Stotts City, Missouri
Stotts City is a small city in Lawrence County, Missouri. It covers about 0.51 square miles of land and had 167 residents in 2020. The town sits about 1,145 feet above sea level and is in the Central Time Zone; the ZIP code is 65756 and the area code is 417.
The town began in the 1870s. It was first called Pax, then Belle Plaine, and it was incorporated in 1896. It was renamed for Capt. Greene Casey Stotts, a Civil War veteran who helped develop the town. He started the Stotts City Mining Company in 1873 after finding lead ore, helping the area grow.
At its peak around 1900, the town had about 900 residents and featured several banks, a large hardware store, the Farmers Exchange Co-op, a school, churches, a brass band, and a local newspaper, The Stotts City Sunbeam (1901–1907). The population later fell as mining declined. By 1942 the mines closed.
Later, roads brought some business. U.S. Route 66 to the north and Interstate 44 to the south helped. The town had spots like Hattie’s Hamburger Heaven, and the Farmers Exchange Co-op continued to serve farmers. The old bandstand and a stone schoolhouse built in 1898 still stand.
Today, the area around Stotts City is known for cattle and dairy farming and for thoroughbred horses. In 1981 Jim and Sallie Stearns started Stearnsy Bears, a line of handmade teddy bears made in Stotts City and sold worldwide.
Notable people include Capt. Greene Casey Stotts, PFC Charles Denver Barger (Medal of Honor), and Rev. Dr. H. Dale Jackson.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:13 (CET).