Lake of the Ozarks / Osage Region
Why the county seat sits at Hermitage
Hermitage has been Hickory County's seat since the 1840s. Knowing how the seat and courthouse square came to sit where they do helps a newcomer read the county's small-town layout.
Hermitage is the county seat of Hickory County. Like many Missouri seats, it grew up as a small town built around the courthouse and county offices. The county was organized on February 14, 1845. It was named for President Andrew Jackson, who went by the nickname “Old Hickory.” The town of Hermitage was made the county seat by a vote of the people in 1847. Its name comes from The Hermitage, Jackson’s home near Nashville, Tennessee. The county sits in the Pomme de Terre River country along the edge of the Ozarks. The seat came first, back in the 1840s. The big lakes nearby came much later. Pomme de Terre Dam was closed in 1961, which formed Pomme de Terre Lake just upstream of Hermitage. So the old rural town and square were here long before the lake recreation you see today.
Where to see it
- Hickory County Place Names
Use SHSMO for county formation, naming, and county-seat context.
- Pomme de Terre Lake
Use the Corps page for the later lake landscape around Hermitage.
References
More from Hickory County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: June 20, 2026.