Pevely, Missouri

Pevely is a city along the Mississippi River in eastern Jefferson County, Missouri. It had a population of 5,484 at the 2010 census.

History

Pevely's origins are more obscure than those of many other communities in Jefferson County. The first identifiable inhabitant in the area was Bartholomew Harrington, who operated a stagecoach inn on the route from St. Louis to Ste. Genevieve, while a prominent early landmark was Pleasant Valley Mill, erected at some point in the early 19th century. A town did not really evolve, though, until 1860, when Judge Charles Rankin laid one out along a portion of the newly-built Missouri Pacific Railroad, dubbing it "Pevely Springs" and later just "Pevely." The meaning of the name is somewhat unclear; it is believed to stem from an early resident of that name, but about whom little is known.

Not incorporated until 1953, Pevely was for the first century of its existence a small farming community; it was a major supplier of dairy products, and there were some important vineyards along the Mississippi River as well. The city saw rapid expansion during the 1970s, more than quadrupling in size, largely as a result of the ongoing wave of suburban development in the county. It is now especially important as a bedroom community for those working in the St. Louis metropolitan area, and as a result continues to enjoy a steady population growth.

Pevely became the center of some controversy in November 2016, when the city's police chief, Charles Moutray, assaulted his wife after discovering that she was having an affair; the decision by county prosecutors not to press charges led to protests from locals and from anti-domestic violence activists. Moutray resigned as police chief in 2019.

Geography

Pevely is located along the Mississippi River in eastern Jefferson County, its core between Interstate 55 to the west and U.S. Routes 61-67 to the east. It is directly adjacent to the city of Herculaneum to the south, and is about six miles south of Kimmswick and ten miles northeast of Hillsboro. Its exact coordinates are 38°17’02”N 90°23’49”W.

The city lies on a range of low hills overlooking the Mississippi River, descending to the south into a valley created by nearby Joachim Creek. It has a total area of 4.69 square miles, and an average elevation of 440 feet.