Hermitage, MO

Hermitage is the Hickory County seat, set along the Pomme de Terre River in west-central Missouri. The river is now backed up into Pomme de Terre Lake just south of town, and the lake and Truman Reservoir shape the wider recreation and water map. The county courthouse, city streets, and Museum Street give Hermitage a civic center that serves a much larger rural area. The 2020 census counted 621 residents.

The city was founded in 1846 and became Hickory County’s seat the following year. Its name honors Andrew Jackson’s Tennessee estate, while the county name also recalls Jackson’s nickname, “Old Hickory.” The John Siddles Williams House, listed on the National Register since 1980, houses the Hickory County Historical Society Museum and Research Room. Hermitage R-IV schools, the Hickory County Library, and the courthouse keep the place connected to everyday county business. Downstream and south of town, the Pomme de Terre dam and lake add a distinctly Ozarks-and-water dimension to a county-seat community built around roads, records, and the river.