Clay County Investigates Theft of Historic Plaque at Rocky Hollow Park

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo.  — In early December 2025, a historic bronze plaque was discovered missing from its mount at Rocky Hollow Park in Excelsior Springs. The disappearance is now under investigation by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the plaque’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Clay County Parks Department staff noticed the plaque was missing on Dec. 3. Shortly after, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office shared the information publicly, asking for help in locating it. In that post, officials estimated the replacement cost of the plaque at roughly $2,000, though the appeal focused less on monetary value than on the loss of a piece of local history.

As of now, there are no leads.

“There’s nothing in the works right now” regarding replacement, said Jay Davis with the Clay County Parks Department. 

Davis said that if the county does decide to replace the plaque, the process would require approval through the county commission and would likely be addressed during a future budget cycle, possibly as late as 2027.

The plaque was located in a remote area of Rocky Hollow Park. According to Davis. The investigation is being handled by the sheriff’s office, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact law enforcement.

While the plaque itself is missing, the history it documented remains part of the landscape.

Before becoming a public park, Rocky Hollow was part of a working quarry system beginning in the 1940s. According to a inspection report from Green Quarries Incorporated (1978), the site had been used for extracting limestone and other materials during that period.

By the 1970s, Clay County became involved in the Williams Creek Watershed Project, a flood prevention and control effort aimed at managing water flow and reducing downstream flooding. Williams Creek feeds into the Fishing River, and the project included a series of flood-retention lakes designed to protect surrounding areas.

According to the Clay County Parks Department, Rocky Hollow is identified as Williams Creek Watershed Project Number 4 and is considered a sister lake to Watkins Mill. Both sites were developed as part of the same flood-control strategy.

The dam that holds the lake in place was constructed under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, with Clay County participating in the project alongside the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The structure created the lake that would later become the focal point of Rocky Hollow Park.

Over time, the area transitioned into a recreational space. Today, Rocky Hollow Park is open daily from sunrise to sunset and includes a fishing lake for non-motorized boats, picnic tables, a shelter house, and basic amenities maintained by the county, according to Clay County Parks Department information.

The missing plaque summarized that layered history, marking the site’s evolution and attributed the departments and organizations who made it possible. The plaque read: