Map of Doolittle city, Missouri

Doolittle is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 630 at the 2010 census.

Doolittle city overview:
Name:	Doolittle city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Missouri
County:	Phelps County
Elevation:	948 ft (289 m)
Total Area:	2.78 sq mi (7.21 km²)
Land Area:	2.78 sq mi (7.21 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	564
Population Density:	202.59/sq mi (78.21/km²)
ZIP code:	65550
Area code:	573
FIPS code:	2919828
GNISfeature ID:	2394547

Online Interactive Map

Doolittle online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Doolittle location map. Where is Doolittle city?

Doolittle location on the U.S. Map. Where is Doolittle city. — Doolittle location on the U.S. Map.

Doolittle location on the Missouri map. Where is Doolittle city. — Location of Doolittle in Missouri.

History

The town is named for Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle of World War II fame who bombed Tokyo in a daring raid, which helped to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific. The settlement was originally called Centertown because it was halfway between Rolla and Newburg. This name, coined by a local man named Monroe Ramsey, caught on over the years.

The town boomed in the spring of 1941 when construction of Fort Leonard Wood, 20 miles away, began in earnest due to the war effort. Thousands of workers poured in and slept anywhere they could. In some places, it was said beds never got cold because different shifts shared occupancy. So the two mile stretch which was unofficially called Centertown grew and boomed and a local businessman, Lou Hargis, felt it was time for an incorporated city. The idea of naming the new city after General Doolittle was well-received, along with the idea of having General Doolittle dedicate the town after the war effort.

The original trustees of the town when it was incorporated were Lou Hargis, Mr. Durham (principal of the Newburg High School), Bob Crain (an employee of the Missouri Bureau of Mines, resident of Rolla), and Ike Towell (operator of a local filling station and grocery store). They continued as interim trustees until April 1944 when a general election was held and a mayor and city officials elected. It was those five men who presented themselves at the courthouse “to announce the birth of a town and give it a hero’s name.”

In 1946, Lt. General Doolittle spoke at the dedication ceremony in which the town was christened in his honor. Doolittle flew his own B-25 into the airport in Vichy, fulfilling a promise he had made two years before.

Doolittle Road Map

Doolittle city Satellite Map

Geography

Doolittle is located at the intersection of Missouri Route T and I-44 between Rolla and Jerome. Newburg lies approximately 2.5 miles south on Route T.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.68 square miles (6.94 km), all land.