Formed March 1, 1851 (101st county)
Dent County (14,419), Salem (4,655)
The red/brown brick French Renaissance courthouse was built in 1870. It is sited at 5th Street and Main Street. Main Street is Missouri State Highway 19 in Salem. The structure was designed by the Randolph Brothers. The building was enlarged in 1897 and 1911 and renovated in 1976. There were 1852 and 1864 courthouses earlier. A Justice Center has been added. Salem has always been the county seat. The county was formed on March 1, 1851 from parts of Crawford and Shannon counties as the 101st county. It is named for settler James Dent. The county seat is named for the Hebrew word for “peace.”
Dent 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.) Two Circuit Court Judges serve Dent, Crawford, Iron, Reynolds, and Wayne counties and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Dent County (judicial.) The county is in southeast Missouri. Saint Louis, Missouri is northeast and Springfield, Missouri is southwest of the county. The county center is 2.6 miles Southeast of Salem. The county is surrounded clockwise by Crawford, Iron, Reynolds, Shannon, Texas, and Phelps counties.
The area of the county is 754 square miles. It is 22 out of 115 in the state. It ranks 71 out of 115 in population in the state. It has a density of 19.1 persons per square mile making it 83 out of 115 in the state. Dent County has 33.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county resembles a capital letter F turned upside down. Salem is west and slightly north of center in the county. Salem is the county seat and the largest city. It is 32.3% of the county population.
Salem
Bunker
