Clay (extends into Ray County) County · MO
Excelsior Springs, MO
Founded 1880 · 24.5 miles from downtown Kansas City · population 10,484
The market, last twelve months
Half of the homes that sold went under contract within 15 days. The median sale closed at 100.0% of asking - at list. 43% closed at or above the original list price, which is the better measure of how much room a buyer actually has.
Aggregated from Heartland MLS closed sales, twelve months to July 2026. Individual sale prices are not shown - Kansas and Missouri are non-disclosure states and MLS rules do not permit their public display. Ask for the full report if you need them.
How it came to befounded 1880 · where the name comes from · 5 dated events
Founded because of the water. Siloam Spring was the first of the mineral waters found here; a farmer, Travis Mellion, gave it to his tubercular daughter and she recovered, and a Civil War veteran, Frederick Kuglar, recovered from a chronic wound. The property owners, Elizabeth and Anthony Wyman, were encouraged by a Prathersville preacher, Dr. J. V. B. Flack, to plat the valley and form a town. source
The name. The spring was named Excelsior. When the town's post office application was rejected because another Missouri town already used the name, it was first called Vigniti; it became Excelsior Springs in 1882. source
Incorporated as a fourth-class city on 12 July 1881. source
- 1880Siloam Spring's mineral water came to notice; the Wymans platted the valley and the town was formed. source
- 1881Incorporated as a fourth-class city on 12 July. source
- 1888The first Elms Hotel opened, built by the Excelsior Springs Company. source
- 1936Hall of Waters constructed as a PWA project; the cornerstone laying in May 1936 was broadcast by CBS to 62 stations. source
- 1948Truman spent election night at the Elms and woke to the news he had won. source
The housing stockmedian built 1968
The median home sold here was built in 1968. Most of what sells was built between 1920 and 2022. That closely matches the Census figure of 1969 for all housing, so sales are broadly representative of the stock. 44% of sales included finished basement space beyond the above-grade footprint - which matters here, because square footage quoted above grade can understate a house considerably.
What's hereHall of Waters, The Elms Hotel and more
A genuine mineral-water resort town. More than 40 mineral wells were eventually identified, producing sodium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate, saline sulphur and iron-manganese waters, and the town promoted itself as having the world's greatest group of mineral waters. Iron-manganese water from Regent Spring took medals at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. source 1 source 2
The Hall of Waters, built 1936-1938 as a Public Works Administration project costing about $1,000,000, housed Siloam Spring and other springs with a mineral water bar, hydrotherapy departments and a swimming pool. It is the city hall today and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 9 June 1983. source 1 source 2
The first Elms Hotel opened in 1888, built by the Excelsior Springs Company; it burned and was rebuilt, and the present building dates from 1912. source
On election night, 2 November 1948, Harry Truman was driven from Independence to the Elms Hotel, ate a ham sandwich and a glass of milk, and went to bed; a Secret Service agent woke him around 4 a.m. to tell him he had won. source
- Hall of Waters
- 1936-38 PWA bathhouse and mineral water bar; the city hall today, NRHP-listed 1983. source
- The Elms Hotel
- Resort hotel; the present building dates from 1912 after two fires. NRHP-listed. source
- Hall of Waters Commercial East and West Historic Districts, and The Elms Historic District
- Three NRHP historic districts covering the resort-era commercial core. source
- Excelsior Springs Golf Course and Siloam Park
- Civic recreation from the resort era. source
- Watkins Woolen Mill State Park
- Nearby state park and National Historic Landmark preserving a Civil War-era woollen mill that operated until 1882. source
Practical detailschool district · highways and transit · 3 employers
- Schools
- Excelsior Springs 40 School District. The district extends into surrounding Clay and Ray County territory and also covers a small part of Kearney; its boundaries do not follow the city limits. Confirm the district for any specific address. Confirm the assigned school for any specific address before you rely on it. source
- Getting around
- The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad extended a line from Chicago to Kansas City through Excelsior Springs in 1887, a Wabash connection followed in 1893, and hourly interurban service to Kansas City began in January 1912 - the resort era ran on rail. Missouri Route 10 serves the city today. source
- Employers located here
- Excelsior Springs Hospital, The Elms Hotel and Spa, Excelsior Springs School District 40. Listed as present in the city, which is not a statement about hiring.
People from hereDonald Judd, Lyle Waggoner, Brenda Joyce
More images6 more from the archives
Thinking about buying or selling here?
The numbers above describe the market. What they cannot tell you is what your own house is worth in it, or which of these streets fits what you need. Ask me about Excelsior Springs.