Founding Springfield and Greene County

John Polk Campbell was the founder of Springfield. He came from Tennessee. He came here in 1829. He carved his initials in a tree near a spring.  This showed that it was his land. He built a home. He built other cabins. He wanted people to come and to farm. The area was first called “Campbell’s springs.” Many people came. They came from Kentucky, Tennessee, and other parts of the South. Many of them came from the area of the Appalachian Mountains. They were familiar with hilly land. They wanted to live in the Ozarks.

The Delaware and Kickapoo Indians lived in the Ozarks. They used to live east of the Mississippi River. But settlers moved into their land.  The U. S. government forced them to move west into the Ozarks. During the 1830s, these Indians had to move again.  The government moved them to Oklahoma.  Now there was more land.  More people moved to the Ozarks.

Greene County was set up in 1833. At first, the county included all of southwest Missouri.

Greene County
Size of the county when first set up

John Polk Campbell set up the town of Springfield in 1835. The town was 50 acres in size. The town had a central square and several streets. Springfield was an official city in 1838.

Springfield became the county seat for Greene County. The county government was located in the town. The first county court met in the home of John Polk Campbell. The first county courthouse was built in 1837. The first courthouse was in the town square.

Names

Greene County
Greene County was named after Nathanael Greene. He was a hero in the War of Independence.  He was a general in the U. S. army.  He led Patriots in the South.

Nathanael Greene
(National Archives)

Springfield
Springfield was named for a spring and a field.  The spring was near where John Polk Campbell carved his initials on the tree to claim his land.  The field was on a hill above the spring.  The field was where John Polk Campbell set up the town.  The two words were put together.  Spring + field = Springfield.