Shannon County, Missouri

Shannon County
County
Shannon County courthouse in Eminence
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°10′N91°24′W / 37.16°N 91.4°W / 37.16; -91.4
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	January 29, 1841
Named for	George Shannon
Seat	Eminence
Largest city	Winona
Area
• Total	1,004 sq mi (2,600 km2)
• Land	1,004 sq mi (2,600 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.02%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,031
• Density	7.0/sq mi (2.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.shannon-county.com

Shannon County is a county in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,031. ^[1] Its county seat is Eminence. ^[2] The county was officially organized on January 29, 1841, and was named in honor of George F. "Peg-Leg" Shannon, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. ^[3] It is the second-largest county by area in Missouri.

Missouri's first copper mine was opened in Shannon County in 1846 and Missouri's only manganese mine was opened here during World War II.

As of the 2000 census, Shannon County ranked 78th on the list of counties with the lowest per capita income and 46th on the list of counties with the lowest median household incomes in the United States, making it the poorest county in Missouri.

History

The Great Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925, appears to have begun in Moore Township; most likely as constituent tornadoes of a tornado family preceding the infamous very long tack tornado that went on to kill 695 people across southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwestern Indiana over the next several hours. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,004 square miles (2,600 km²), of which 1,004 square miles (2,600 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.02%) is water. ^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Dent County (north)
• Reynolds County (east)
• Carter County (southeast)
• Oregon County (south)
• Howell County (southwest)
• Texas County (west)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 60
• Route 19
• Route 99
• Route 106

National protected areas

• Mark Twain National Forest (part)
• Ozark National Scenic Riverways (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	1,199		—
1860	2,284		90.5%
1870	2,339		2.4%
1880	3,441		47.1%
1890	8,898		158.6%
1900	11,247		26.4%
1910	11,443		1.7%
1920	11,865		3.7%
1930	10,894		−8.2%
1940	11,831		8.6%
1950	8,377		−29.2%
1960	7,087		−15.4%
1970	7,196		1.5%
1980	7,885		9.6%
1990	7,613		−3.4%
2000	8,324		9.3%
2010	8,441		1.4%
2020	7,031		−16.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960 [7] 1900–1990 [8] 1990–2000 [9] 2010–2015 [10]

As of the census ^[11] of 2000, there were 8,324 people, 3,319 households, and 2,356 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12 people/km²). There were 3,862 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (2.6/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 95.05% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 1.83% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Approximately 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Shannon County were 38.3% American, 13.4% Irish, 11.8% German, and 9.7% English.

There were 3,319 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,835, and the median income for a family was $30,102. Males had a median income of $21,917 versus $16,024 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,127. About 21.00% of families and 26.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.10% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Shannon County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Shannon County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (56.22%), Methodists (12.03%), and Christian Churches & Churches of Christ (10.84%).

2020 Census

Shannon County Racial Composition ^[12]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	6,451	91.7%
Black or African American (NH)	3	0.04%
Native American (NH)	37	0.53%
Asian (NH)	13	0.18%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	386	5.5%
Hispanic or Latino	141	2%

Politics

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Shannon County. Republicans hold seven of the elected positions in the county.

Shannon County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor	Jimile Voyles	Democratic
Circuit Clerk	Melany Williams	Democratic
County Clerk	Shelly Bland	Republican
Collector	Susie Needels	Republican
Commissioner (Presiding)	Beth (Stewart) Long	Republican
Commissioner (District 1)	Dale Counts	Democratic
Commissioner (District 2)	Herman Kelly	Republican
Coroner	Samuel Murphy	Independent
Prosecuting Attorney	Jodie R. Brumble	Democratic
Public Administrator	Teresa Acord	Republican
Recorder	Melany Williams	Democratic
Sheriff	Darrin Brawley	Republican
Surveyor	Robert Ross	Republican
Treasurer	Michelle Shedd	Republican

State

In the Missouri House of Representatives, all of Shannon County is a part of Missouri's 143rd District and is currently represented by Jeff Pogue, (R- Salem).

Missouri House of Representatives – District 143 – Shannon County (2016) ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jeffrey Pogue	3,057	100.00%

Missouri House of Representatives – District 143 – Shannon County (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jeffrey Pogue	1,240	100.00%	+55.92

Missouri House of Representatives – District 143 – Shannon County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jeffrey Pogue	1,624	44.08%
	Democratic	Shane Van Steenis	2,060	55.92%

In the Missouri Senate, all of Shannon County is a part of Missouri's 25th District and is currently represented by Doug Libla, (R- Poplar Bluff).

Missouri Senate – District 25 – Shannon County (2016) ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Doug Libla	2,570	69.97%	+19.81
	Democratic	Bill Burlison	1,103	30.03%	-19.81

Missouri Senate – District 25 – Shannon County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Doug Libla	1,772	50.16%
	Democratic	Terry Swinger	1,761	49.84%

Federal

U.S. Senate – Missouri – Shannon County (2016) ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Roy Blunt	2,436	62.85%	+21.38
	Democratic	Jason Kander	1,234	31.84%	-20.40
	Libertarian	Jonathan Dine	98	2.53%	-3.76
	Green	Johnathan McFarland	53	1.37%	+1.37
	Constitution	Fred Ryman	55	1.42%	+1.42

U.S. Senate – Missouri – Shannon County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Todd Akin	1,536	41.47%
	Democratic	Claire McCaskill	1,935	52.24%
	Libertarian	Jonathan Dine	233	6.29%

Shannon County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.

U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri's 8th Congressional District – Shannon County (2016} ^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jason T. Smith	2,865	75.73%	+7.23
	Democratic	Dave Cowell	816	21.57%	-0.36
	Libertarian	Jonathan Shell	102	2.70%	+1.06

U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri's 8th Congressional District – Shannon County (2014)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jason T. Smith	1,131	68.50%	+8.92
	Democratic	Barbara Stocker	362	21.93%	-8.63
	Libertarian	Rick Vandeven	27	1.64%	-0.69
	Constitution	Doug Enyart	43	2.60%	-4.93
	Independent	Terry Hampton	88	5.33%	+5.33

U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri's 8th Congressional District – Shannon County (Special Election 2013)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jason T. Smith	538	59.58%	-12.68
	Democratic	Steve Hodges	276	30.56%	+6.91
	Constitution	Doug Enyart	68	7.53%	+7.53
	Libertarian	Bill Slantz	21	2.33%	-1.76

U.S. House of Representatives – Missouri's 8th Congressional District – Shannon County (2012)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jo Ann Emerson	2,652	72.26%
	Democratic	Jack Rushin	868	23.65%
	Libertarian	Rick Vandeven	150	4.09%

Political culture

United States presidential election results for Shannon County, Missouri ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,165	81.03%	706	18.07%	35	0.90%
2016	2,966	75.97%	776	19.88%	162	4.15%
2012	2,262	61.27%	1,302	35.27%	128	3.47%
2008	2,075	54.06%	1,637	42.65%	126	3.28%
2004	2,511	60.26%	1,618	38.83%	38	0.91%
2000	2,245	59.38%	1,430	37.82%	106	2.80%
1996	1,339	35.27%	1,882	49.58%	575	15.15%
1992	1,224	30.97%	2,135	54.02%	593	15.01%
1988	1,696	48.46%	1,796	51.31%	8	0.23%
1984	1,779	52.96%	1,580	47.04%	0	0.00%
1980	1,523	44.78%	1,818	53.45%	60	1.76%
1976	989	33.29%	1,960	65.97%	22	0.74%
1972	1,623	58.87%	1,134	41.13%	0	0.00%
1968	1,048	38.67%	1,216	44.87%	446	16.46%
1964	904	28.11%	2,312	71.89%	0	0.00%
1960	1,429	50.76%	1,386	49.24%	0	0.00%
1956	1,171	39.12%	1,822	60.88%	0	0.00%
1952	1,291	38.80%	2,028	60.96%	8	0.24%
1948	805	25.36%	2,352	74.10%	17	0.54%
1944	1,110	34.54%	2,093	65.12%	11	0.34%
1940	1,589	35.93%	2,806	63.44%	28	0.63%
1936	1,225	28.17%	3,069	70.57%	55	1.26%
1932	879	22.40%	2,949	75.15%	96	2.45%
1928	1,542	44.62%	1,884	54.51%	30	0.87%
1924	1,174	34.38%	2,107	61.70%	134	3.92%
1920	1,639	48.62%	1,661	49.27%	71	2.11%
1916	788	36.58%	1,213	56.31%	153	7.10%
1912	385	18.38%	1,110	52.98%	600	28.64%
1908	849	40.94%	1,151	55.50%	74	3.57%
1904	697	39.67%	1,006	57.26%	54	3.07%
1900	716	35.22%	1,279	62.91%	38	1.87%
1896	689	36.65%	1,186	63.09%	5	0.27%
1892	541	34.05%	1,005	63.25%	43	2.71%
1888	423	33.02%	828	64.64%	30	2.34%

At the presidential level, Shannon County was a Democratic stronghold from its founding in 1841 through 1996, voting Republican only in 1960, for Nixon over Kennedy, and in Nixon's 1972 and Reagan's 1984 landslides in this period. ^[15] In 2000, George W. Bush became only the fourth Republican to carry the county, despite narrowly losing the national popular vote, and got a higher vote share than any of the three Republicans to carry the county previously. As of 2020, the county has voted Republican for six straight elections, with the Republican vote share increasing in every election save 2008, when McCain fell six points from Bush's 2004 level.

Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Shannon County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Shannon County with 85.64 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Shannon County with 55.87 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Shannon County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Shannon County with 74.62 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Main articles: 2008 Missouri Democratic presidential primary and 2008 Missouri Republican presidential primary

In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in Shannon County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 914, than any candidate from either party in Shannon County during the 2008 presidential primary.

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older, 44.9% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 9.6% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public Schools

• Birch Tree Elementary School – Birch Tree
• Eminence R-I School District – Eminence
  • Eminence Elementary School (PK-06)
  • Eminence High School (07-12)
• Winona R-III School District – Winona
  • Winona Elementary School (PK-08)
  • Winona High School (09-12)

Public libraries

• Birch Tree City Library ^[16]
• Eminence Public Library ^[17]
• Winona Public Library ^[18]

Communities

Cities

• Birch Tree
• Eminence (county seat)
• Summersville (partly in Texas County)
• Winona

Census-designated place

• Montier

Other unincorporated places

• Akers
• Alley Spring
• Bartlett
• Delaware
• Deslet
• Flatwood
• Gang
• Low Wassie
• Midridge
• Munsell
• Not
• Oakside
• Owls Bend
• Rat
• Round Spring
• Shannondale
• Shawnee
• Teresita
• Timber
• Venice
• West Eminence

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Shannon County, Missouri

References

1. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Eaton, David Wolfe (1918). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 363.
4. Johns, Robert H.; D. W. Burgess; C. A. Doswell III; M. S. Gilmore; J. A. Hart; S. F. Piltz (2013). "The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System". e-Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology. 8 (2): 1–33. doi: 10.55599/ejssm.v8i2.47 .
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
12. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Shannon County, Missouri".
13. "County Results – State of Missouri – 2016 General Election – November 8, 2016 – Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. December 12, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
15. "County winners, 1836-2016". Google Docs. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
16. Breeding, Marshall. "Birch Tree City Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
17. Breeding, Marshall. "Eminence Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
18. Breeding, Marshall. "Winona Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.

External links

• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Scott County Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
• A Portrait of the Ozarks Part I - Shannon County: Home from Missouri State University Libraries
• A Portrait of the Ozarks Part II - Shannon County: Hearts of the Children from Missouri State University Libraries