Phelps County is AVAILABLE for ADOPTION

Phelps County History

Phelps County, Missouri, was officially established on November 13, 1857, and named in honor of John Smith Phelps, a prominent Missourian who became governor (1872-1881) and a U.S. Congressman. The county's first court session was held on November 25, 1857, in the John Dillon cabin. The historic courthouse was begun in mid-summer of 1860, used as a union hospital during the Civil War and served as the courthouse until February, 1994, at which time all county offices were relocated in the new Phelps County Courthouse. The new courthouse was dedicated on May 22, 1994.Rolla serves as the county seat and is located at the intersection of I-44 and US Route 63. Source: Original Phels MOGenWeb page & Wikipedia.

More History ...

GenealogyTrails has an extensive writeup on Phelps County History.

Yesterday lives again in Phelps County, Missouri, p.8 A Thumb-Nail Sketch of Phelps County Missouri by Dr. Claire V Mann. Called a Thumb-Nail but chuck full of information on the early days of Phelps County. [Note: p.8 on FamilySearch; p.7 in the document.]

Phelps TARP Report, Historic Preservation Program Phase II and Phase III: Historic Inventory of Phelps County. Contains an excellent map of Phelps County. The historical section begins with a "Prehistory to 1776".

Community Conflict, The Impact of Civil War in the Ozarks contains history of the county as well as the Indian Tribes when the county was first settled by pioneers.