Lexington, Missouri
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Lexington, Missouri | ||
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FIPS code 29-41870[3] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 2395697[2] | |
Website | lexingtonmo |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Lexington_Bridge.jpg/220px-Lexington_Bridge.jpg)
Lexington is a city in, and the
Geography
Lexington is located on the south bank of the
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.38 square miles (13.93 km2), of which 5.15 square miles (13.34 km2) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.60 km2) is water.[7]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 2,698 | — | |
1860 | 4,122 | 52.8% | |
1870 | 4,373 | 6.1% | |
1880 | 3,996 | −8.6% | |
1890 | 4,537 | 13.5% | |
1900 | 4,190 | −7.6% | |
1910 | 5,242 | 25.1% | |
1920 | 4,695 | −10.4% | |
1930 | 4,595 | −2.1% | |
1940 | 5,341 | 16.2% | |
1950 | 5,074 | −5.0% | |
1960 | 4,845 | −4.5% | |
1970 | 5,388 | 11.2% | |
1980 | 5,063 | −6.0% | |
1990 | 4,860 | −4.0% | |
2000 | 4,453 | −8.4% | |
2010 | 4,726 | 6.1% | |
2020 | 4,652 | −1.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] |
2010 census
As of the
There were 1,867 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94.
The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
There were 1,815 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,759, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $31,672 versus $21,646 for females. The
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Lexington-courthouse.jpg/220px-Lexington-courthouse.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Lexington-madonna.jpg/170px-Lexington-madonna.jpg)
Founding
Lexington, located on the bluffs of the Missouri River, was platted in 1822,[10] near William Jack's Ferry, which had been established three years earlier on the south bank of the river. It was named in commemoration of the Battle of Lexington.[11] The first ferry was established in 1819 by Lexington's founder, Gilead Rupe. In 1823, Lexington became the county seat of Lafayette County and grew rapidly.
Growth as a trading center
John Aull opened a mercantile store in 1822, and he was soon joined by his brothers James and Robert. The Aull Brothers firm soon had a frontier chain, also operating stores in
With the emphasis on trade and agriculture, Lexington and Lafayette County also had one of the largest slave populations in the state. Many homes in town still have the old slave quarters behind them.
Lexington was a bustling and prosperous city, the largest city west of
The steamboat trade on the river became a hugely profitable investment, and the wharf was a center of commerce. Productive coal mines, among the first in the state, were dug into the surrounding river bluffs to provide fuel for river steamers. In 1852, one of the worst steamboat accidents in Missouri history occurred at Lexington. The side-wheeler
Architecture
Lexington has historical architecture, especially its public buildings. The
In addition to the Lafayette County Courthouse, the
Civil War and aftermath
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Anderson_House_Lexington_Mo.jpg/220px-Anderson_House_Lexington_Mo.jpg)
Lexington had two of the largest battles in the western campaign of the American Civil War. The better-known Battle of Lexington is commonly referred to as the Battle of the Hemp Bales. On September 12, 1861, between 6,000 and 10,000 soldiers of the Missouri State Guard, led by Major General Sterling Price, began a siege against the Federal military post in the old Masonic College commanded by Colonel James A. Mulligan.
On September 18, Price's army mounted an assault. Some of Price's army used hemp bales as moving breastworks while they moved up the river bluffs and closed in on Mulligan's headquarters. On September 20, 1861, Mulligan's troops surrendered. Combined casualties were 73 dead, 270 wounded. The battlefield on the bluffs of the Missouri River is now a state park, and the cannonball stuck in one of the upper pillars of the Courthouse has become a symbol for the town.
The Second
Lexington was known as a center for
Athens of the West
Lexington never returned to its pre-war prominence, succeeded by Kansas City as the most important city in western Missouri. Particularly harmful was arrival of the
Lexington businesses
Until the 1980s, Lexington was the headquarters and main distribution point for Mattingly's and Matco Stores, which was purchased by
Dunbrooke began as a dress shirt company in 1939 in Lexington and became a nationwide logoed apparel manufacturer. Dunbrooke's signature jacket line began in the 1950s under government contract to produce nylon jackets for the Korean War. The company's name changed from "Dunhill" (1939) to "Dunbrooke Shirt Company" (1963) to "Dunbrooke Sportswear" (1971) to Dunbrooke Apparel Corp (2003). Dunbrooke was purchased from parent company American Marketing Industries (AMI) in October 2003.
Education
Lexington R-V School District operates Lexington High School and Lex La-Ray Technical Center, a bi-county vocational school.[15]
Lexington has a public library, a branch of the Trails Regional Library.[16]
Notable people
Government
- Thomas Peter Akers, congressman, 1856–1857
- John P. Campbell Jr., lawyer, congressman, 1848–1852
- Thomas B. Catron, US senator
- Mark L. De Motte, lawyer, editor of the Lexington Register, congressman
- Alexander Graves, lawyer, congressman, 1883–1885
- Josh Hawley, lawyer, Attorney General of Missouri, elected US senator in 2018
- Frank L. Houx, lawyer, governor of Wyoming
- John Telemachus Johnson, congressman
- Atterson W. Rucker, lawyer, congressman
- Samuel Locke Sawyer, Lawyer, congressman, 1879–1881
- Ike Skelton, congressman, 1977–2011
- John Welborn, lawyer, congressman, 1905–1907
Business
- Russell, Majors and Waddell, founder of the Pony Express
- William C. Schwartz, physicist, laser pioneer, founder of International Laser Systems
- Russell, Majors and Waddell, founder of the Pony Express
- Wal-Mart
Athletics
- Chris Banks, NFL football player for 1998 Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos
- Lenvil Elliott, NFL football player
- Med Park, NBA basketball player
- Ron Tabb, professional long distance runner
Military
- Alexander William Doniphan, lawyer, Mexican–American War hero
- Remagen Bridge in World War II
- Harold G. Schrier, helped raise flag over Iwo Jima
Arts and entertainment
- James Lane Allen, author
- Maude Fulton, Broadway actress
- Randall Garrett, Science Fiction & Fantasy author
- George Kriehn, writer and lecturer on art
- Carl Stalling, composer and arranger for the Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunescartoons from the 1930s through the 1950s
Academia
- Wentworth Military Academy, 2002–2007
- James M. Sellers, commandant, superintendent, and president of Wentworth Military Academy, 1920–1990
- James M. Sellers Jr., superintendent of Wentworth Military Academy, 1973–1990
- Ovid R. Sellers, Old Testament scholar and archaeologist
- Sandford Sellers, president of Wentworth Military Academy, 1880–1938
- William W. Sellers, president of Wentworth Military Academy, 2008–2013
- Stephen G. Wentworth, banker, founder of Wentworth Military Academy
- Lester B. Wikoff, athletic director, treasurer, and superintendent of Wentworth Military Academy, 1915–1971
Outlaws
- Hoodoo Brown, leader of the Dodge City Gang in Las Vegas, New Mexico
- Archie Clement, notorious guerrilla outlaw, killed in Lexington in 1866
- John Newman Edwards, publisher of the Lexington Expositor, creator of the Jesse James legend
- Jesse James, wounded while going to surrender in Lexington, 1865; committed second daylight bank robbery in Lexington, 1866
Religion
- Judith Craig, bishop of the United Methodist Church
- Roman Catholicbishop
See also
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lexington, Missouri
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ History of Wentworth Military Academy, by James M. Sellers, Jr., 1984.
- ISBN 0-89933-224-2
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
- ^ "Lafayette County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 183.
- ^ Lexington Weekly Express. March 14, 1856.
{{cite news}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ "Seizure of Arms". The Perrysburg Journal. Perrysburg, Ohio. March 29, 1856. p. 3. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Lexington R-V School District". Greatschools. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ "Locations". Trails Regional Library. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- The Battle of Lexington, Fought in and About the City of Lexington, Missouri on September 18, 19 and 20th, 1861. Lexington Historical Society. 1903.
- Lexington, Missouri Sesquicentennial Commemorative Book, 1972.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce
- Lexington Tourism Bureau
- Lexington Economic Development Council
- Historic maps of Lexington in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri