Howell County, Missouri: History
Howell County was organized on March 2, 1857, from Oregon County, and is named for Josiah Howell, who purchased the first settlement in Howell Valley after the original settler left (possibly due to loneliness). Howell is considered the first permanent settler. His descendants contributed greatly to the developing community and held many positions of local authority.
The first circuit court met in a log cabin one mile east of West Plains, according to an 1876 account. A small, wooden courthouse was built on the square in West Plains in 1859. It was burned down during the Civil War in 1862. The county was reorganized three years later, but all of the county records were destroyed in an 1866 fire. A second courthouse was built in West Plains in 1869. It was a small, three-room, frame building, about 24 by 30 feet.