Fredericktown, Missouri

Fredericktown is the county seat of Madison County, Missouri. It is the largest city in the county, with a population of 3,985 at the 2010 census.

The city is among the oldest settlements in Missouri, having originated as a lead-mining center during the 18th and early 19th centuries. A number of locations in and around Fredericktown have been officially recognized for their historic significance.

History

Settlement in the Fredericktown area began in 1800, when the Spanish colonial government awarded some 400 arpents of land (around 340 acres) between the Saline and the Little St. Francois to thirteen individuals, mostly French farmers. The community they founded became known as St. Michaels (or St. Michel), which grew rapidly on account of its proximity to the lead-mining operations at Mine La Motte, a few miles to the north; after 1800, German Protestants in particular arrived in large numbers. However, St. Michaels suffered from frequent flooding by the Saline River, and after an especially damaging flood in 1814, most of the residents relocated to higher ground on the river's opposite bank. When a county seat for the newly-formed Madison County was being selected in 1819, the commissioners settled on this site as it was relatively close to the geographic center, and bought land from a citizen of the new community, Colonel Nathaniel Cook. It is generally believed the county seat was named "Fredericktown" in honor of Colonel George Frederick Bollinger, a settler of German descent who had been active in the territorial legislature and moreover was a close friend of Cook's (and for whom Bollinger County, then part of Madison County, would be named). There are some alternate explanations, such as its being named for Frederick Bates, then secretary of the Missouri Territory, or for Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, but these are not generally accepted.