Bolivar, Missouri, is an idyllic city in the middle of Missouri. Filled with rich history and preservation of its landmarks and buildings, it has been careful to maintain and identify buildings and places which remind present and future citizens of its past. The city of Bolivar has existed since November 10, 1835. On this day during the Andrew Jackson administration, the Polk County Court proclaimed Bolivar to exist as the county seat. On your visit, as you traverse the historically named streets such as Jefferson, Mill, and Jackson, you will notice that their streets are not precisely north and south. This is for a good reason. The town was organized and developed along the trail used by the Overland Stage (aka the Oregon Stage Line), a wagon trail. This is why Bolivar’s streets do not run true north and south, instead being offset about 22 degrees to the west. It was also placed in that area due to Keeling Spring, a stop along the Butterfield Stage Company route (City of Bolivar, Missouri 2010). The town received its name after John Polk Campbell, William Polk, and Ezekiel Polk submitted the name of Polk. It was not only their name but the name of their grandfather Ezekiel Polk, who helped establish the town of Bolivar, Tennessee. The Missouri General Assembly recognized that many of the early settlers of Polk County had come from Tennessee and approved the name. In keeping with traditions established in Tennessee, they proposed naming the newest village of Polk County as Bolivar. It was approved without objection. Bolivar was also recognized as the village name due to the heroics of General Simon Bolivar in South America. Grandfather Ezekiel Polk had also served in the army of General George Washington in the Revolutionary War, which filled him with reverence for liberators of the common man and the downtrodden.
Today, Bolivar is a thriving city in the heart of Polk County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it has a population of 11,110 people and has grown in population by 4% since the last count in 2020—1,300 people per square mile of land, a far cry from the early settlers in 1835. Over 91% of households have a high school diploma, while only 26% have a college degree. Most residents of Bolivar live within 21 minutes of their workplace, meaning their job is within the county limits. This equals greater amounts of income staying in the town, with estimated retail sales at $255 million in 2017. Not only is Bolivar filled with a rich history of its past, but it is also making history in the present. It is the hometown of Missouri Governor Mike Parson, making him the first governor from a southwest Missouri county since 2009 and the first governor ever from Polk County and Bolivar.
We hope you enjoy this tour of Bolivar. The history remembered and treasured here is a testament to our country. These eight stops on your tour mark Bolivar’s commitment to history, education, veterans, art, and more. We invite you to begin at the North Ward School (now the Polk County Museum), then to the main historic square and the county courthouse, Bolivar Public Library, followed by visiting the North Ward School (now the Polk County Museum), First National Bank, Frisco Station, the statue of Simon Bolivar, Southwest Baptist University, and Dunnegan Memorial Park. We hope that this tour will give you an insight into a typical American town that has made its history and appreciates the simple freedoms given to it by liberators such as Simon Bolivar: faith, family, and freedom. Bolivar awaits you, and we welcome you to this historic town.
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Bolivar Missouri Historical Tour
Bolivar, Missouri, is an idyllic city in the middle of Missouri. Filled with rich history and preservation of its landmarks and buildings, it has been careful to maintain and identify buildings and places which remind present and future citizens of…
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Bolivar Missouri North Ward School/Polk County Museum
Our first stop on this tour of Bolivar is a setting of both education and history that continues to tell many stories after over a century. Located at 201 W. Locust Street, the building was constructed in 1902 from a design by Henry Hohenschild, an…
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Bolivar Missouri Polk County Courthouse
Just three blocks from the North Ward School sits the center of Bolivar as well as the business of Polk County: The Polk County Courthouse. Today, the building serves as the focal point for the city of Bolivar and holds the county courtroom, county…
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Bolivar Missouri Public Library
The name Andrew Carnegie likely rings a few bells for the average and expert tourist or historian. In 1889, Carnegie wrote an article in which he stated that “in bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who help themselves.”…
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Bolivar Missouri First National Bank
Your next stop on this tour of Bolivar is the First National Bank. Located near the County Courthouse at 103 East Broadway, the building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2013 because, per their application, the “property…
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Bolivar Missouri Depot
Railroads were the bloodline of commerce and industry in both cities and towns in the 1800s and 1900s. They were a fast and effective way to haul people, goods, and information from one side of the nation to the other. Depots and stations were needed…
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Bolivar Missouri Statue of Simon Bolivar
The City of Bolivar is a storied town with a rich history. Some of this history hails from the namesake of the town, Simon Bolivar. Bolivar was also recognized as the village name due to the heroics of General Simon Bolivar in South America. The…
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Bolivar, Missouri Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar has been home to a nationally renowned university for over 140 years. Southwest Baptist University (SBU) was founded in 1878 in Lebanon, Missouri, before being chartered the next year by the State of Missouri and moved to Bolivar. The early…
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Bolivar, Missouri Dunnegan Memorial Park
Your final stop on this tour of beautiful and historic Bolivar is none other than our biggest and oldest park: Dunnegan Memorial Park. You are visiting at a special time – this year, 2023, marks the 100th anniversary of the park. The city is…
