History of New Madrid County History of New Madrid County

• Organized . . . Oct. 1, 1812
• Namesake . . . Madrid, Spain
• Total Area . . . 697 sq. mi.
• County Seat . . . New Madrid
• 2020 . . . 2,787
• Largest City, Fully Encapsulated . . . Portageville
• 2020 . . . 2,942
• Largest City, Adjacent Scott County . . . Sikeston
• 2020 . . . 16,291

• State Senate District . . . 25th
• State House District . . . 149th
• State Judicial Circuit . . . 34th
• State Appellate District . . . Southern District, Court of Appeals
• U.S. Congressional District . . . MO-8th
• U.S. Supreme Court Circuit . . . 8th
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Region . . . Memphis District, Mississippi Valley Division
• Mississippi River above Birds Point (Action 38' // 312.53' ASL)
• Mississippi River at New Madrid (Action 30' // 285.48' ASL)
• Mississippi River above Tiptonville (Action 34' // 279.14' ASL)

• Population by Census:
• 2025 . . . 15,086*
• 2020 . . . 16,434
• 2000 . . . 19,760
• 1980 . . . 22,945
• 1960 . . . 31,350
• 1940 . . . 39,787**
• 1920 . . . 25,180
• 1900 . . . 11,280
• 1880 . . . 7,694
• 1860 . . . 5,654
• 1840 . . . 4,554
• 1820 . . . 2,296

*Estimate . . . **Peak

Originally inhabited by Native American tribes including the Mississippian, Osage, and Chickasaw peoples*, over 160 Indian Mounds still exist across the region today.

On Apr. 9, 1682, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle claimed the entire Mississippi Valley on the western mouth of the "Misi zipi" or Great River (present day Venice, LA), naming the area after French King Louis XIV. After the French loss resulting from the Seven Years' War (French & Indian War), France secretly ceded the territory west of the river to the Spanish in the Treaty of Fontainebleau on Nov. 3, 1762. This agreement was formalized later in the Treaty of Paris on Feb. 10, 1763, which included all French claims east of the river to Great Britain under King George III.

This early settlement and trading post within the demarcation of Upper and Lower Louisiana was founded by Joseph & Francis LeSieur sometime in the early 1780s at L’Anse a la Graise, translated to “Cove of Grease” or “Greasy Cove.” The town of "Nuevo Madrid" or "La Nouvella Madrid" was established on Apr. 14, 1789 under the auspices of Spanish Louisiana Governor Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid and Spanish Lt. Governor of Upper Louisiana Manuel Pérez under the appointed Empresario and American Revolutionary War Veteran, Col. George Morgan.

New Madrid may not be the oldest city in the State of Missouri...

• Ste. Genevieve . . . 1735
• St. Louis . . . 1764
• St. Charles . . . 1769
• Florissant . . . 1786

...yet it may very well be the first American settlement west of the Mississippi. Promised to settlers to be rich in "milk and honey," the area was mostly untamed swampland. Local legend suggests that those who followed Col. Morgan's endeavor were "Mad-rid indeed." This could very well explain the locals' pronunciation of the name: "MAD-rid" rather than "mad-DRID," as intended.

Much of the original settlement lies south of present day Water Street. Similarly, New Madrid was the southern terminus of "El Camino Real" or "King's Highway". This route was used to hasten orders of Spanish nobility from New Orleans (by way of boat) to St. Louis (by way of land). St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers and of Madrid, was the name given to the first Catholic church established within the settlement in 1789.

On Oct. 1, 1800, the Spanish quietly ceded Spanish Louisiana to the French Republic via the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso in Paris, France. Announced on Independence Day in 1803, French Republic Consul Napoleon Bonaparte sold the Louisiana territory to the United States, under the direction of President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison, for ~$15,000,000.00 ($.03/acre) and collectively $23,313,567.73, after the price of interest was paid on the remaining bonds twenty-years later. The transfer was not finalized until Dec. 20, 1803.

A rather rare ceremony took place in town on Mar. 18, 1804, as command was formally transferred from the Spanish Empire, to the French Republic, and then to the United States. Courts of the Common Pleas and Quarter-Sessions of the Peace were established in Mar. 1805. Five years later, the Methodist Church, or the oldest Protestant church in New Madrid, was founded in Mar. 1810.

The area is best known for the powerful earthquakes that erupted between Dec. 16, 1811 and Feb. 7, 1812. The earthquakes dramatically altered the landscape, damaged settlements, created two mid-river waterfalls and temporarily changed the flow of the Mississippi River, creating the still-active New Madrid Seismic Zone. Reelfoot Lake in nearby Lake & Obion Counties, Tennessee, did not exist before this event. Bells were reported ringing as far away as Boston, Massachusetts.

Further reading can be found here and here.

*This may not include all known former Native American tribes native to the region.

Louisiana was admitted to the Union on Apr. 30, 1812, and the Louisiana Territory was officially renamed the Missouri Territory on Jun. 4, 1812. Mere days later on Jun. 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain (War of 1812). Under the direction of the Fourth Missouri Territory Governor William Clark, famously known for his expedition with Meriwether Lewis (Corps of Discovery), the Missouri General Assembly formally convened on Oct. 1, 1812, hereby organizing the five original counties, listed geographically from north to south:

• St. Charles
• St. Louis
• Ste. Genevieve
• Cape Girardeau
• New Madrid

The county at this moment in time extended southward to Louisiana*. On New Years Eve, 1813, Arkansas County was organized and the county was reduced considerably in size. This trend of contraction would continue for years to come.

The court convened in Mar. 1814 in Big Prairie, whereas the seat of justice was chosen in Rossville (south of present day Sikeston). The county lines were drawn again on Jan. 15, 1815, with the organization of Lawrence County. By Dec. 1815, the Circuit Court was established. Court records indicate that court was held on Apr. 12, 1819 at the courthouse in Winchester. On Independence Day in 1819, the Arkansas Territory was established, absorbing all of Arkansas County and most of Lawrence County.

Congress approved the Missouri Enabling Act on Mar. 6, 1820, adopting the current boundaries of the state. Missouri, under the direction of President James Monroe, was admitted to the Union as the 24th State on Aug. 10, 1821. The County's Seal commemorates this occasion by including 24 stars above the eagle. On Dec. 28, 1821, the size was reduced (again) by the organization of Scott County.

The seat of justice officially relocated to New Madrid on Feb. 4, 1822, using a courthouse long-believed to be one of the first frame buildings in the county. During Marquis de Lafayette's farewell U.S. tour (Jul. 1824 - Sep. 1825), famous French volunteer in the Continental Army and the last surviving Maj. Gen. from the American Revolution, he would have been aboard the Natchez steamboat as it passed by New Madrid sometime between Apr. 18 - 28, 1825.

The first school established in New Madrid was St. Joseph's Parochial school in 1832 by the Sisters of Loretta of Bethlehem or "Young Ladies Academy." The Hart-Stepp House was constructed by Abraham Augustine in 1832.

On Jan. 2, 1835, the county lost more land with the organization of Stoddard County, which included territory of the soon-to-be Dunklin County.

Beginning in 1838, many Cherokees taking the water route within the Trail of Tears passed by the New Madrid Bend, having traveled up the Tennessee River; down the Ohio River's convergence at Cairo, IL; and down the Mississippi River towards the mouth of the Arkansas River.

When Mississippi County was organized on Feb. 14, 1845, the county lost additional land rights. Finally, on Feb. 19, 1851, with the organization of Pemiscot County, the existing boundary lines were drawn at last. A portion of the county lies below the 36°30′ north parallel, an oddity as compared to the rest of the state outside of the Bootheel region.

During the mid-19th century, New Madrid County grew into a major agricultural and transportation center. Fertile river-bottoms supported crops such as cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice, while river trade and steamboat traffic played a vital role in boosting the local economy.

On Nov. 17, 1848, and similarly on Jun. 11, 1852, the public square was ordered disposed to help pay for a new courthouse and square, yet the old building was not sold until Oct. 3, 1854. The cost of the newer building was received on Nov. 13, 1854 in the amount of $2,950**. A rendition of the 1854 courthouse by A. R. Waud of Harper's Weekly, sketched in 1871, can be viewed on a historical marker on the east side of the courthouse lawn.

The first Presbyterian Church was built on Sep. 20, 1856. The Hunter-Dawson Home, constructed by W. W. Hunter, and the Hatcher Home, constructed by Thomas Dawson, were both built in 1858. The Hatcher Home burned sometime in the late 1980s.

*Collection of maps showing the boundary line changes ca. 1804-1860, courtesy of MOGenWeb, can be found here.

**Conflicting sources exist.

During the Civil War (1861-65), this location along the Mississippi River proved to be a strategic target for regulating interstate transportation and other wartime operations. The decisive victory over the Battle of Island No. 10 (Feb. 28, 1862 - Apr. 8, 1862) gave the Union forces, commanded under Maj. Gen. John Pope, Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck & Rear Admiral Andrew H. Foote, the means necessary to start cornering the geographical reach of the opposing Confederate forces. During the Siege of New Madrid in Mar. 1862, Confederate forces built an artillery observation platform on the roof of the aforementioned 1854 courthouse. The City of New Madrid maintains a Civil War page dedicated to this conflict, and an exhibit is available for tourists at the New Madrid Historical Museum. Island No. 10, named for being the tenth island south of the Ohio River confluence, no longer exists.

The first public schools were opened after the war around 1870. On Mar. 17, 1875, five commissioners were appointed to select a new courthouse site due to repeated flooding encroachments. In 1880, the Kochtitsky Home was constructed by Otto Von Kochtitsky. The first African American church, Methodist Episcopal Church, was founded in 1882 by L. H. Brown, and the first African American school was constructed in 1899. On Sep. 24, 1905, fire destroyed the courthouse, which was described as "...a one-story frame building with red cypress containing four offices and a court."

In 1912, the City of Lilbourn challenged for the County Seat, but by popular choice, remained in New Madrid. The Great Flood of 1912 (and 1913!) resulted in major devastation across the region.

In Mar. 1915, a new site was purchased north of the original town to move the seat to its current location. The court accepted the Interstate Building and Construction Company's bid of ~$80,000 for the shell of a design designed by H. G. Clymer of St. Louis. Clymer's original plan was for a brick building 107' x 75' with stone trim. Citizens donated $20,000 to supplement the $50,000 bond issue. W. W. Taylor of Cape Girardeau superintended the final interior work, being completed in Jan. 1919. Final costs exceeded $100,000. This building remains in use by the county to this day (450 Main Street) and was dedicated that month. This new building included five concrete vaults with double-steel doors and was heated with a coal-fired steam radiator system. During the ensuing years, the offices of the Sheriff, Health and Highway Departments all relocated from the building.

Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church was constructed in 1924 and the Church of God in Christ was built in 1932. During this window, the Great Flood of 1927 occurred. In response, under the Flood Control Act of 1928, the Mississippi River & Tributaries Project was authorized and the construction of the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway began. The Great Flood of 1937 was the first time the Floodway was activated and it operated as designed.

Harry S. Truman, born in Lamar, Missouri, delivered campaign speeches at the current courthouse during his Senate campaign in 1934, being one of his first stops as he began his tour in Southeast Missouri. Candidate Truman championed farmers, workers and the "New Deal" policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, positioning him as a leader of the Democratic Party. In 1940, Senator Truman returned, declaring that national defense was one of his top priorities.

New Madrid County's Prosecuting Attorney, J. V. Conran, openly supported his second nomination. Senator Truman later proclaimed "I am deeply affected that the good people of a part of Missouri most remote from my home town did me such a singular honor." Assuming office as the 33rd President of the United States after FDR's passing on Apr. 12, 1945, and the only Missourian to head the Executive Branch, President Truman served from 1945-1953. The formal surrender of Imperial Japan occurred on Sep. 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, concluding World War II.

The region lies along the Great River Road, a 3,000 mile route extending from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of America (f.k.a. Mexico), passing through ten states and hundreds of river towns alike.

In 1950, a very wet January caused the Corps. of Engineers to position for another activation of the Floodway, but ultimately did not pull the trigger. 

The "Old Jail" at #2 Courthouse Square was dedicated in 1979. This building is no longer in use as of Jun. 2026.

In 1983, again the Corps. of Engineers nearly activated the Floodway. The 1986 Water and Resources Development Act authorized that St. Johns-New Madrid Floodway could finally close the frontline levee gap (~1,500') and build two new pumping stations.

Dr. Iben Browning's infamously wrong prediction of a major earthquake did not strike "...within 24 hours of Dec. 3, 1990;" however, it did lead to national news organizations flocking to town. Both the Missouri and Arkansas National Guards were ordered to drill earthquake scenarios. News of the incident must have reached Jeff Tweedy, a native of Belleville, IL and better known for his involvement with bands Uncle Tupelo, and later, Wilco, leading to the inspiration of the self-titled song released on the album Anodyne (Oct. 1993).

In Sep. 2007, Judge James Robertson filed an injunction to cease and reverse any work completed towards the St. Johns-New Madrid Floodway project.

On May 2, 2011, an unusually wet spring led the Corps. of Engineers to activate the Floodway and "blow the levee" for the second time. Considerable damage was recorded east and northeast of town, but the setback levee did hold as planned.

As of 2015, the basement and first two floors of the courthouse were fully occupied with the attic used for records and archive storage. In 2026, renovations are being finalized at the joint facility for the Sheriff Department, Juvenile Department & 911 Dispatch located at 350 US Highway 61. 

Today, the county remains a rural agricultural community known for its rich history, Mississippi River heritage and ongoing earthquake awareness and preparedness efforts.

*This section is woefully incomplete and remains a work in progress.

**Pages dedicated to the individual history of each village, town and city within the county will be added as sources are located, vetted and prepared.

• Morrow, Lynn (1980). "New Madrid and its Hinterland: 1783-1826." Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society.

• Foley, William E. "Manuel Pérez (1735–1819)". Missouri Encyclopedia.
  

• Savelle, Max (1932). "The Founding of New Madrid, Missouri". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review.

• Ohman, Marian M. (1981). "Encyclopedia of Missouri Courthouses." University of Missouri-Columbia Extension Division.

• Miller, Hunter. (1948, reprint 2010). "Historical New Madrid County Mother of Southeast Missouri: A Project of High School Department New Madrid County Teachers Association." Graphic Arts Department, New Madrid County Area Vocational-Technical School.

• Various historical land markers across the area.

If any historical inaccuracies are noted, please notify the Website Administrator for corrections.