Phelps County, Missouri
Founding: 1857 Parent counties: Crawford and Maries Namesake: John Phelps, Missouri governor Seat: Rolla (1861–) Land area: 672 square miles Population (2020): 44,638 Population (historic): 5,714 (1860); 12,568 (1880); 14,194 (1900); 15,308 (1930) Periods of population growth: pre-1860–1910; 1920–2010 Subdivisions: Five cities; ten townships Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 1,260 (6.3%) Pre-1940 housing survival rate: 31.6% Pre-1860 housing survival rate (1940): 3.5% Farm housing in disrepair (1950): 11.3% Nonfarm housing in disrepair (1950): 9.7% Average farmhouse value (1930): $821 Average outbuilding value (1930): $596 Average farmhouse size (1940): 4.3 rooms Number of farms (1920): 1,982 Average farm size (1920): 66.9 acres Sources of settlement: Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Germany __________________________________________...