Phelps

Formed October 19, 1857 (111^th county)

Phelps County (44,640), Rolla (19,934)                

The Modern red brick structure was constructed in 1993 at Main Street between 2^nd and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 63 passes five blocks to the west of the site.  The architects are Stack and Associates.  The county was formed on October 19, 1857 from parts of Crawford, Maries, and Pulaski counties as the 111^th county.  There was an earlier courthouse in Arlington and an 1859 version in Rolla.  Governor John S. Phelps is the namesake for the county.  The county seat name is a misspelling of Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Phelps 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 Phelps, Maries, Pulaski, and Texas counties and Two County Court Judges and a court clerk serve Phelps 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 in Rolla 2.3 miles South of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Gasconade, Crawford, Dent, Texas, Pulaski, and Maries counties. 

The area of the county is 673 square miles.  It is 38 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 23 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 66.3 persons per square mile making it 25 out of 115 in the state.  Phelps County has 55.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 44 goes northeast to west in the county from Crawford County to Pulaski County.  United States Highway 63 crosses north to south from Maries County to Texas County.  The county is a small letter r with a smokestack added on the northeast.  Rolla is located in the northern third of the county.  Rolla is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 44.7% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced RALL-LA.  This county is in the Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area.