Lafayette

Formed November 16, 1820 (21^st county)

Lafayette County (32,994), Lexington (4,644), Odessa (5,597)

The columned, white brick Classical Revival facility has a southern appearance and was built in 1849.  It is on Main Street between 10^th and 11^th streets.  Missouri State Highway 224 is Main Street in the town.  There were 1854 and 1879 enlargements and 1896 remodeling of this courthouse.  An Annex, built in 1905, was purchased in 2005.  A cannonball from an 1861 battle still remains in the eastern column at the front of the courthouse.  A miniature Statue of Liberty sits on the grounds.  William Daughtery provided the designs.  The county was established on November 16, 1820 from Cooper County as the 21^st county.  Mount Vernon was the first county seat followed by Lexington in 1823.  There were 1825 and 1835 courthouses previously.  The county is named for American Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Howard County.  The county seat is named for Lexington, Kentucky. 

Lafayette County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One Circuit Court Judge serves Lafayette and Saline counties and Two County Court Judges serve Lafayette County.  Lafayette County is in western Missouri.  Kansas City, Missouri is west and Saint Louis, Missouri is east of the county.  The Missouri River forms its northern border.  The county center is 10.7 miles Southeast of Lexington nearer Mayview.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Carroll, Saline, Pettis, Johnson, Jackson, and Ray counties. 

The area of the county is 629 square miles.  It is 48 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 35 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 52.5 persons per square mile making it 34 out of 115 in the state.  Lafayette County has 63.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county east to west from Saline County to Jackson County.  United States Highway 24 goes east to west from Carroll County to Jackson County.  United States Highway 40 is joined with Interstate Highway 70 from Saline to Jackson counties.  The county resembles a bowl of ice cream with most of the northwest corner missing.  Lexington is on the Missouri River northern border of the county.  Odessa is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Lexington is the county seat and Odessa is the largest city.  Lexington is 14.1% of the county population while Odessa is 17.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area.