Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc.

Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc. PCGS, Inc. promotes genealogical research by providing educational & research items in our facility. Work commenced in the spring of 2003.

The Polk County Genealogical Society was established in 1994 in Bolivar, Missouri. Interested parties first met for an organizational meeting in February 1994. The first program and business meeting was held in April 1994. At the time, the society was a special interest group of the Friends of the Polk County Library and was supported financially by the Friends. The first name of the society was the Bolivar Genealogy Group, but the name was soon changed to the Polk County Genealogical Society. In 1996, the society became independent of the Friends of the Library. The first publication for sale by the society was published in 1998. The society was incorporated in August 1999 and became a not-for-profit corporation in January 2001. In October 2001, PCGS purchased the Carnegie library building located on the town square of Bolivar, Missouri and completed renovation of the ground floor in the summer of 2002. The Polk County Genealogical Society Library was opened to the public in July 2002. In January 2003, PCGS received a grant from the Delarue Trust to remodel the top floor of the PCGS Library. The PCGS Library building was declared a historic site by the National Park Service on July 17, 2003 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the first historic site in Polk County to be listed on the Register. Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt announced in June 2004 that PCGS would receive nearly $5,000 from the Missouri Historical Records Grant program. This money was used for preservation supplies. In July 2004, the Polk County Genealogical Society celebrated its 10 year anniversary and the unveiling of the renovated second floor of the library
building. In 2007, restoration of the outside of the historic building commenced. The project for 2009 was replacing the outside stairs. 2010 project was replacing the windows, starting with the north side windows. This project was completed in January 2010, thanks to many generous donations. Solar panels were installed in 2016 and restoration of the top of the walls near the roof line was completed in 2019. PCGS currently has over 70 publications for sale and publishes a 10-page bi-monthly newsletter. Membership in PCGS numbers over 200 people. The PCGS Library and Research Facility, open four days a week, is operated totally by volunteers.

Country Days on the square tomorrow!
09/05/2025

Country Days on the square tomorrow!

Country Days is this Saturday, Sept. 6! We can't wait!

The City of Bolivar will shut down the square to vehicle traffic beginning Friday evening, with additional streets closed through Saturday evening. Streets impacted will include

✅ South Springfield Avenue
✅ South Main Avenue
✅ East Jackson Street
✅ East Jefferson Street

Broadway Street on the north side of the square will stay open.

Please use caution as you drive around town on Saturday. We'll have a lot of extra traffic and visitors!

09/04/2025

MEETING TONIGHT, 7 PM!

Send a message to learn more

09/01/2025

CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY!

08/02/2025
07/29/2025

August 7--New Madrid Fault topic of genealogy meeting

Tim Ritter makes a return visit to Polk County Genealogical Society on Thursday, August 7, to present a program about the New Madrid Fault. This talk examines what is known to have happened, as well as a few legends, to piece together the story of the horrifying events of that time on a fault line that remains active to this day. Ritter has spoken several times at the Society’s meetings and is always welcomed, and enjoyed, by a large group. You can visit Ritter’s website at timritter.net to find out more about him and the programs and books he has written. The meeting will be held at the PCGS Research Facility on the southeast corner of the square beginning at 7:00 with a short business meeting. The meeting is open to the public.
https://www.facebook.com/authortimritter

07/04/2025

PCGS IS CLOSED ON JULY 4!

Send a message to learn more

05/25/2025

The PCGS Research Facility will be CLOSED Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day

Send a message to learn more

Last day to order flowers this year!
05/09/2025

Last day to order flowers this year!

Ordering for 2025 is closed. This service will return in 2026.

All orders must be submitted and paid for by May 9, 2025.

The Polk County Genealogical Society (PCGS) will once again be offering the service of placing flowers on graves for Memorial Day. Orders may be made from March 30 through May 9, 2025. The flower choices will be either a small spray placed by the stone or a saddle placed over the top of the stone. The cost for the saddle is $50 and the bouquet is $25. A larger saddle may also be ordered for $100. Deliveries can be made to cemeteries in Polk County.
The PCGS facility is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Flowers will be placed on the graves between May 19 and May 24, 2025. We hope this provides a service for those who are unable to place flowers on graves and also as a fundraiser for the organization.

Ordering for 2025 is closed. This service will return in 2026.All orders must be submitted and paid for by May 9, 2025. ...
04/16/2025

Ordering for 2025 is closed. This service will return in 2026.

All orders must be submitted and paid for by May 9, 2025.

The Polk County Genealogical Society (PCGS) will once again be offering the service of placing flowers on graves for Memorial Day. Orders may be made from March 30 through May 9, 2025. The flower choices will be either a small spray placed by the stone or a saddle placed over the top of the stone. The cost for the saddle is $50 and the bouquet is $25. A larger saddle may also be ordered for $100. Deliveries can be made to cemeteries in Polk County.
The PCGS facility is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Flowers will be placed on the graves between May 19 and May 24, 2025. We hope this provides a service for those who are unable to place flowers on graves and also as a fundraiser for the organization.

Awesome!
03/27/2025

Awesome!

03/03/2025

Free booklet highlights the historic buildings on the Bolivar square

A new publication highlights and brings attention to Bolivar’s historic downtown buildings.

“A Self-Guided Tour of the Historic Bolivar Square” features 24 locations on and near the Bolivar square. It includes historic and current pictures with a brief historical description of each location.

“It is designed to pique interest in the buildings downtown,” author Susan Sparks said. “An added benefit is ‘taking a walk’ on the self-guided tour.”

Though not a Polk County native, Sparks began researching Polk County history through her involvement with the Polk County Genealogical Society and the Downtown Bolivar Association. With access to the PCGS’s large library of local historical documents, Sparks has spent many years learning about and documenting Bolivar and Polk County history.

“Some of the most common questions I receive about Bolivar’s history are about the buildings in the downtown area,” Sparks said. “People are very curious about how old the buildings are and what businesses have been in them. Through the years, I gathered information on buildings as I read through newspapers, historical books, maps and other reputable sources.”

A grant from the Bolivar Area Community Foundation paid for printing, but supplies are limited. Booklets are available at:
Polk County Genealogical Society on the southeast corner of the Bolivar square
Bolivar Area Chamber of Commerce office on the west side of the square
Polk County Recorder’s Office
Participating downtown businesses

To learn more about the buildings, visit the Polk County Genealogical Society from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday. For more information about the publication, contact Sparks at 417-770-1989.

Snow, snow and more snow--we are CLOSED! PCGS hopes to re-open Monday, February 24!
02/20/2025

Snow, snow and more snow--we are CLOSED! PCGS hopes to re-open Monday, February 24!

Address

P O Box 632, 120 E Jackson
Bolivar, MO
65613

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Friday 10am - 2pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

Telephone

(417) 777-2820

Website

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The History of PCGS

The Polk County Genealogical Society was established in 1994 in Bolivar, Missouri. Interested parties first met for an organizational meeting in February 1994. The first program and business meeting was held in April 1994. At the time, the society was a special interest group of the Friends of the Polk County Library and was supported financially by the Friends. The first name of the society was the Bolivar Genealogy Group, but the name was soon changed to the Polk County Genealogical Society. In 1996, the society became independent of the Friends of the Library. The first publication for sale by the society was published in 1998. The society was incorporated in August 1999 and became a not-for-profit corporation in January 2001. In October 2001, PCGS purchased the Carnegie library building located on the town square of Bolivar, Missouri and completed renovation of the ground floor in the summer of 2002. The Polk County Genealogical Society Library was opened to the public in July 2002. In January 2003, PCGS received a grant from the Delarue Trust to remodel the top floor of the PCGS Library. Work commenced in the spring of 2003. The PCGS Library building was declared a historic site by the National Park Service on July 17, 2003 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the first historic site in Polk County to be listed on the Register. Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt announced in June 2004 that PCGS would receive nearly $5,000 from the Missouri Historical Records Grant program. This money was used for preservation supplies. In July 2004, the Polk County Genealogical Society celebrated its 10 year anniversary and the unveiling of the renovated second floor of the library building. In 2007, restoration of the outside of the historic building commenced. The project for 2009 was replacing the outside stairs. 2010 project was replacing the windows, starting with the north side windows. This project was completed in January 2010, thanks to many generous donations. Since then, several grants and donations have been received, allowing PCGS to upgrade all of its computers, scanners and printers plus making aesthetic improvements to the interior of the building. In 2016 the group embarked on a new adventure--the installation of solar panels on the roof of the building. This improvement has saved the society thousands of dollars in utility bills! PCGS currently has over 70 publications for sale and publishes a 10-page bi-monthly newsletter. Membership in PCGS numbers over 200 people. The PCGS Library and Research Facility, open four days a week, is operated totally by volunteers.