Dunklin County, Missouri: History
The land comprising Dunklin County was previously inhabited by the Delaware Tribe of Indians, who had lived in the area since the early 1800s. The county was officially created from Stoddard County on February 14, 1845, and named in honor of Daniel Dunklin, a Governor of Missouri who died the year before the county was organized.
The first courthouse, a two-story log cabin, in the county was erected in 1847 by Hiram Langdon in Kennett. It burned in the mid 1860s, during or just after the American Civil War and took most of the county records with it. A second courthouse was constructed in 1872, but it also burned down soon after it was completed. The county government rented a building on the south side of the court square from 1872 to 1892. In 1892, the third courthouse, a two-story brick building, was constructed on the square. This building was replaced by the current courthouse in 1929, which was constructed by the Works Progress Administration.