Adair County, Missouri

Adair County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 25,607.[2] Its county seat is Kirksville.[3] The county was first settled by immigrants from Kentucky and organized on January 29, 1841.

Adair County
U.S. county
Adair County Courthouse in Kirksville
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°11′N 92°36′W
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	January 29, 1841
Named for	Adair County, Kentucky
Seat	Kirksville
Largest city	Kirksville
Area
• Total	569 sq mi (1,470 km^2)
• Land	567 sq mi (1,470 km^2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5 km^2)  0.4%
Population  (2010)
• Total	25,607
• Estimate  (2018)[1]	25,339
• Density	45/sq mi (17/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	adaircountymissouri.com

Adair County comprises the Kirksville, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The first permanent settlement in Adair County began in 1828. Many of the first settlers were from Adair County in Kentucky, for which the Missouri county was named.[4] The county in Kentucky was named for John Adair, a respected Governor of Kentucky.[5][6] This was 25 years after the Louisiana Purchase, seven years after Missouri was granted statehood, and four years after the Sac and Fox Native American tribes surrendered their claims to the land. The original settlement was called "Cabins of White Folks," or simply, "The Cabins," and was located six miles (9.7 km) west of present-day Kirksville along the Chariton River.

The Big Neck War: In July 1829, a large party of Iowa (or Ioway) Native Americans, led by Chief Big Neck, returned to their former hunting grounds in violation of treaty. One of the Ioway's dogs killed a pig, and some tribe members threatened (or insulted, according to some sources) the white women. The settlers sent messengers south to Randolph and Macon counties asking for help. Captain William Trammell responded with a party of some two dozen men to help. By the time of their arrival, the Ioways had left the area and moved up the Chariton into what is now Schuyler County. Trammell's force, augmented by several of the men from The Cabins, pursued and engaged the Ioway at a place called Battle Creek, killing several Native Americans including Big Neck's brother, sister-in-law, and their child.[7] The Trammell party lost three men in the skirmish, including Captain Trammell himself, and one additional casualty died of his wounds shortly afterward. The surviving whites returned to the cabins, collected the women and children, and headed south for the Randolph County settlement of Huntsville. Later, a group of militia under General John B. Clark pursued and apprehended Big Neck and his braves, capturing them in March 1830. Several of them soon escaped from jail and fled to the current state of Iowa; however, Big Neck himself and the remainder were put on trial by a grand jury convened in Randolph County. The jury found on March 31, 1830 that: "After examining all the witnesses, and maturely considering the charges for which these Iowa Indians are now in confinement, we find them not guilty, and they are at once discharged."[8] The acquittal of Big Neck seemed to have brought the war to a peaceful, if uneasy, conclusion. A few months later, white settlers returned to The Cabins in greater numbers than before, and this time to stay permanently. The outbreak of the Blackhawk War in 1832 again caused consternation among the early settlers although all fighting was hundreds of miles away in present-day Illinois and Wisconsin. To ease fears in the area, militia units were dispatched and two small forts were constructed. One, Fort Clark, was located on high ground adjacent to The Cabins. Several miles to the northeast, another detachment of troops established Fort Matson. After months of no hostile Native American activity in the Adair County area, both forts were abandoned. The site of Fort Clark is now marked by a large boulder and plaque, while the Fort Matson site was later the location for a church and its name corrupted to Fort Madison (not to be confused with the Iowa city). The Fort Matson/Madison Cemetery still remains.[9]

Courthouse

The Adair County courthouse is a three-story Romanesque structure in the center of the Kirksville city square that was completed in 1899. The architect was Robert G. Kirsch who would later also design the courthouses for Carroll, Polk, Vernon, and Cooper counties. The county had no dedicated courthouse from 1865 until 1899, operating out of temporary rented quarters on or near the square. The county voters finally approved a $50,000 bond issue in 1897 to build the current courthouse after four failed attempts between 1872 and 1896. The courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[10][11]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 569 square miles (1,470 km²), of which 567 square miles (1,470 km²) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) (0.4%) is water.[12]

Adjacent counties

• Putnam County (northwest)
• Schuyler County (north)
• Scotland County (northeast)
• Knox County (east)
• Macon County (south)
• Linn County (southwest)
• Sullivan County (west)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 63
• Route 3
• Route 6
• Route 11
• Route 149

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	2,283		—
1860	8,436		269.5%
1870	11,448		35.7%
1880	15,190		32.7%
1890	17,417		14.7%
1900	21,728		24.8%
1910	22,700		4.5%
1920	21,404		−5.7%
1930	19,436		−9.2%
1940	20,246		4.2%
1950	19,689		−2.8%
1960	20,105		2.1%
1970	22,472		11.8%
1980	24,870		10.7%
1990	24,577		−1.2%
2000	24,977		1.6%
2010	25,607		2.5%
2018 (est.)	25,339	[1]	−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2015[2]

As of the census[17] of 2000, there were 24,977 people, 9,669 households, and 5,346 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 10,826 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.82% White, 1.20% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Approximately 1.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,669 households, out of which 25.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.50% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.70% were non-families. 31.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 19.20% under the age of 18, 27.40% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,677, and the median income for a family was $38,085. Males had a median income of $26,323 versus $21,837 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,484. About 11.90% of families and 23.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

• Adair County R-I School District - Novinger
  • Adair County R-I Elementary School (K-06)
  • Adair County R-I High School (07-12)
• Adair County R-II School District - Brashear
  • Adair County R-II Elementary School (K-06)
  • Adair County R-II High School (07-12)
• Kirksville R-III School District - Kirksville
  • Kirksville Primary School (PK-02)
  • Ray Miller Elementary School (03-05)
  • Kirksville Middle School (06-08)
  • Kirksville High School (09-12)
• La Plata R-2 School District - La Plata

− ** La Plata R-2 Elementary School (K-06) − ** La Plata R-2 High School (07-12) − _{** The La Plata R-2 facilities are located in La Plata, Missouri, in northern Macon County, Missouri, however the district boundaries encompass part of southern Adair County as well.}

Private schools

• Mary Immaculate Catholic School - Kirksville - (K-08) - Roman Catholic
• Life Church School - Kirksville - (K-12) - Nondenominational Christianity

Post-secondary education

• A.T. Still University - Kirksville - (Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine) - Satellite Campus
• Truman State University - Kirksville - A public, four-year university.
• Moberly Area Community College - Kirksville - A satellite campus of the main community college in Moberly

Public libraries

• Adair County Public Library[18][19]

Politics

Local

Adair County is governed by a three-member commission. The presiding commissioner is elected by the county voters at large. The first district and second district commissioners are voted on by the residents living in the eastern half of the county, and western half of the county respectively. Each commissioner has an equal vote in all county business. Most offices are housed in the Adair County Courthouse, a structure dating from 1896 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Adair County Sheriff's Office is located in the Adair County Detention Center one block north of the courthouse, while the Prosecuting Attorney's office resides in the County Annex building across from the detention center.

Adair County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor	Donnie Waybill	Republican
Circuit Clerk	Linda Decker	Democratic
County Clerk	Sandra Collop	Democratic
Collector	Sonja Harden	Democratic
Commissioner (Presiding)	Mark Shahan	Republican
Commissioner (District 1)	William J. King	Republican
Commissioner (District 2)	Mark Thompson	Republican
Coroner	Brian C. Noe	Republican
Prosecuting Attorney	Matt Wilson	Democratic
Public Administrator	Rhonda Noe	Republican
Recorder	Pat Shoush	Republican
Sheriff	Robert T. Hardwick	Republican
Surveyor	David W. Borden	Democratic
Treasurer	Lori J. Smith	Republican

State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2016	56.50% 5,762	40.64% 4,145	2.86% 292
2012	46.55% 4,656	50.64% 5,066	2.81% 281
2008	48.03% 5,575	49.72% 5,771	2.25% 262
2004	62.36% 7,019	36.37% 4,094	1.27% 142
2000	53.93% 5,518	43.72% 4,473	2.35% 240
1996	34.17% 3,503	63.41% 6,501	2.42% 248
1992	47.32% 4,931	52.68% 5,489	0.00% 0

Adair County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, both of which are held by Republicans.

• District 3 — Nate Walker (R-Kirksville). Consists of the city of Kirksville and the western half of the rest of the county.
• District 4 — Craig Redmon (R-Canton). Consists of the eastern half of the county.

Missouri House of Representatives — District 3 — Adair County (2016)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Nate Walker	6,777	100.00%

Missouri House of Representatives — District 3 — Adair County (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Nate Walker	3,646	100.00%	+50.42

Missouri House of Representatives — District 3 — Adair County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Nate Walker	3,931	49.58%
	Democratic	Rebecca McClanahan	3,997	50.42%

Missouri House of Representatives — District 4 — Adair County (2016)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Craig Redmon	1,843	100.00%

Missouri House of Representatives — District 4 — Adair County (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Craig Redmon	1,165	100.00%

Missouri House of Representatives — District 4 — Adair County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Craig Redmon	1,646	100.00%

All of Adair County is a part of Missouri's 18th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Brian Munzlinger (R-Williamstown).

Missouri Senate — District 18 — Adair County (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Brian Munzlinger	4,699	100.00%

Federal

U.S. Senate — Missouri — (2016)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Roy Blunt	5,603	54.93%	+14.83
	Democratic	Jason Kander	4,198	41.15%	-13.31
	Libertarian	Jonathan Dine	203	1.99%	-3.45
	Green	Johnathan McFarland	101	0.99%	+0.99
	Constitution	Fred Ryman	95	0.93%	+0.93

U.S. Senate — Missouri — (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Todd Akin	4,018	40.10%
	Democratic	Claire McCaskill	5,457	54.46%
	Libertarian	Jonathan Dine	545	5.44%

All of Adair County is included in Missouri's 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 6th Congressional District — Adair County (2016)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sam Graves	6,558	65.63%	-1.35
	Democratic	David M. Blackwell	3,072	30.74%	+1.35
	Libertarian	Russ Lee Monchil	209	2.09%	-1.54
	Green	Mike Diel	154	1.54%	+1.54

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri’s 6th Congressional District — Adair County (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sam Graves	3,899	66.98%	+5.43
	Democratic	Bill Hedge	1,711	29.39%	-6.59
	Libertarian	Russ Lee Monchil	211	3.63%	+1.16

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 6th Congressional District — Adair County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sam Graves	5,937	61.55%
	Democratic	Kyle Yarber	3,470	35.98%
	Libertarian	Russ Lee Monchil	238	2.47%

Political Culture

Adair County has been a republican learning county since the 1990s. John McCain narrowly won the county in 2008 against Barack Obama by a margin of less than 2%. Since 2008, every republican candidate has won the election by double digits.

Presidential elections results

Presidential elections results[20]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2020	60.8% 6,413	35.2% 3,710	2.0% 213
2016	59.0% 6,030	34.2% 3,500	6.8% 696
2012	55.8% 5,651	41.7% 4,219	2.5% 256
2008	49.6% 5,891	48.3% 5,735	2.1% 245
2004	55.8% 6,367	43.3% 4,938	0.9% 99
2000	57.3% 6,050	38.9% 4,101	3.8% 401
1996	44.8% 4,656	42.7% 4,441	12.5% 1,300
1992	38.9% 4,141	39.8% 4,232	21.3% 2,267
1988	61.3% 5,721	38.3% 3,571	0.5% 42
1984	67.3% 6,430	32.7% 3,119
1980	57.9% 5,513	36.8% 3,507	5.3% 502
1976	57.5% 5,249	40.3% 3,684	2.2% 200
1972	72.9% 6,157	27.1% 2,286
1968	58.8% 4,624	33.7% 2,645	7.5% 592
1964	45.8% 3,573	54.2% 4,235
1960	63.4% 5,469	36.6% 3,160
1956	60.9% 5,322	39.1% 3,418
1952	63.0% 5,748	36.6% 3,339	0.4% 33
1948	49.1% 4,024	50.4% 4,136	0.5% 41
1944	57.5% 4,909	42.2% 3,606	0.3% 26
1940	53.8% 5,688	45.6% 4,813	0.6% 65
1936	46.3% 4,685	52.5% 5,315	1.3% 127
1932	38.5% 2,991	59.6% 4,623	1.9% 146
1928	65.7% 5,538	33.7% 2,841	0.6% 50
1924	53.6% 4,383	34.2% 2,800	12.2% 1,000
1920	61.7% 4,861	32.2% 2,534	6.1% 483
1916	51.1% 2,681	43.4% 2,275	5.6% 291
1912	29.2% 1,427	36.5% 1,784	34.4% 1,682
1908	51.4% 2,514	40.7% 1,992	7.9% 387
1904	57.8% 2,791	34.9% 1,687	7.3% 354
1900	52.9% 2,673	43.2% 2,180	3.9% 199
1896	50.6% 2,402	48.7% 2,311	0.7% 31
1892	50.1% 1,953	26.6% 1,039	23.3% 910
1888	57.9% 2,228	39.8% 1,531	2.4% 91

2020 Missouri Presidential primary

Republican

Donald Trump won Adair County.

Democratic

Joe Biden won Adair County with 1,024 votes (51.54%), followed by U.S Senator Bernie Sanders with 873 votes (43.01%).

2016 Missouri Presidential primary

Republican

Donald Trump won Adair County with 1,404 votes (40.39%), followed by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with 1,164 votes (33.49%), then Governor John Kasich (R-Ohio) with 513 votes (14.76%), and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) with 299 votes (8.60%).

Democratic

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) won the Democratic primary with 1,153 votes (58.8%) to Hillary Clinton's 799 votes (40.75%).

2012 Missouri Presidential primary

Republican

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) came in first with 397 votes, followed by former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) with 226 votes, and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) with 119 votes.

Democratic

With there being no serious challenge to incumbent President Barack Obama, few votes were cast in the Democratic primary; Obama won 87% of those votes that were cast.

2008 Missouri Presidential primary

Republican

Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) came in first with 735 votes, followed by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) with 558 votes, former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts) with 451 votes, and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) with 158 votes.

Democratic

Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 1,284, than any candidate from either party in Adair County during the 2008 presidential primary. U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) came in second with 1,216.

Communities

Cities

• Brashear
• Greentop (mostly in Schuyler County)
• Kirksville (county seat)
• Novinger

Villages

• Gibbs
• Millard

Unincorporated communities

• Adair
• Connelsville
• Nineveh
• Shibleys Point
• Stahl
• Sublette
• Yarrow

Townships

Adair County is divided into ten townships:

• Benton
• Clay
• Liberty
• Morrow
• Nineveh
• Pettis
• Polk
• Salt River
• Walnut
• Wilson

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Adair County, Missouri

References

1. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 29, 2019.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
4. Ramsay, Robert L. (1928–1945). "Adair County". Survey of Missouri Place Names. University of Missouri.
5. Violette, E. M. (1911). History of Adair County. The Denslow History Company. pp. 34.
6. Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 200.
7. A Book Of Adair County History, page 34-36. Published 1976 by The Kirksville-Adair County Bicentennial Committee
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2010-05-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) History of Randolph County
9. A Book Of Adair County History, page 37-38. Published 1976 by The Kirksville-Adair County Bicentennial Committee
10. "National Register - Adair County". Missouri Department of Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Office. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
11. March, David D. (1977). "Adair County Courthouse National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-01-17.
12. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
18. Breeding, Marshall. "Adair County Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
19. "Adair County Public Library (Main Library)". Missouri State Library. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-24.

External links

• Adair County Government
• Adair County Historical Society
• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Adair County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
• Adair County Sheriff's Office