TOWNS
Cape Girardeau County administrative offices are located at 1 Barton Square, Jackson, MO 63755; phone: 573-243-3547 (county clerk).
Cape Girardeau County was organized October 1, 1812, as one of the five original Missouri counties. The county, as well as Cape Girardeau City, were named for Sieur de Girardot who developed a trading post on the Mississippi River about 1723. The Cape in the name refers to a promontory rock overlooking the river.