Dunklin

Formed February 25, 1845 (88^th county)

Dunklin County (28,286), Kennett (10,507)

A 1939 tan brick and marble Art Deco structure is the county courthouse.  There was a classier 1892 version earlier as well as 1847 and 1872 buildings.  The courthouse is located on a square surrounded by Main, Michael, Whitney, and 1^st streets.  Ernest F. Friton was the building architect.  It features columns and a veterans’ memorial wall.  Missouri State Highway 84 is 1^st Street in this part of the town.  The county was organized on February 25, 1845 from Stoddard County as the 88^th county with Kennett as the only county seat.  Governor Daniel Dunklin provided his name for the county.  The county seat is named for St. Louis Mayor Luther Kennett. 

Dunklin 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 Dunklin and Stoddard counties and Two County Court Judges and a court clerk serve Dunklin County (judicial.) Dunklin County is in the boot of Missouri on the border with Arkansas.  Saint Louis, Missouri is north and Memphis, Tennessee is southeast of the county.  The county center is 6.1 miles North of Kennett nearer White Oak.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Stoddard, New Madrid, and Pemiscot counties and Arkansas and Butler County. 

The area of the county is 546 square miles.  It is 68 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 40 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 51.8 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 115 in the state.  Dunklin County has 72.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 62 crosses the county east to west from New Madrid County to Arkansas.  United States Highway 412 goes east to west from Pemiscot County to Arkansas.  The county looks like a capital letter J.  Kennett is south and east of center in the county.  Kennett is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 37.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Kennett Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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