Morgan County was organized in 1833 upon separation from Cooper County. It is named in honor of Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan. Versailles, with a name referring to the French royal estate near Paris, France, was designated as the county seat and platted in 1854.
Established in 1853 there, the Martin Hotel was visited in the post-Civil War period by both showman and circus entrepreneur P. T. Barnum and outlaw robber Jesse James. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978, it now operates as a museum. In 1858 the Mulhollen Station was a mail stop here for the newly established Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line, which carried goods and mail for several years to San Francisco, California.
The Morgan County Courthouse in Versailles, which has also been listed on the NRHP, was designed with French-style details, such as a mansard roof, in keeping with the origin of the town's name. It burned in 1887. The majority of the records were rescued, and the courthouse was soon rebuilt and restored.
Coal mining was historically an important economic activity in Morgan County.[3]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 614 square miles (1,590 km2), of which 598 square miles (1,550 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (2.7%) is water.[4]
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010[9]
As of the census[10] of 2007, there were 20,820 people, over 7,850 households, and over 5,549 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12 people/km2). There were 13,898 housing units at an average density of 23 units per square mile (8.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.34% White, 0.51% Black or African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Approximately 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 7,850 households, out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 27.30% from 45 to 64, and 19.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,659, and the median income for a family was $35,908. Males had a median income of $26,579 versus $19,072 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,950. About 12.10% of families and 16.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.60% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.
History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries and Osage counties, Missouri : from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and the private records; besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc. etc. (1889) online
