Celebrating National Historic Districts & Places That Matter

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day,

Historic Murphysburg Preservation honors Mr. Thomas Connor (1847-1907) and Mr. Patrick Murphy, Joplin’s most famous Irishmen.

THOMAS CONNOR & PATRICK MURPHY

Thomas Connor

A lot has been written about Thomas Connor and his prominent role in advancing the city of Joplin and his philanthropic endeavors. He became a millionaire in the mining business, buying acreage that contained enormous lead and zinc deposits, of which he leased to prospectors. He was elected to the Missouri Senate in 1907 but passed away before taking office. He is most notably known for building Joplin’s most iconic landmarks of its time— the Connor Hotel at Fourth and Main Street. Tom passed away before seeing the hotel’s
completion in 1908. In the forward of the book “Joplin’s Connor Hotel,” Brad Belk said, “No building in Joplin, Missouri, stood grander than the Connor Hotel. This once-proud landmark was a civic monument—a center of communal life where a lifetime of special memories were nostalgically savored.” The Connor was razed in 1978.

Patrick Murphy

Patrick Murphy’s story began in County Monaghan, Ireland, where he was born on January 6, 1839 to Michael and Margaret Murphy.  Tragically, in 1845, Ireland was struck by the Great Famine, a catastrophic event that led to the death of a million people and forced another million to emigrate, primarily to the United States.  The Murphy family, which included five surviving children, was among those who left Ireland, arriving in Philadelphia following a six-week voyage.  

The family settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1849 where Patrick engaged in agricultural pursuits and attended the common schools.  His education was largely acquired from experience and hence is of a practical nature.  In 1859 he left Pennsylvania and acquired even more experience throughout the United States before coming to the Joplin area.

Thomas Connor

Tom married Melissa Wilcox (also spelled Milissa, Malissa, and Malassa) in 1874 or 1873.
She was born on April 12, 1851, in Ohio and died in 1928. She and Tom had no biological
children. Her story is very unique and can be read in Chad Stebbin’s book—see footnote.
Some of Tom’s philanthropic legacies that continue today include:


* $5,000 to the Handy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church at 311 W. 4 th Street
to replace their dilapidated frame structure with brick. His name is still engraved above
the front door.
* $20,000 toward building St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 812 S. Pearl Avenue.
Tom never lived to see its completion.
* Bequeathed $100,000 to the City of Joplin to help the poor. Every year the city
transfers the interest income earned to the Health Department. In 2019, the earnings
were $5,198.
* Tom’s nephew and business associate, Thomas Connor Nolan received $10,000 (worth
$358,624 today) as a wedding present when he married Margaret Lawder in 1902. It
is believed that it was used to either build and or furnish the house that proudly stands
today at 106 S. Moffet Avenue in the Murphysburg Historic District.

St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church
Nolan House
Nolan House
The Handy AME Chapel

Mr. Connor died on March 29, 1907 at Dr. Moody’s Sanitarium in San Antonio, Texas after becoming ill in early November. Supposedly, Tom went to Texas to recover from his ailments by seeking a warmer climate than Missouri could offer. He and Melissa are buried next to each other in Tiffin, Ohio.

Below are excerpts from the book *“Tom Connor: Joplin’s Millionaire Zinc King” by Chad
Stebbins that focus on Mr. Connor’s Irish background.

Although born in Ireland, Thomas Connor lived the classic American rags-to riches story. Described as a “self-made man,” he seemed to have the Midas touch – especially when it came to buying acreage that contained enormous rich lead and zine deposits.

Born to James and Katherine O’Connor on August 10, 1847, on a five-acre tenant farm in County Kerry, Ireland, he was the youngest of four children. The three-room tenement cottage, although fairly large by contemporary standards, was stretched beyond capacity with 14 other occupants. Had Tom’s birth not come in the middle of the Irish Potato Famine, Joplin might never have had its famous [Connor] Hotel.


The potato blight brought untold misery to the country. One million died of starvation or the diseases associated with the famine, and another million emigrated to North America or parts of England. Between 1846 and 1850, the population of Ireland dropped by 25 percent. In the O’Connor household, where it was a “ceaseless, heartless, remorseless grind, with never a beam of light piercing through the dismal clouds in promise of a better day.”


In 1851, the O’Connor family left Cork City, Ireland and landed in New York City on May 27, and then settled in Tiffin, Ohio. Tom’s father died two [or possibly six or seven] years later. Although opportunities for women were rare in those days, his mother managed to find enough odd jobs to keep her family fed. Sitting around the kitchen stove, she would entertain the children with stories about their old home in Kerry while she sewed, darned, or patched various articles of clothing. Tom, in particular was fascinated by these tales of Irish folklore, the ancient round towers, Druid priests, Celtic kings and castles, witches and goblins, and the great Irish political leader Daniel O’Connell. And yet, which his 1914 biographer found “surprisingly strange,” Tom could never be persuaded years later to pay a visit to his native Ireland.


…Tom met General Patrick Edward Connor, who, like Tom, had been born in County Kerry, Ireland. Tom as thrilled to meet a countryman, let alone a hero of the Mexican-American War and the American Indian Wars. It was after encountering Connor that Tom decided to drop the O from O’Connor – just as the general had done years before to seem more American. In Irish names, O means “coming from” or “the family of.” [Tom’s relatives did not drop the O from their names.]

*HMP thanks author and fellow historian Chad Stebbins for letting us share Tom Connor’s Irish roots via two of his books published in 2021. “Tom Connor: Joplin’s Millionaire Zinc King” along with the companion book, “Joplin’s Connor Hotel” are available for sale at Joplin Walgreen stores.

Patrick Murphy

The Murphy family settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1849 where Patrick engaged in agricultural pursuits and attended the common schools.  His education was largely acquired from experience and hence is of a practical nature.  In 1859 he left Pennsylvania and acquired even more experience throughout the United States before coming to the Joplin area.

In July 1871 John C. Cox laid out a town east of Joplin Creek and named it “Joplin” after Reverend Harris Joplin who settled in the area.  On September 4, 1871 a 40-acre tract west of Joplin Creek was platted by Patrick Murphy and others and they named it “Murphysburg.”  On March 23, 1873 the two cities merged and incorporated under the name of Joplin.  The Missouri Governor appointed Elliot R. Moffet to serve as mayor.  

Mr. Murphy was a merchant, mine operator, businessman, and capitalist.  His accomplishments are the result of Joplin becoming a formidable, organized city.  He established a newspaper, banks, hotels, the city waterworks, woolen mills, railway systems, lead & zinc mining companies, and much more. He was Joplin’s fourth mayor.  

The public held Mr. Murphy in such high regard that when he died, the entire community was in mourning and many institutions closed.  The cortege consisted of a band, a hearse drawn by four black horses, 100 marching pioneers, the Knights Templar in uniform, the Elks Club, and many citizens in carriages.  Originally he was buried at Fairview Cemetery, but later when Mount Hope Cemetery was completed, he and his mother were moved to the Founders Circle at Mt. Hope.

Patrick Murphy
Murphy Mansion 4th & Wall

Patrick was married to Isabel “Belle” Workizer Murphy (1847-1904) and they had five children that lived to adulthood. 
Some of this information was taken from “The History of Jasper County, Missouri”   

Baby in the Bushes

FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, WE PRESENT A MYSTERY IN MURPHYSBURG

In honor of March as Women’s History Month, we bring forward a true unsolved mystery set in Joplin’s Murphysburg Historic District.

It was a dry 71-degree summer night on July 11, 1945 at 10:20 p.m. in what is now Joplin’s Murphysburg Historic District.  World War II in Europe had just ended with Germany surrendering on May 8, 1945.  The conflict in the Pacific (Ocean) Theater would soon end when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.  

On this particular Wednesday night, Mrs. Jennie Potlitzer was at her home at 219 South Sergeant Avenue with her sister, Mrs. Ruth Weil, and a nurse, Mrs. Don Sanford.  Jennie had suffered with a heart condition since 1933, which could explain the presence of a nurse at such a late hour.  Jennie’s husband, George had passed away 14 months earlier.  The Potlitzer’s daughter, Mildred was living in St. Louis, and son, Sidney was living here at the home.  

Ruth was also believed to be widowed sometime between 1935 and 1939 and was visiting Jennie on this fateful night.  Ruth’s son, Edward Weil, Jr. was in the army and would not rejoin his mother in Joplin until his discharge in January 1946.  But surely a nurse and two loving mothers were perfectly capable of managing the situation that was about to unfold.

Mrs. Sanford heard a child crying outside, so the three ladies went to investigate.  They found a blue-eyed, red-haired baby girl, not more than eight weeks old, hidden in the shrubbery!  The child was well bundled and at its side were clothing, baby powder, oil, and other needs for its care.  Most likely the baby would have been shielded from view of passing traffic due to the jagged-top, three-foot high stone wall that surrounded the property.

Baby Abandoned in the Bushes

Of course, the police were summoned.  City Detectives W. D. Holladay and Roy Isgrigg took the baby to Dr. V. E. Kenney, the city health commissioner.  He determined the baby was healthy in all respects.  The baby was then taken to the home of Reverend William Kelley, the county juvenile and probation officer, who would decide, along with Juvenile Judge Woodson Oldham, what to do with her.  Mrs. Kelley looked after the care of the child.  Dr. C. C. Coats, the city physician, also examined the infant and said she appeared to be a perfectly normal baby.

The next day more than 50 Joplin families offered to adopt the abandoned baby—telephone calls bombarded the juvenile office and the Kelley’s home.  However, Reverend Kelley remained hopeful that the mother would change her mind and claim the child, which he believed would be the best solution.                                

The Joplin Globe’s headline on July 13th was “Clew to Identity of Baby Obtained.”  (see sidebar) The first rumor investigated by the county probation office was that the baby could belong to a 15-year-old Webb City girl—but that soon fizzled out. The Joplin Globe’s headline on July 14th was “Police Work on New Clew to Identity of Baby Abandoned Here.”  The second rumor was provided by a Neosho physician claiming

to have delivered a baby girl to a 17-year-old McDonald County girl seven weeks earlier.  Police Chief Henry Vermillion and Newton County Sheriff Cline visited the mother of the girl, who said her daughter had taken the baby and left July 3 to visit her father in California.  On July 14th, via a telegram from California authorities, the red-headed baby in question was found to be safe with the suspected young mother in California. Headline reads, “Message from West Voids Baby Case Clew.”

On September 5, 1945 the Joplin Globe reported “Abandoned Baby Redhead” to be thriving, healthy, happy, and growing at the home of her foster parents.  The baby was to remain a legal ward of the juvenile court for at least two years unless the real parents appeared and could establish parenthood to the satisfaction of the court.  After that, she could be legally adopted, probably into the foster home where she had been placed. 

The foster family identity was never revealed in newspaper reports or even the first name that eventually was given to the baby.  The baby was assigned a birthdate of June 1, 1945.

The Joplin Children’s Home cared for many orphaned and otherwise unfortunate children between 1905 and 1957.  However, while researching this story, the orphanage was never mentioned in local news articles as an option for the baby.

Background

George and Jennie Potlitzer were very well known in the Joplin community due to their activities in welfare and civic affairs.  George and his father owned Potlitzer’s store specializing in women’s wear at 419 and later 418 S. Main Street in Joplin.  George and Jennie lived at 219 S. Sergeant for about ten years.  George was president of the United Hebrew Congregation and the Jewish Welfare Board for many years.  He was involved with the Joplin USO Council, Joplin War Dad’s Club, Salvation Army, the Shrine, United Cities Lodge, B’nai B’rith, Joplin Elks, and World War II bond and Community Chest campaigns.  George was born in Germany in 1878 and came to Joplin with his parents when he was two years old.   He died on May 22, 1944 at the age of 66.  His will stipulated a bequest to the Joplin Children’s Home and numerous other charities.  George married Jennie in Carthage in 1904 and they had one daughter, Mildred and one Son, Sidney.  Sidney was a manager for the Potlitzer’s store.

Jennie was born in Neosho.  She was a member of the United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin and the Temple Aid Sisterhood, Joplin League of Women Voters, and the Joplin Woman’s Club.  In 1932 she was chair of the Council of Jewish Women unit that was part of the Red Cross sewing committee which made clothing for impoverished families from cloth furnished by the government.  This small portion of her life is interesting since the Potlitzer’s livelihood was based on ready-to-wear retail clothing stores.

Jennie died on June 4, 1958 at the age of 75.  Jennie and George are buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Webb City.  

Theories & Timelines

  • Is it possible that Jennie or her guests did know who the baby belonged to but chose to keep it a secret?
  • Assuming the baby was full term, she would have been conceived sometime in September or October 1944 during World War II.
  • Did the baby’s mother know the father’s identity?  Was the baby’s biological father a defense worker or a Word War II serviceman who passed through Joplin or Camp Crowder in Neosho?  The Joplin USO Council operated at 310 S. Wall Avenue (extant) from September 27, 1942 to June 30, 1946.  The Negro Service Council of Joplin operated at 221 S. Main Street (non-extant) from February 6, 1944 to September 1946.  The Neosho USO Clubhouse on Park Drive was opened on February 22, 1943.
  • Did the baby’s mother become pregnant elsewhere and chose to abandon her baby in Joplin?
  • Was Jennie’s son, Sidney Potlitzer the father?  He would have been around 37 years old at the time and single, having married Louise Newman on September 1, 1946.  Was Ruth’s son, Edward Weil, Jr., the father?  He would have been around 20 years old at the time and single.
  • The baby’s mother/father/family may have been familiar with the neighborhood, the Potlitzer & Weil families, and or the fact that there was a nurse on duty at the house. 
  • Is it possible that the baby’s mother/father/family wanted to leave the baby specifically with a Jewish family? 

Better Options Today Borrowed From History

Many states have adopted legal and safe procedures for a parent to give up their baby.  The Missouri Safe Haven Laws were set up so that infants, 45 days old or younger, can be handed over to an employee at a police station, hospital, fire station, maternity home, or pregnancy resource center.  If the baby has not been neglected or abused, parents will face no prosecution.  For complete anonymity, many states have recently installed “Safe Haven Baby Boxes.”  Baby Boxes are currently installed at Joplin Fire Station No. 7 and Carthage Fire Station No. 2.

 

 If you wish to donate, make checks out to Safe Haven Baby Boxes-Local 59 and mail to Local 59, P.O. Box 1712, Joplin, MO 64802 or drop off at Fire Station No. 1 at 303 East 3rd Street, Joplin. 

But the drop-off box is not a new idea.  The concept can be traced back to the Middle Ages and has existed in many countries throughout the world.  There are many names for the box such as Baby Hatch, Foundling Wheel, Stork’s Cradle, and Turning Cradle. 

Conclusion  

Did the baby ever learn about her biological family and situation?  She would now be close to 80 years old and possibly still living in the Joplin area.  Hopefully she had a safe, loving, and a happy life. While we respect the sensitive situation for all concerned and the possible need for confidentiality and privacy, we would appreciate knowing how this story began and ended.  By state law, juvenile records are closed and even records for old cases such as this one could not be disclosed. If you have any information regarding this Mystery in Murphysburg, please contact Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc. at [email protected].

ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORY OF THE LENNAN HOUSE

The house is named for the first owners, Thomas and Charlotte Gregg Lennan.  This stately home was built in 1917 and was designed in the Colonial Revival style by renowned Joplin architect Austin Allen.  He designed many structures that still exist in Joplin such as the current Joplin City Hall at 6th and Main, formerly Newman’s Department Store.  Austin also designed the United Hebrew Congregation Temple at 7th and Sergeant Avenue and Joplin Elk’s Club at 4th and Pearl Avenue; both of which were within walking distance and handy since George was an active member in both organizations.  

The most unique features of the house are the massive exterior brick chimneys, pierced with windows.  Gabled wings project from the north and south sides of the house.  Inset arched dormers rise on the top floor front roof.  The central mass of the primary elevation has five symmetrical bays.  The center bay has a historic wood panel door with multi-light sidelights, a carved frame with Doric columns, and a segmental arched wood transom with curved pediments. 

In 1893 Judge Oliver Hazard Picher owned the entire block of Moffet and Sergeant between Second and Third Streets.  He landscaped it as a private park surrounded by a stone wall.  Picher’s mansion was located at 206 S. Moffet.  Eventually, the block was divided into five properties.  During the Great Depression (1929-1930s) the owner of the house lost all his money and the bank foreclosed on the property.  Rather than find a new owner, the bank demolished the venerable old house.  Amazingly, the stone wall around the block remains to this day—the very wall that protected the blue-eyed, red-haired baby in the bushes.

  EVOLUTION OF CLEW TO CLUE

In Greek mythology, Theseus unraveled a ball of thread as he went into a labyrinth and used the thread to trace his way back out after slaying a half-man and half-bull creature named Minotaur.  The idea of using a ball of thread (clew) came from a woman named Ariadne.  

Clew is from Old English cliwen and cleowen, meaning a ball formed by winding yard, twine or thread and is still one of the meanings of clew. 

As the original image of a ball of thread used in the labyrinth, clew was gradually forgotten, and the literal sense of clew became obscured.  The word eventually took the modern meaning of something that helps to solve a problem or unravel a mystery, its prevalent form/spelling being clue.

Although the “clue” spelling is now the prevailing one for this situation, the old spelling of “clew” can still be found in American newspapers from as recently as the 1970s.

United Hebrew Congregation 

There has been a Jewish presence in the Joplin area longer than Joplin has existed, with the first arriving during the 1860s. Early Jewish settlers of the area were shopkeepers, business people, and executives and managers in the mines, who settled here to take advantage of the Tri-State area’s lead and zinc mining boomtown opportunities. Jewish area residents met in local churches to worship during these early years.

Property at the corner of Seventh Street and Sergeant Avenue was purchased from Aaron Haughton of Corpus Christi, Texas, a Mason and former Joplin resident for $6,000 ($124,695 todays equivalent). In September 1916, contractors Dieter and Wenzel received the building permit. The synagogue was completed later in 1917 through the generous efforts of Jewish residents of Joplin, Pittsburg, Galena, Webb City, Carterville, Carthage and New York City. The final cost of the building was $35,000, which about $727,390 today.

The United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin was formally organized in 1911 with planning and fundraising efforts for a permanent synagogue accelerating in the subsequent years. Joplin Rabbi Joseph Leiser called for a building worthy of the Jewish citizens – one that will be an ornament to the city and be acceptable to all citizens of this district, not merely to the particular worshippers.

One of the United Hebrew Congregation founding members, Gabriel Newburger, is credited with the inspiration of the temple’s architecture after bringing back his sketches of the magnificent Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum and is located in current day Istanbul, Turkey. Mr. Newburger was accompanied on this trip by his brother-in-law and business partner Solomon Newman, Sr. By 1910, Sol, his brother Albert Newman and their father Joseph Newman together with Gabe were all part of Newman Mercantile Company in Joplin.

Newspaper accounts touted the yet-to-be completed structure as a Byzantine-style building with Oriental trimmings and along the lines of a Hebrew temple and a Turkish mosque. The Oriental look was in vogue in Joplin around this time and examples of it could be seen in Schifferdecker Electrical Park’s Moorish entrance and towers (circa 1901-1914). The interior Oriental-style lobby was similar to the Turkish baths at the Elks Club Lodge (circa 1904).

October 1916 witnessed the Masonic cornerstone laying ceremony, which was attended by 600 people, to include every member of UHC, 225 Masons and visitors from the surrounding area. It was a gala event including speeches delivered by Rabbi Leiser and congregation president Morris Scherl.

Joplin First Church

Many times the most impressive structures in a city are its churches. Their outlines grace the city’s skyline
and their steeples stretch up to meet the clouds.

 First United Methodist Church has been part of the fabric of the community that bears his name since the Reverend Harris G. Joplin, a Methodist circuit rider, made his way to the edge of the frontier back in the 1830’s and planted a congregation among the folks who had settled here. As the community grew so did we. In 1905 we opened the doors to a new house of worship at the corner of 4th and Byers Avenue, and those doors are still open today. 

Architects Charles Garstang and Alfred Rea designed the majestic entrance that features a triple arched portico entry with a large stained glass window above. Romanesque pillars with Corinthian-style capitals support the load of Gothic arches and two bell towers flank the grand entry. The steeple on the southwest rose 100 feet tall in the air before lighting struck in 1963. The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1905 and the first service was held in the congregations new home on June 3, 1906.

Abraham Onstott House

  Abraham Worth Onstott and Marth (Corwin) Onstott were considered Joplin pioneer residents. Mr. Onstott was in the mining business for 25 years. According to the History of Jasper County, Mr. Onstott “erected a nice residence” in Joplin. Before moving to Joplin, he grew up in Carthage. His father, Judge John Onstott was working in their wheat field when the Civil War broke out and the Battle of Carthage began on July 5, 1861. His father was taken prisoner and transported to Fort Scott, Kansas, then to Bentonville, Arkansas where he was later paroled.
The couple lived in this house until Mrs. Onstott died of complications due to an automobile accident in 1929.