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Kimberling City
Kimberling City’s custom road signs are extra-large welcomes to town as residents and visitors approach from
the north and south on Mo. 13. The signs may be an indicator of the energy level in Kimberling City, where the
population grew more than 40 percent in the last decade of the 1900s.
Founded in 1959 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, this lakeside town is a boater’s paradise with
large marinas, boat and equipment dealers and miles and miles of Table Rock Lake stretching out from the
shores. Hammons built the first business building which is part of Kimberling City Shopping Center. More
business buildings and residential areas followed quickly. A golf course, bowling lanes, churches, resorts and
many other small businesses were added in the 1960s. The post office opened in 1963, according to the Stone
County Historical Society.
Real estate offices sprang up around Kimberling City and brought
families and retirees to town and outlying neighborhoods. Census figures
were unavailable for the town until 1980, when 1,285 residents were
counted. By 1990, there were 1,590 residents. In 2000, Kimberling City is
the largest town in Stone County with 2,253 residents.
The five-mile corridor along Mo. 13 from Branson West to Kimberling
City is by far the densest commercial area in Stone County. With the
incorporated commercial area of Stoneridge located between the two
cities, this area contains the greatest concentration of retail goods,
medical and other services. Lake roads along the Mo. 13 corridor between Kimberling City and Branson West
contain the most highly concentrated residential population. An estimated 8,000 people live between the two
communities, and most of them live in unincorporated areas.
Find your way around Kimberling City with our great new interactive map.
History
Kimberling City was a recognizable location long before it became an official town in 1959. It was named
for William Kimberling, who built a current-operated ferry to carry the area’s pioneers and Wilderness Road
travelers across the White River until the old Kimberling Bridge was built in 1922. The White River occasionally
flooded the area, and the 1922 bridge was washed out twice. A new bridge almost 1,900 feet in length was
constructed above the old bridge as Table Rock Dam was erected in the late 1950s, and the old bridge was
submerged as the lake filled.
Although Kimberling City is relatively young, at its center stood one of the oldest buildings in Stone County.
Predating the Civil War was the Nickerson Cabin which sat at the edge of the Kimberling Hills Country Club.
The cabin is believed to have been built in about 1859 by either Herbert Nickerson or his brother Josh, according
to the Stone County Historical Society. It was used as a home, as a storage building, and was
renovated into a real estate office when the Kimberling Hills subdivision was under development.
In the 1970s, residents restored the cabin to its early appearance. In 2004, extreme age
and the deteriorated condition of some the logs forced its
dismantling. Much of it is preserved and stored until it can
be reconstructed, possibly at another location.
“I moved here from Springfield in 1996. I think that brings
people to Kimberling City is the lake. And there are a lot of
nice people around here.”
Bill Smith |
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