Welcome to the City of Battlefield! We hope that you will find the resources you are looking for within this site, but if not, please give us a call at (417) 883-5840. As a new member of the community, make sure to check out the important Essential Services you will need first like water, sewer, and electricity/gas.

History

In 1907, a new town was laid out along the Crane to Springfield branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which had been built right through the old Phillips' farm around 1905. At that time, the town was located 10 miles southwest of Springfield and 1 1/2 miles east of the Wilson's Creek Battlefield battlegrounds where General Nathaniel Lyon fell in one of the hardest fought battles of the Civil War. When the railroad selected the site for their station, the tract that is now Battlefield was in the heart of a forest. In less than three months the trees were cleared, the town site surveyed, and plated. Around 20 frame businesses, houses, and dwellings were built.

The town was first named Stewart in honor of E.J. Stewart, an early settler of Greene County. Once it was discovered that there already existed another Missouri town named Stewart, the town then adopted the name of Battlefield to commemorate the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Within a year, it had two grocery stores, two blacksmith shops, a hardware store, a livery stable, a restaurant, a Methodist Church, a bank, a new depot, section house, and stock pens. There was even a small schoolhouse called Greene Ridge located near the corner of FR 190 and Hwy FF. After voters affirmed consolidation into the larger school districts of Springfield and Republic around 1952, the building was purchased by and moved to a private farm owned by the Rambo family, just south of town. 

In the 1960's, there was a growing concern about fire protection, water supply, road maintenance and possible annexation into the bigger city of Springfield. The solution to those concerns became evident when the residents incorporated under state guidelines as a Village, thereby qualifying for more State and County Tax Rebates. But that meant they needed to elect a Mayor. Albert "Jack" Glidewell was elected the very first Mayor of Battlefield, and he served from 1967-1969. During his term, he was credited with establishing the independent Greene County PSWD #1. Consultants from the Rolla School of Mines determined the water tower's location at its present day site across from City Hall, which, at that time, was the highest elevation in Greene County. In 1981, that original tower was replaced due to the increasing demand of water from the many new homes being constructed in the area. Of course, that second tower was replaced more recently in 2016, and an additional water tower was erected on the southwest edge of the city.

The City of Battlefield was incorporated as a 4th class city in 1971 and, as permitted by Missouri State Statutes, converted to a Mayor/Board of Aldermen form of government. Currently, Battlefield has three geographically divided Wards, which have two Aldermen each. Ward One is generally located south of Elm Street to the city limits. Ward Two is from Elm Street north to Weaver Road and Ward Three is from Weaver Road north to the city limits. For a map of these three wards, click here. To see who the Alderman is for your ward, click here.

May 4, 2003 is a date that will long be remembered by many residents in Battlefield and several other communities in southwest Missouri. On that date, an F2 tornado devastated much of the central sections of town and left over 125 residents with moderate to severe damage or total destruction of their homes. The rented location for the Police Department was demolished and City Hall was damaged. As a result, the City was eligible to apply for disaster relief grants for a new facility and was awarded $424,000 to make that possible. Additional financing was obtained to also build the Community Room and City Park. Our current facilities are a testimony to the hard work of many current and former city officials and volunteers!

Future

Today, Battlefield continues to experience residential growth! We’ve grown significantly from the 2000 US Census population of 2,385 to our estimated population of 6,025 in 2021. Large subdivisions have been planned and are currently being built in all areas of our city. We continue to field inquiries from developers interested in our community, which is very exciting.