Missouri Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Missouri ranks 17th among states and provinces with markers in this database. Missouri is a state in the United States of America located in the American Midwest. It is also in the Upper Plains region. Missouri is some 70 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 6.1 million people. The state is divided into 115 counties and an independent city and all of them have entries in this database. In Missouri we have discovered historical markers in 311 cities and towns lying in 353 different ZIP Codes.

There are at least 2,991 historical markers in Missouri, by our count. We have cataloged 2,979 historical markers and 362 war memorials—each individually presented on 3,290 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. Pages for historical markers from this state make up 1.8% of our total. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another twelve historical markers in Missouri that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

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The first Missouri marker in the database, Tom Sawyer’s Fence, was added December 27, 2007. It was photographed in Hannibal in Marion County. The last one added was submitted on January 7, 2022, and titled Greenville Bike Trail - Greenville Trailhead. It is in Greenville in Wayne County. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Missouri was erected in 1868. It was this one: 39th Regiment Monument, and one of our correspondents found it in Jefferson City in Cole County on March 25, 2021.

Missourians don’t want to forget their Industry and Commerce history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Missouri about Industry and Commerce—705 of them—than about any other historical topic. It is followed by Settlements and Settlers with 625 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Industry and Commerce topic was also Tom Sawyer’s Fence, added December 27, 2007. It had been erected in Hannibal in Marion County. The last one submitted was submitted on December 28, 2021, and titled 66 Drive-In Theatre, Carthage, Missouri. It had been erected in 2003 in Carthage in Jasper County. The earliest marker erected with the Industry and Commerce topic that we have listed was erected in 1913. It is Sanders Tavern - 1826, found in Warrenton in Warren County on May 19, 2011.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Missouri? What we know is that The Burnt District Monument is the most viewed entry in the database from Missouri since it was added in 2009. It is located in Harrisonville in Cass County. This year so far, the most viewed Missourian entry is located in Weston in Platte County. It is Timeline of Weston History.

The Missouri county or independent city with the most historical markers listed in this database is the independent city of St. Louis, with 505 of them. It is followed closely by St. Louis County with 458 markers. In St. Louis County the area with the most markers, 129, is University City.

Checking the database for the city or town in Missouri with the most markers we again find St. Louis at the top of the list with 505 markers in or near it. It is followed by Kansas City in Clay County with 237 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 63102 at the top of the list with 186 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 63102 is assigned to Saint Louis MO.) It is followed by ZIP Code 63301 with 138 markers. (63301 is assigned to Saint Charles MO including the Black Walnut, Kampville, Kampville Beach, Kampville Court, Orchard Farm, and South Shore delivery areas.)

Getting back to the independent city of St. Louis, the first marker added to the database from there, In Memory of Robert E. Lee, was added January 25, 2008. It was erected in 1977. The last one submitted was uploaded on December 31, 2021, and is titled Saint Louis Zoo 2004: Gateway to the Animal World. The earliest marker erected in St. Louis that we have listed was erected in 1874. It was Nathaniel Lyon on July 3, 2011.

By Thomas Smith, December 19, 2021

Latest Entry from Missouri
“Greenville Bike Trail - Greenville Trailhead”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Kansas City. The first: Mutual Musicians Association Building, was added March 28, 2008. It had been erected in 1981. The last: Storm of Lead added on December 1, 2021. It had been erected in 2020. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1902: Forest Hill Confederate Memorial, added on January 18, 2010.

There is no organization in charge of erecting official historical markers state-wide in Missouri today but the State Historical Society of Missouri was once responsible for erecting them. We have 112 of their markers in the database. Also, a number of counties and an independent city have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some other cities and towns.

By Cosmos Mariner, September 9, 2017

A State Historical Society of Missouri Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Missouri have been marked with history. Check out Douglas County, Bollinger County and Benton County. We've only found one historical marker in each. Visiting one or more of these parts of Missouri might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!