Adair

Formed January 29, 1841 (65^th county)

Adair County (25,315), Kirksville (17,547)                

The stone and masonry Romanesque Revival courthouse was built in 1898 and sits on a square at Washington, Elson, Harrison, and Franklin streets.  United States Highway 63 Business passes nine blocks to the east of the courthouse.  The courthouse features corner towers on the outside and wooden staircases on the inside.  Its architect was R. G. Kirsch.  Adair County was organized on January 29, 1841 from Native American Territory as the 65^th county with Kirksville as the only county seat.  There were 1843 and 1853 courthouses previously.  The county is named for Kentucky Governor John Adair.  The county seat is named for Postmaster Jesse Kirk. 

Adair County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  One Circuit Court Judge serves Adair, Knox, and Lewis counties and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Adair County (judicial.) The county is situated in northeast Missouri.  Saint Louis, Missouri is southeast and Kansas City, Missouri is southwest of the county.  The county center is 2.4 miles East-Northeast of Kirksville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Schuyler, Scotland, Knox, Macon, Linn, Sullivan, and Putnam counties. 

The area of the county is 568 square miles.  It is 61 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 44.6 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 115 in the state.  Adair County has 72.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 63 passes north to south through the county from Schuyler County to Macon County.  The county is a rectangle.  Kirksville is in the center of the county.  Kirksville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 69.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Kirksville Micropolitan Statistical Area.