24/7 Trauma & Biohazard Cleanup Near Blackberry Patch Subdivision Doolittle, MO

Doolittle is a small city in Phelps County on historic U.S. Route 66, a few miles west of Rolla in the Missouri Ozarks.

Doolittle was originally called Centertown because it sat halfway between Rolla and Newburg — a name coined by a local man named Monroe Ramsey.

The settlement boomed in the spring of 1941, when construction of Fort Leonard Wood, about 20 miles away, brought an influx of workers and businesses during the World War II buildup.

When the town incorporated in 1944, it renamed itself for Lt. General Jimmy Doolittle, the aviator who led the famous 1942 Doolittle Raid bombing mission over Tokyo.

General Doolittle personally attended the town's dedication on October 11, 1946, flying in and speaking at the ceremony christening the town in his honor; a brass plaque at the community center off old Route 66 still commemorates the visit.

Doolittle's streets are named after famous American military leaders, including MacArthur and Eisenhower.

Doolittle had a population of 564 at the 2020 census, down from 630 in 2010, with 251 households counted in the city at the 2010 census.

Doolittle covers 2.68 square miles of Phelps County, all of it land.