Murphysburg Residential Historic District
In 1992 the City of Joplin, Missouri, designated a portion of Sergeant Avenue as the “Murphysburg Residential Historic District.” The City expanded the district in 2004 to encompass Sergeant Avenue from First Street to Seventh Street, and Moffet Avenue from First Street to Fourth Street. In 2015 the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted to place Murphysburg Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
WOMEN ON JOPLIN’S ROUTE 66
In honor of Women’s History Month and Joplin’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration, Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc. is proud to present the story of Dorothy Peck and Emma Sue Hills. Dorothy and Emma Sue were not famous. They were not civic activists or talented athletes, but they were successful business owners, managers, cooks, wives, and mothers who served people on “The Mother Road.”
Between 1957 and 1987, travelers got their kicks on Joplin’s Route 66 by stopping at Mac’s Bakery & Donuts and at Mr. Swiss Drive-In. At Mac’s you could enjoy a freshly made pie, cake, or donut with your cup of coffee. At Mr. Swiss you could eat a traditional hamburger with fries and ice cream, or a plate of Spaghetti Red. What—you don’t know what Spaghetti Red is?
Both establishments were on opposite corners of South Sergeant Avenue and West 7th Street, an important Joplin and Route 66 economic corridor. The establishments were also on the southern edge of what is now the residential Murphysburg Historic District, considered a Route 66 complementary corridor. During the last three decades of Route 66’s official years there were many “mom and pop” bakeries, but it is Mac’s that locals still remember.
The Homes of Murphysburg
The Thomas Lennan House
In recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day….the life of Jere Charlow
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