legislature as Seneca County and
attached to Newton County for civil and military purposes on January 1,
1847, the name was changed to McDonald upon formal organization of the
county.
County Seat: Pineville Address: McDonald County |
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| Photograph | |
| History | |
| When McDonald County was created
in 1849, two communities, Rutledge and Maryville (which was later named
Pineville), competed fiercely for the county seat. An 1850 confrontation
in Rutledge resulted in death to three participants. About six years
later a log courthouse, reportedly built in Rutledge, was demolished in
one of the acts of hostility that continued to occur between the
antagonistic factions.
From the time of organization in 1849 until winter of 1857, McDonald County operated with two courthouses and two sets of officials. The General Assembly appointed commissioners to select the legal county seat. They settled the matter by relocating the county seat at Pineville. The first courthouse in Pineville, a one-story, frame building, built in 1858-59, measured 30 feet square and stood at the corner of Third and Main. The next courthouse, a two-story, brick house built in 1861, was located on the city square site in Pineville. The Freemasons planned a third-story addition to this courthouse for their lodge room. Whether or not the third story was ever built remains a matter of conjecture, but J. A. Sturges, an attorney who came to McDonald County in 1881 and interviewed old-time residents of Pineville for his history, maintains it was built. Bushwackers burned the courthouse in 1863, destroying most records. In November 1866 the court appointed a representative to rent rooms for county use and to sell the bricks and bats from the old courthouse. Roman Malach, a local historian, noted a payment of $25 made to Z. P. Cogswell for making plans and specifications for the new courthouse, begun in 1869. In December of the same year the court accepted the low bid of $4,949.50 from contractors Willis R. Cox and Zachariah Smith. Construction began in 1870 on a two-story, brick building measuring approximately 42 by 48 feet. The court accepted the building in June 1871. Sturges claimed the old courthouse was on the same plan; another source, 1849-1949, 100 Years of History and Progress, maintained that part of the 1861 building was in the 1870 building. In 1905 the court made a $1,500 appropriation for an addition on the east to provide vaults; in 1943 the building was stuccoed and painted white. The courtroom was paneled, the ceiling lowered, and the room was rewired with new light fixtures in 1969. The County Court bought a $10,000 lot north of the city square for the 20th century courthouse in 1977. Hood-Rich, architects and consulting engineers from Springfield, designed the one-story, 72-by-84-foot, masonry building. R. E. Smith Construction, Joplin, received the building contract in December 1977. Ground breaking took place December 21, 1977. The amount of space, 5,500 square feet, was about the same as in the old courthouse. The Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1977, as amended by the Public Works Employment Act of 1977, under the U.S. Department of Commerce, provided a grant of $145,000. Local contributions of about $20,000 completed the funds. Dedication and open house were planned for July 1978 to coincide with Jesse James Days, when a festival air reigns throughout the town, with street dancing, music, a brush arbor wedding and a showing of the film Jesse James. In 1938 Twentieth Century Fox brought Tyrone Power, Randolph Scott and Henry Fonda to Pineville and the 1870 courthouse to shoot the Missouri epic. The occasion has been celebrated ever since. As one resident said, "It's the greatest thing that ever happened in McDonald County." The old courthouse, immortalized in the film, was leased for possible commercial development in 1980. Copyright 2002 University of Missouri. Published by University Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. |
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| Additional History | |
| When the county was founded in
1849 there was intense rivalry between the sparsely settled eastern and
more populous western of the county; a rivalry that, at times became
violent. The issue was resolved in 1857 when Pineville was officially named the county seat. In an era when new towns were born and died at about an equal rate, securing the county seat location was important. A 30-foot by 30-foot log structure served the county government until a three-story brick courthouse was constructed in 1861. That building still stands today, surviving a fire set by bushwackers during the Civil War that destroyed all county records. It was re-furbished and ready for occupancy in 1871. Pineville is laid out on a town square. No matter how many times you may visit, you will be reminded of 19th Century Missouri town life. Courthouse burned in 1863. |
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| Records at Courthouse | |
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Recorder
of Deeds: Index
to deeds, 1853-1887; Deed records, 1853-1897; Supplied deeds, 1864-1879;
Marriage records, 1865-1918. Clerk
of the County Court: Record of
births, 1856-1894; Register of births and stillbirths, 1883-1887; State
census, 1876. Clerk
of the Circuit Court: Index
to circuit court records, (no dates); Circuit court records, 1855-1887. Clerk
of the Probate Court: Probate
records, 1865-1881; Probate minutes, 1873-1892;
Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1866-1913;
Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1866-1874; Settlement
records, 1870-1895; Will records, 1866-1924. *Supplied records of land titles for McDonald County. Laws of Missouri 1864, pages 44-46. |
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| More Links | |
| Birth
& Death Records Database Search
for McDonald County on Archives'
Online Catalog Roll
by Roll Listing of Microfilm Marriages,
Bk A (1866-1878) - Sorted by Bride Marriages,
Bk A (1866-1878) - Sorted by Groom Marriages,
Bk B (1877-1881) - Sorted by Bride Marriages,
Bk B (1877-1881) - Sorted by Groom Missouri Birth & Death Records Database: Search & Record Availability |
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