Webster

Formed December 12, 1855 (107^th county)

Webster County (39,085), Marshfield (7,454)

The Art Deco masonry structure, built in 1940, is on the square at Crittenden, Jefferson, Clay, and Madison streets.  Missouri State Highway 38 passes in front of the courthouse.  The designer was Earl Hawkins.  A classier 1868 courthouse preceded this one as did a third courthouse.  A replica of the Hubble Telescope is on the grounds as Edwin Hubble was a county native.  A Justice Center was added in 2020.  Webster County was organized on December 12, 1855 from parts of Dallas, Greene, Ozark, and Wright counties as the 107^th county.  It is named for United States Secretary of State Daniel Webster.  The county seat is named for Daniel Webster’s Marshfield estate.  Marshfield has always been the county seat. 

Webster 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 Webster, Benton, Dallas, Hickory, and Polk counties and Two County Court Judges and a court clerk serve Webster County (judicial.)  The county is in southwest Missouri.  Springfield, Missouri is directly to the southwest of the county.  The county center is 5.3 miles South of Marshfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Laclede, Wright, Douglas, Christian, Greene, and Dallas counties. 

The area of the county is 593 square miles.  It is 57 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 29 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 65.9 persons per square mile making it 26 out of 115 in the state.  Webster County has 35.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 44 crosses the county northeast to west from Laclede County to Greene County.  United States Highway 60 passes east to west from Wright County to Greene County.  The county is overall rectangular shaped.  Marshfield is located in the northern third of the county.  Marshfield is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 19.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.