Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to West Plains

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A−History
History · West Plains

West Plains dates to 1832, and 7 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #37 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it

Most of West Plains was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 46 buildings. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1870.

1832founded
7on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How West Plains began

When was West Plains founded?

1832

West Plains dates its founding to 1832 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 130 in 18702020 census: 12,184194 years

How historic is West Plains?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives West Plains’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Plains is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #37 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Plains’ overall grade.
Founding era1832, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.5% of homes (±3.4) · typical MO town 8.4% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register7 listings, 53 historic buildings, 42.6 per 10,000 residents · typical MO town 2.4 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 85%

Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so West Plains’ 42.6 sits above most of its state (87% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 53 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). Two sources give 1832.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about West Plains’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of West Plains are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Courthouse Square Historic District takes in 46 historic buildings.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1924, drew every building in West Plains.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Plains’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Plains’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

7 listings protect 53 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
53
each building in a district counts
first listed
2001
Elledge Arcade Buildings
Courthouse Square Historic DistrictElledge Arcade BuildingsW.J. and Ed Smith BuildingWest Plains Bank BuildingMount Zion Lodge Masonic TempleInternational Shoe Company BuildingLincoln School
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate3
One-Part Commercial Block2
Two-Part Commercial Block1
Queen Anne1
Romanesque1
Late Gothic Revival1
Courthouse Square Historic DistrictTwo-Part Commercial Block
All 7 listings
Elledge Arcade BuildingsBuilding · listed 2001W.J. and Ed Smith BuildingBuilding · listed 2001West Plains Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 2001Mount Zion Lodge Masonic TempleBuilding · listed 2011International Shoe Company BuildingBuilding · listed 2011Lincoln SchoolBuilding · listed 2025

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

West Plains, building by building, 1893–1924

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

West Plains fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How West Plains came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of West Plains.

Read it all →

The history of West Plains can be traced back to 1832, when settler Josiah Howell (after whom Howell County is named) created the first settlement in the region known as Howell Valley. West Plains was so named because the settlement was on a prairie to the west of the nearest town, Thomasville.

The Courthouse Square Historic District, Elledge Arcade Buildings, International Shoe Company Building, Mount Zion Lodge Masonic Temple, W. J. and Ed Smith Building, West Plains Bank Building, and the Lincoln School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

ChaptersThe American Civil War20th centuryThe Great Depression eraWest Plains BadgersAfter the Depression

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

West Plains, 1832 to 1949

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1832
    FoundingWest Plains is established
  3. 1846Post officeThe West Plains post office opens
  4. 1894Born hereStephen W. Thompson is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1938On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1941Born hereJay Carty is born here
  8. 1949Born hereLynn Morris is born here
By decade

West Plains, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Lincoln interior pre-renovation 12025Lincoln interior pre-renovation 1Lincoln before renovation 22025Lincoln before renovation 2Feel the Love2025Feel the LoveWest Plains, Missouri2024West Plains, MissouriLincoln mural 32024Lincoln mural 3Lincoln class mural2024Lincoln class muralLincoln School Project of2024Lincoln School Project ofLincoln School Photo2024Lincoln School PhotoLincoln School before2023Lincoln School beforeCourthouse Square Historic District (West Plains, Missouri) ee2022Courthouse Square Historic District (West Plains, Mis…Courthouse Square Historic District (West Plains, Missouri) e2022Courthouse Square Historic District (West Plains, Mis…West Plains Washington Avenue2014West Plains Washington Avenue
On the map

West Plains on the map, 1938 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Plains. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

West Plains on the 1938 USGS mapWest Plains on the 1940 USGS mapWest Plains on the 1976 USGS mapWest Plains on the 1983 USGS map1938West Plains sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of West Plains.

People over time

West Plains, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,0001880190019201940196019802000202012,184

Grew from 130 people in 1870 to 12,184 in 2020, more than tenfold.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on West Plains’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in West Plains

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jay CartyAmerican basketball player · b. 1941
L
Lynn MorrisAmerican politician · b. 1949
S
Stephen W. ThompsonAmerican aviator · b. 1894
T
Travis SmithAmerican politician
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

West Plains’s post office has been open since 1846.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Summers Addition
Gone or out of use
Galloway SchoolschoolSky Haven AirportairportWest Plains Municipal Airportairport
1cemetery inside West Plains
Oak Lawn

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about West Plains’ history

What year was West Plains founded?

In 1832, according to Wikidata. West Plains’ post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1870 counted 130 people here.

How does West Plains rank for history?

West Plains is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #37 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in West Plains?

7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Elledge Arcade Buildings (listed 2001, the first), and 1 historic district, the Courthouse Square Historic District, with 46 contributing buildings. 53 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in West Plains?

10% of West Plains’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1977.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.