116 topographic sheets cover 46 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 3 stories and name 1 person · people the book names include Montevallo M. E. Church, South (Montevallo Township, 1911) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: The Civil War; Schell City Public School; During The War. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
A victim of the Civil "War - among the thousands of other vic¬ tims - was Alexander Morgan, a young man who was killed by the jayhawkers in this township in the fall of 1862. Though young Morgan had never taken up arms for either side, he was regarded as a Southern sympathizer, and the jayhawkers claimed that he was "a rebel spy." Jo Ury accused him of "packing news," and he was marked as a doomed man.
down into Vernon county on a marauding expedition. They first visited the residence of Col. Smiley H. Sample, who lived on the Fort Scott and Nevada road, a mile northwest of Prewitt. He had a considerable sum of money which his wife secured and hid away when she first heard the robbers. Colonel Sample was called out and shot down while standing on his cellar door.
In the early fall of 1862 fiv6 men on their way to the Con¬ federate army were killed at the old Butler ford, now called the Smith ford, on Clear creek, in the southwest corner of the township. It is said that the time was the day after John Camp and others were killed near Montevallo. Two of the men, Hornsinger and Kennedy, were from this county; the others were from Bates.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Infirmary Building, Missouri State Hospital Number 3 | building | 2005 | 05001330 |
| Prairie View Stock Farm | district | 2015 | 15000573 | |
 | Vernon County Courthouse | building | 1997 | 97000630 |
 | Vernon County Jail, Sheriff's House and Office | building | 1977 | 77000816 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 84 of them, burning about 2,414 acres. 1 started naturally and 12 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 34 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. Three of them were set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 February 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 400 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 27 March 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 210 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | BUSHWACKER FIRE |
| 26 December 1992 | Debris and open burning | 200 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 16 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 200 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | 122116-10867-03162015-1640 |
| 14 August 2006 | Natural | 126 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | WEST FORK FIRE |
| 21 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 118 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | DEERFIELD |
| 20 March 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 22 February 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 80 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 632 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 22 injuries and about $64,871,380 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 254 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 217 |
| Flash Flood | 81 |
| Flood | 35 |
| Tornado | 33 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 |
| Lightning | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2015 | Flood | Fair Haven | 1 killed | A 29 year old male duck hunter drowned when his flat-bottomed kayak type of boat overturned while trying to return to shore during 30 mph winds and rising water. The area of water in which he was hunting was normally controlled at a depth of two feet; however, the region was flooded by the confluence of the Marmaton and Little Osage Rivers. Time and date was estimated. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F3) | Nevada | 9 hurt, $7,000,000 | A tornado destroyed homes and buildings to the west of Nevada, then heavily damaged brick buildings within the city. The tornado weakened as it tracked east northeast towards Dederick, but was still strong enough to uproot trees and destroy outbuildings. Witnesses reported extremely heavy rain with the tornadoes passage. The 3M industrial plant on the east side of Nevada recorded an 107 mph wind with the event. |
| December 1982 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 4 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 4 hurt | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Sheldon | 2 hurt, $700,000 | A supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado that intially touched down east of Sheldon. The tornado tracked across rural southeast Vernon County, destroying six homes, and one church located near Virgil City. The tornado extended into Cedar County. |
| November 1958 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Schell City | 1 hurt, $150,000 | A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Schell City, and tracked into St. Clair County approximately one mile south of Atkinson Lake. Numerous trees were downed while several roofs were damaged in Schell City. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Schell City | 1 hurt | One person was injured after being struck by baseball size hail. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Bronaugh | $25,000,000 | A severe thunderstorm produced hail from golf ball to tennis balls in size over a swath nearly 32 miles in length from south of Nevada, MO to locations north and east of Nevada. Along this mostly rural path, damage occurred to some roofs of homes and structures, vehicles, multiple RV's, equipment and crops. |
| March 1982 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $25,000,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Moundville | $1,200,000 | A National Weather Service Storm survey determined that an EF-1 tornado touched down north of Bronaugh and tracked northeast on a route just east of a separate tornado that tracked through the Moundville area. Based upon radar, satellite imagery and ground surveys, the Bronaugh tornado caught up to the initial tornado then continued through Nevada and lifted west of Walker. In its early stages, two separate tornado debris signatures were detected by the KSGF 88D radar. Initially causing damage only to trees and barns, the tornado damaged several homes and outbuildings as it tracked toward Nevada, damaged numerous businesses as it crossed Highway 54 at Nevada. The tornado knocked over two sets of four railroad cars sitting on a side rail to the northeast of Nevada yet nearby trees only suffering limb damage. The tornado continued to damage outbuildings and barns as it tracked across open farmland before lifting near Walker. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Montevallo | $1,000,000 | Half dollar sized hail was reported via MPing. Hail combined with an estimated 50 mph winds damaged 300-400 vehicles along with numerous roofs. |
| April 2025 | Tornado (EF2) | Moundville | $500,000 | A NWS survey team found EF2 tornado damage to a home along Highway F to the southwest of Moundville. The tornado moved northeast damaging a few more homes along with barns and numerous trees as it tracked west and north of Moundville. A second tornado that touched down near the same time to the southeast of this path eventually tracked toward and passed the initial tornado to its east as determined by ground surveys and satellite damage imagery. This second tornado tracked into the Nevada area causing extensive damage. |
| April 2013 | Hail | Milo | $500,000 | Golf ball size hail broke windows. The estimate damage cost for the entire county including the city of Nevada will be included in this report. |
| February 1992 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| October 1962 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1958 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| November 1958 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| November 1958 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| November 1958 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | Walker | $200,000 | Hail to the size of tennis balls damages multiple vehicles shattering at least one windshield. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sandstone | $100,000 | Numerous trees and large limbs were reported down. Several outbuildings and machine sheds had metal roofing peeled back or removed. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $100,000 | A derecho tracked from extreme southeast Kansas to central Missouri during the early morning hours of July 5th. In Vernon County, numerous structures were damaged along with downed trees and power lines. One mobile home three miles west of Schell City was completely destroyed as the derecho pushed through. The mobile home was anchored down with steel hurricane straps that were snapped. |
| February 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walker | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Hail | Nevada Arpt | $80,000 | Several RV's at a travel park suffered roof damage from hen egg sized hail. |
| February 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harwood | $75,000 | Two barns suffered significant damage with debris blown as much as 500 yards away. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $75,000 | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Hail | Walker | $50,000 | Baseball size hail was reported on social media with a picture. There was damage to cars and houses reported by this hail. Damage estimates will be included in this storm report. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $50,000 | A large tree fell into a house near Quail Road and Highway BB. The tree fell through the living room trapping a person in the home. |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $50,000 | A warehouse at a furniture store was nearly demolished with an estimated $30,000 worth of damage. Numerous trees were also blown down along Highway 54. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Metz | $40,000 | A NWS storm survey determined that an EF-1 tornado occurred 3 miles ENE of Stotesbury in Vernon County, MO. The path length was 3.4 miles with a width of 95 yards. Maximum wind speeds of 95 mph destroyed two outbuildings and caused a number of trees to be either uprooted or have large limbs snapped. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Montevallo | $40,000 | Several trees were reported down on power lines causing power outages. |
| November 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | $30,000 | A large tree was town and the steel roofing of a metal outbuilding was peeled off. Another outbuilding suffered a partial wall collapse. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dederick | $30,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees. Additional reports of downed tress and a 100 foot tall amateur radio tower, all laying to the east, occurred east of Dederick. Law enforcement reported minor damage to three homes occurred when trees fell on the homes. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Walker | $25,000 | Hail between 2 and 2.5 inches was reported via social media. Minor vehicle and roof damage was also reported. |
| August 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Sheldon | $25,000 | A National Weather Service survey determined that EF-1 tornado starting 1.5 SE of Sheldon, Mo. Damage occurred to a few farm outbuildings. The tornado continued on the ground for two minutes to the northeast uprooting trees along the tornado path before lifting one mile east of Sheldon, Mo. Maximum winds were estimated at 95 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $25,000 | A large tree feel through a home near Quail Road and Highway BB about 2 miles south of Nevada. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada Arpt | $25,000 | A roof was blown off a hog barn near the intersection of Katy Road and Farm Road 1750. The hog barn had significant damage. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richards | $25,000 | A microburst destroyed a large barn near the community of Richards. A roof of a home was also significantly damaged from the winds. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $25,000 | no account filed |
| February 1992 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1958 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1954 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Flood | Nevada Arpt | $20,000 | Report of a vehicle submerged in water. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richards | $20,000 | Several power lines were reported down. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada Arpt | $20,000 | Trees and power lines were reported down. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walker | $20,000 | Trees fell on a home causing heavy roof damage. |
| September 2010 | Flash Flood | Nevada | $20,000 | A low water bridge was washed out at the intersection of Tally Bend Road and County Road 1700. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dederick | $20,000 | Straight line winds associated with a severe thunderstorm caused significant damage to one home. Damage included the loss of an attached porch. |
| May 2002 | Lightning | Nevada | $18,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bronaugh | $15,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts blew a mobile home over on its side. At the same location, a roof of a shed was completely blown off. In Bronaugh, the steeple of the Methodist Church was damaged while numerous surrounding trees were damaged. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Schell City | $15,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed numerous trees and tore the roof off of one home. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richards | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Moundville | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $12,000 | Trees and power lines were reported down. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bellamy | $10,000 | A barn suffered minor roof damage from high winds. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $10,000 | Multiple trees down and roads blocked in Nevada, Missouri. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Dederick | $10,000 | Tennis ball sized hail was reported in a rural area of the county. A vehicle suffered hail damage. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nevada | $10,000 | A large tree was blown down on west Walnut Street in Nevada. Another tree fell on a house. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 34 workings inside this county. 7 still produce and 27 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 27 |
| Clay | 4 |
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 2 |
| Lead | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Diggings | Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - S&G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - S&G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Clay & Shale | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Gilfillian Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Jones Rock Co. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Montevallo Limestone Mill No.8 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Montevallo Quarry No.8 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Morris Quarry & Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Nevada Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Palmer Quarry & Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Quarry and Plant No. 2 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Thayer Brothers Quarry # 4 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ss. | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Walker Mond Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| White Rock Quarry and Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Williamson Quarry No.4 | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
History of Vernon County, Missouri : Past and Present, Including an Account of the Cities, Towns and Villages of the County devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 18 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badger Township | Bristow | 3,127 words | 2 | |
| Center Township | Nassau Junction, Nevada | 1,488 words | 1 | |
| Clear Creek Township | Dederick, Oak Ridge, Portia | 2,117 words | 3 | |
| Coal Township | Bunnville, Eve, Katy | 2,970 words | 6 | |
| Deerfield Township | Deerfield, Ellis | 2,685 words | 3 | |
| Dover Township | Bellamy, Rousertown, Sandstone | 643 words | 0 | |
| Drywood Township | Milo, Sheldon | 7,494 words | 8 | |
| Harrison Township | Swart | 3,436 words | 1 | |
| Henry Township | Amos, Rock, Stotesbury, Wolfe | 1,083 words | 1 | |
| Lake Township | Hong, Temple | 501 words | 0 | |
| Metz Township | Metz, Rinehart | 3,657 words | 9 | |
| Montevallo Township | Montevallo, Zodiac | 8,462 words | 9 | |
| Moundville Township | Bronaugh, Moundville | 3,475 words | 4 | |
| Osage Township | Arthur, Blaine, Carbon Center, Horton, Ketterman, Panama | 4,836 words | 1 | |
| Richland Township | Richards | 2,737 words | 5 | |
| Virgil Township | Greene Springs, Pashaw | 2,348 words | 2 | |
| Walker Township | Handley, Walker | 760 words | 1 | |
| Washington Township | Dean Ford | 966 words | 1 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 1 chapter in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| The whole text | 210,522 words in 14 parts |
Everyone History of Vernon County, Missouri : Past and Present, Including an Account of the Cities, Towns and Villages of the County stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1911.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Osage township · 64779 · On Back and Forth Slough · Rich Hill quadrangle
17 sheets, 1887 to 1991
Coal township · 64741 · On Grassy Run · Deerfield quadrangle
24 sheets, 1884 to 1991
No longer a settlement
Clear Creek township · 64744 · On West Fork Clear Creek · Dederick quadrangle
20 sheets, 1886 to 1991
Deerfield township · 64741 · On Hackberry Branch · Deerfield quadrangle
24 sheets, 1884 to 1991
Virgil township · 64744 · Dederick quadrangle
20 sheets, 1886 to 1991
No longer a settlement
Blue Mound township · 64783 · By Belvoir Bluffs · Papinville quadrangle
17 sheets, 1887 to 1991
Clear Creek township · 64790 · On Robinson Branch · Dederick quadrangle
20 sheets, 1886 to 1991
Virgil township · 64744 · El Dorado Springs South quadrangle
19 sheets, 1886 to 1991
No longer a settlement
Clear Creek township · 64750 · On Beecham Branch · El Dorado Springs North quadrangle
19 sheets, 1886 to 1991
Blue Mound township · 64783 · On Ladies Branch · Papinville quadrangle
17 sheets, 1887 to 1991
No longer a settlement
Dover township · 64784 · On Little Clear Creek · Bellamy quadrangle
17 sheets, 1886 to 1991
Henry township · 64778 · On Bitterroot Creek · Richards quadrangle
22 sheets, 1884 to 1991
Henry township · 64752 · On Wolf Creek · Hume quadrangle
19 sheets, 1887 to 1991
No longer a settlement
Montevallo township · 64784 · On Cynthia Creek · Montevallo quadrangle
17 sheets, 1886 to 1991
The vanished settlements of Vernon County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
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