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'''Eminence''' is a city in and the county seat of [[Shannon County, Missouri|Shannon County]], [[Missouri]]. It had a population of 600 at the 2010 census.
'''Eminence''' is a city in and the county seat of [[Shannon County, Missouri|Shannon County]], [[Missouri]]. It had a population of 600 at the 2010 census.
==History==
The original town of Eminence was located about a mile northeast of its present location, near Round Spring on the Current River. Its exact date of founding is uncertain, though it appears to have been in existence by 1842, when Eminence Township was formed in the new Shannon County and named for it. A courthouse was built there and remained in operation until its burning during the [[Civil War]]; for a short time thereafter, county court was held in a small cave or hollow near the river, now known as Courthouse Cave. Around 1870, the entire community was relocated to its present location, also called Eminence (the original site, now largely uninhabited, sometimes referred to as "Old Eminence").
The basis of the town's name is somewhat uncertain, since Eminence is located in a valley rather than on a hill or a similar geographic "eminence," with one popular story circulating that the wagon bearing materials for the courthouse broke down at the foot of the hill on which it was to be built, and the locals were too lazy to move them by hand. Most likely, it was derived from the position of the county's first courthouse in "Old Eminence," which was in fact built on a bluff overlooking the river.<ref>https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/C2366/shannon-county</ref>
Despite its long history and position as the county seat, Eminence was not incorporated until 1930. After its fourth courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1938, the city nearly lost its title of county seat to [[Winona, Missouri|Winona]], but eventually retained it and completed construction of the fifth and present courthouse in 1941.<ref>https://www.shannon-county.com/</ref> Since 1980 its population has generally stabilized around the 600 mark, supported by the presence of the county offices and by local tourism.
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]