Potosi, Missouri
Potosi is a city of 2,544 people in Washington County, Missouri, founded in 1826.
Why visit Potosi
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 11 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Washington County Courthouse.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 86°F; January lows average 21°F.
Weather in Potosi
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Potosi
Potosi is a city and the county seat of Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is 72 miles (116 km) southwest of St. Louis. The population was 2,538 as of the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Potosi, Missouri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks6
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Washington County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Courthouse in Missouri, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes11
Where to stay1
History
A lead mining settlement at this spot, "Mine à Breton" or Mine au Breton, was founded between 1760 and 1780 by Francis Azor, of Brittany, France. Moses Austin came here in 1798 with his family, including his son Stephen F. Austin. Moses obtained a grant of 7,153 arpents of land from the Spanish Empire and started large-scale mining operations, building his town to support it. Moses named the town after Potosí in Bolivia, which was famous for its vast silver mines. Austin's tomb and the foundation of his home Durham Hall can still be seen. Another mining entrepreneur in Potosi at the time of Moses Austin was James Bryan. Firmin Rene Desloge, who emigrated from Nantes, France in 1822 as the progenitor of the Desloge Family in America, settled in Potosi and established a mercantile, distillery, fur trading and lead smelting business. The Desloge lead mining business, Desloge Lead Company (later Desloge Consolidated Lead Company) was eventually relocated to Bonne Terre, and eventually Desloge, by Firmin V. Desloge.
Potosi is also home to the oldest standing Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River. It is located on West Breton Street, also home to the graveyard that contains the tomb of Moses Austin and his wife Maria Brown Austin.
From the History section of Potosi, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship8
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging6
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare3
Map of Potosi
52 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°F | 21°F | 2.8 in | 3.6 in |
| Feb | 45°F | 25°F | 2.7 in | 2.9 in |
| Mar | 55°F | 34°F | 4.1 in | 1.9 in |
| Apr | 66°F | 44°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 74°F | 54°F | 5.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 82°F | 63°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 86°F | 67°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 85°F | 65°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 78°F | 57°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 46°F | 3.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 54°F | 35°F | 3.7 in | 0.7 in |
| Dec | 43°F | 26°F | 3.0 in | 2.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Potosi 4 Sw (4 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Washington County has had 23 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-09-01: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2025-06-09: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2025-05-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2025-01-01: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Farmington Regional Airport (FAM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Leadwood 11 mi southeast, about 18 min by car
- Farmington 22 mi southeast, about 35 min by car
- Ironton 25 mi south, about 40 min by car
- Festus 28 mi northeast, about 45 min by car
- Bourbon 30 mi northwest, about 48 min by car
- LaBarque Creek 34 mi north, about 54 min by car
- Union 37 mi north, about 59 min by car
- Eureka 40 mi north, about 1 h by car
- Arnold 41 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- Oakville 43 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Washington County Courthouse, Potosi, MO, TheCatalyst31, CC0
- Potosi, Missouri, TCP04, CC BY 4.0
- The Washington County Courthouse in Potosi, Missouri (2020), Zach Palmier, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Loomis Cabin in Potosi, MO - panoramio, Jim Wood, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Potossi-courthouse enh, Original: Americasroof Modification: Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tomb of Moses Austin p3, Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tomb of Moses Austin p2, Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tomb of Moses Austin p1, Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
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