We visited Bolivar in Polk County, both of which were indirectly named after two famous people. Bolivar was named after a city of the same name in Tennessee where many early settlers came from, which of course was named after the famous liberator of many South American countries, Simon Bolivar. Polk County was not named after the president, but rather after his paternal grandfather, Ezekial Polk.
The courthouse in the central square of the town of around 11,000 people is an impressive affair, constructed in 1906, and is an extremely late example of the Romanesque Revival. It retains its central tower, which often falls victim to structural problems such as the Adair County courthouse in Kirksville.
There is also a memorial to the soldiers who fought in World War I.
The buildings around the square are well preserved, with the usual alterations one would expect with continued occupation through the Twentieth Century.
There are still a fair number of stores open around the square.
I suspect this was once a bank.
The city grew when rail lines from St. Louis to San Francisco opened in the 1870s.
We were really impressed with Bolivar. There is a thriving restaurant scene and the nearby Lake Stockton and colleges in town and nearby help keep this town going.
