Lamar Missouri Historical Tour

By University of Central Missouri Department of History, MA in History student Anna Furney
Barton County Historical Society

In the southwest corner of Missouri, bordering Kansas, lies Barton County. The county was created out of land from Jasper County in December 1855. Its namesake is for David Barton, who had served as presiding president of the Missouri Constitutional Convention of 1820, and as a U.S. senator from 1820-1831.

Within Barton County resides a small town called Lamar. Formed out of Osage Indian lands, this town is best known for being the birthplace of President Harry S. Truman. Serving as the 33rd president of the United States, Truman was the only person from Missouri to serve as president.

While it is a great honor that a future president was born there, Lamar has so much more history to offer a visitor. Founded in 1856 by George E. Ward and Joseph C. Parry, the town was named after Mirabeau Lamar, second President of Texas, who was a friend of George Ward.

From cowboys like Wyatt Earp, to a magnificent Golden Age theater, to Civil War cannons, Lamar has a significant history to offer all who visit.

Images

Map

1004 Gulf Street Lamar Missouri ~ Barton County Historical Society is located in the basement of the Barton County Courthouse

Official Website

Barton County Historical Society

Cite this Page

University of Central Missouri Department of History, MA in History student Anna Furney, “Lamar Missouri Historical Tour,” Historic Missouri, accessed April 28, 2024, https://historicmissouri.org/items/show/182.

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Related Sources

  • Eaton, David W. “How Missouri Counties, Towns, and Streams Were Named.” Missouri Historical Review 10, no. 3 (April 1916), 207. https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/mhr/id/2101/rec/14. “Historical Notes and Comments.” Missouri Historical Review 52, no. 1 (Oct. 1957), 49. https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/mhr/id/26322/rec/2. “Lamar.” Historical Marker Database. April 22, 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=42286. “What are the Origins of Missouri’s Counties?” Missouri Secretary of State. Accessed March 23, 2023. https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/counties#:~:text=Barton%20County%0AOrganized%20December%2012%2C%201855%2C%20from%20Jasper%20County%20and%20named%20for%20David%20Barton%2C%20United%20States%20senator.
Published on Aug 17, 2023. Last updated on Dec 18, 2023.