| Ozark County | |
| Organized January
29, 1841, from Taney County and named for the Ozark Mountains. Ozark is
the anglicized version of the French abbreviation "aux arcs"
for Aux Arkansas meaning "in the county of Arkansas".
Originally organized January 29, 1841, as Ozark County, the name was
changed to Decatur by an act of the Legislature on February 22, 1843. On
March 24, 1845, the name was changed back to Ozark.
County Seat: Gainesville Address Ozark County |
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| Photograph | |
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| History | |
| Ozark County was first
established in 1841. It adopted the name Decatur in 1843-45, then
reverted back to Ozark. Ozark County's early courthouses have a
complicated history, characteristic of those counties scarred by fires
and Civil War activity.
When the area of Ozark County included what is now Douglas County, commissioners selected Rockbridge as the county seat. Shortly after 1841 they erected a courthouse which continued in use until destroyed by fire in 1858 or 1859. After Douglas County became established in 1857, Rockbridge no longer remained in a central location. Commissioners secured a 60-acre tract in Gainesville and designated it the county seat. The court moved there in March 1860. The second courthouse was built in Gainesville, but was destroyed by fire sometime before February 1864. Circuit Court records indicate that court could not safely be conducted in Gainesville, so it met at the Spring Creek schoolhouse. Court continued meeting there until the fall of 1865, when they rented, and apparently finally purchased, temporary quarters until a courthouse could be built. Several attempts to plan a courthouse or begin construction failed. Although the court ordered the sale of the building used as the courthouse on November 3, 1869, it was not until August 8, 1871, that the court authorized the commissioner to advertise for bids to let the contract; however, the court rescinded the order the following day. Finally, the court appropriated $2,000 for construction of a courthouse on August 6, 1873. R. P. Ellison superintended the construction done by contractor W. J. Piland, who bid $1,825.28. The two-story, frame building continued in use as Ozark County's courthouse until destroyed by fire November 28, 1934. The court then purchased the old Christian Church building in 1935 for $4,200. This, too, fell to fire in January 1937. After this, county offices rented space in various buildings around the square. Encouraged by possible assistance from the federal government, voters approved a $20,000 bond issue by a ten to one margin in September 1938, as a 55 percent shared cost of the Work Projects Administration project. Earl Hawkins, of Springfield, drew plans, but when bids were received, they all exceeded the $35,000 limit. Hawkins revised the plans, and in March 1939, the contract was awarded to James Douglas for $34,950. Final costs were near $43,000 when the courthouse was completed in November 1939. Final government inspection was in June 1940. Hawkins drew plans for other southern Missouri courthouses: Laclede County, 1924; Howell County, 1936; and Webster and Oregon counties, 1939, all of which are still in use. Copyright 2002 University of Missouri. Published by University Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. |
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| Additional History | |
| Records at Courthouse | |
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Recorder
of Deeds: Index
to deeds, 1859-1899; Deed records, 1858-1886; Marriage records,
1858-1918. Clerk
of the County Court: Permanent
record of births, 1887; Register of
births and stillbirths, 1884-1890; Permanent record of deaths,
1887-1889. Clerk
of the Circuit Court: Index
to circuit court records, (no dates); Circuit court records, 1858-1888. |
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| More Links | |
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Birth & Death Records Database Search
for Ozark County on Archives'
Online Catalog Roll
by Roll Listing of Microfilm Missouri Birth & Death Records Database: Search & Record Availability |
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