Stotesbury was platted in 1893 when the railroad was extended to that point. The village was named for E. T. Stotesbury, a railroad agent. A post office was established at Stotesbury in 1893, and remained in operation until 1985.
In addition to the post office, Stotesbury also had a two story school. In 1990 the remaining portion of the building was demolished with only the foundation walls and the basement remaining.
Stotesbury at one time had an operational black smith forge located near the railroad tracks and the coal yard.
Passages that mention Stotesbury, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Vernon County, Missouri1911 · page 602Read the page →
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20, in 1883, by Jacob Rumbaugh and Richard Kaufman. But after the building of the K. C., P. & G. Railroad, now known as the Kansas City Southern, the town site was abandoned and the new town of Stotesbury absorbed it. LAKE TOWNSHIP. Lake township comprises congressional township 36, range 32.
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Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
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