Vera Cruz ( ) is an unincorporated community in central Douglas County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Bryant Creek, approximately east of Ava, at the terminus of Route AB.Ava, Missouri, 30x60 Minute Topographic Quad, USGS, 1985
History Vera Cruz was established in the 1840s and named for Vera Cruz in Mexico. The village was originally called Red Bud and was at the junction of the Rockbridge–Hartville road, up Bryant valley with the Old Salt Road or Rockbridge Road, which ran northwest through Smallett to Springfield.Vinyard, J. C., The Battles of Vera Cruz, Nov. 7 1862 — Nov. 3, 1864, Douglas County Historical Society Journal, May, 1994, pp 18–21 The name was changed to Vera Cruz in 1859. It was the first county seat of Douglas County.Moser, Arthur Paul; A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets Past and Present of Douglas County, Missouri In 1870, the county seat was moved to Arno and shortly after to Ava.
The Civil War battle Battle of Clark's Mill on November 7, 1862, took place at a mill on Bryant Creek, approximately north of the current location.U.S. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary The Battle of Clark's Mill, Watersheds.org A second battle occurred on November 3, 1864, near Wilson's Mill, during which the Confederate forces were driven out of the area.
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