Thank you for taking our tour. We hope you have learned bout Joplin’s existing treasures and some that were lost. Learn more about the Joplin Story on our website murphysburg.org
“There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here or there, but those days are gone, Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody” Richard Moe
| HISTORY CLUES | ANSWERS |
| Where city fathers sleep in rows A miner’s stone keeps quiet score. He lost to history’s winning woman, Yet built the house that came before. | Julius Fischer interred at 13 & Maiden Lane, street 22 He lost his race to Annie Baxter before she had the right to vote |
| Before the park, before the fame, The creekside glasses filled with cheer. A German fortune found its roots, Where mining money flowed like beer. | Schifferdecker Beer Garden 2220 East Hampton Place Charles & Wilhelmina’s first home in Joplin |
| Two men dug down and struck a spark, That split the valley into two. Before the mansions, courts, and streets, The buried gray began to view. | First Lead Strike Landreth park original historic marker ~ Murphy Blvd E.R. Moffet & William Sergeant hit the big discovery shaft that started the Joplin boom-town era in 1871 |
| A merchants home on Sergeant stands, With faith and fabric interlaced. Seek the corner fire where art looks back, And temple dreams were first embraced | Cadi Klein House ~ 622 S Sergeant He and his brother Sig started Model Clothing at 3rd & Main, it still stands |
| The mothers road once took a bend, Where travelers stopped for food and flame. Before the clippers claimed the pumps A lucky leaf sold gas by name. | Shamrock filling station ~ 2312 E Utica Street The station served the travelers driving route 66, most recently it was Dales Barber Shop |
| A lawyers name, a bankers rise, A mansion born of boomtown gain, From family halls to sacred work, Its walls have changed, but still remain. | Cragin Mansion ~516 N Wall now Life House |
| Where Joplin fought to hold the law, A stone recalls the county’s pride. A crowd once marched, the towers rose, Then smoke and fire took all inside. | Corner stone of the Joplin Courthouse ~ 711 S Virginia Burned June 13, 1911 |
| Not the mansion, but near its shade, A gardener kept the grounds in line. He crossed from servant into kin, And managed wealth of lead and vine | John Johnson House ~ 419 S Jackson He was Wilhelmina’s niece’s husband, they were beloved family members |
| Before the rival town was one, An eastern founder marked his claim. Across the creek from Murphys dream, His spring-fed plan preserved the name | John Cox House ~ 615 E Persimmon Street He was know for being the Father of Joplin City |
| Find the city’s maker of stone and line, Who shaped the skyline, school and prayer. His final room still holds its form, Among the gardens high in air. | Austin Allen Mausoleum ~ 3700 N Rangeline Road He was a famous architect |
The Jobe Stevens Apartments