Homes

William and Comfort D. (Porter) Smith first came to Joplin in 1874 from Bowling Green, Kentucky and took a job as assistant cashier with the Joplin Savings Bank of East Joplin, the first bank established in Joplin.  But in 1877 the Smiths engaged in the hotel business in Ensenada, Mexico and afterward in banking and merchandising in San Francisco, California. 

The Smith’s returned to Joplin in 1898, and Mr. Smith engaged in the real estate business with John H. Taylor, his brother-in-law.  They were among the most important of the real estate dealers in the city, handling city properties, lands, farms, mining property, and so forth.

  Mr. Smith went on to be the director of the Joplin Trust Company and secretary and treasurer of the Gilchrist Porter Realty Company.  He was also the originator of the Joplin & Pittsburg Railway Company, an electric inter-state line that extended to Pittsburg, Kansas.

Mrs. Smith was the daughter of Gilchrist Porter who was a congressman and a judge.

A daughter named Elenita was born to the couple while residing in Mexico.  Their son, A. Levering, was born in Hannibal, Missouri.

Edward Zelleken, a German-born brewer, immigrated to the United States bringing practical knowledge of brewing and coopering. He and Charles Schifferdecker were partners in the brewing business in Baxter Springs, Kansas and made the move to Joplin together in 1875. In Joplin, Zelleken dabbled a little bit in everything, brewing beer, banking, mining, and wholesale groceries to name a few.

His first house was an eight room brick Italianate mansion at the corner of 9th and Pearl Streets which he built in 1882 for $16,000. He and his wife, Margaretha enjoyed many happy years in this elegant house with their six children and it would be the setting for their daughters marriages. The mansion was sold to the Sisters of Mercy around 1887 for their convent, Academy of Our Lady of Mercy. It has since been demolished.

The Zelleken’s second brick house at 406 Sergeant was finished in 1893. The massive brick exterior features projecting bays, a number of porches, and tall chimneys with bulbous chimney pots, decorative terra cotta panels, leaded and stained glass windows and a “Z” above the front door. The interior of the house included such luxuries as marble sinks, elaborate tile work, etched glass in the dining room and dumb waiter. The three-story, 4000 square foot house was admiringly called “an architectural gem…..one of the finest houses in the southwest.” by a reporter the year it was completed.

Edward Zelleken (1839-1919) & Margaretha Grome Zelleken (1844-1905)

When Edward settled in Baxter Springs, Kansas, he partnered with Charles Schifferdecker in the brewing business.  Together they made their move to Joplin in 1875 where both became the foremost capitalists and philanthropists of the district and built spectacular homes next door to each other.  Both Edward & Margaretha were born in Germany. 

Worldly success was pleasant, but it could not balance personal tragedy. The latter was no stranger to Edward Zelleken, he suffered the loss of three of his seven children; Willie at the age of 2, daughter, Tillie, died just before her wedding and so was buried in her bridal gown. And, son Frank also died before his father. Another heartache was his oldest daughter, Annie Zelleken Comerford which has her own story Here.

Mr. Zelleken died in 1920 and left the house to his daughter Alvina Zelleken Dwyer. Seven of the nine members of Edward Zelleken’s family are buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Webb City, Missouri.

Charles Frye was originally from New York and came to Joplin to invest in mining. He built this home in 1891 for $5000. It originally had a square tower with a pyramid-like roof on the third floor, but it has since been lost by time and the elements.  He sold it seven years later to Fred BaSom, who made history by helping organize Joplin’s first telephone company. 

Fred R. BaSom was elected president to the newly formed Interstate Telephone Association in 1900.  In 1901 he was also listed as president and attending the fourth semi-annual meeting held at the Hotel Baltimore in Kansas City Missouri.  Mr. BaSom was representing the Joplin Telephone Company.

The Symmetrical full-width porch with steps in the center. Spindle-work trim. Wrought iron balustrade and railings replace original wood. The ornamental pair of doors has a short bottom paneled frieze boards with long top panels with incised line decoration. Similar to East Lake Furniture.

This second empire style resident is a superb example of High Victorian architecture. 

Charles O.  Frye, an early prominent mining investor, and city council member retained architects Resch and Shaw in 1891 to design his new home.  The architects created an interior that was an exuberant as the exterior.  Large bay windows, leaded glass transoms, sliding double doors and an open elliptical staircase that sinuously winds upward are a few of the stylistic architectural elements.  The use of asymmetrical shapes and elaborate detailing, which were prominent features in Victorian architecture, can be found extensively throughout the home

The Italianate style and the circular stairway are one of the few houses that exemplified the richness of the turn of the century Joplin when lead mining was king and wealthy mine owners displayed this new found wealth in constructing quality homes for their families.

The hidden maid’s staircase is behind the mirror in the hallway leads to the fourth-floor bedroom upstairs the original maid’s buzzer under the dining table still works.

The downstairs sports 12’ ceilings with original shutters made of Cyprus wood.  The perfectly balanced pocket doors form the center hall to the dining room still perform as they have done for nearly a century.  They are milled from Oak facing the hallway and cherry wood to face the interior rooms as was the style of the time.

The old carriage house was converted to an automobile garage and has a workroom and planting shed downstairs with an apartment for teenagers or mother in law upstairs. 

Fred R. BaSom Lived at 318 from the early 1900’s to his death in 1931. 

Mr. Basom was elected president to the newly formed Interstate Telephone Association in 1900.  In 1901 he was also listed as president and attending the fourth semi-annual meeting held at the Hotel Baltimore in Kansas City Missouri.  Mr. BaSom was representing the Joplin Telephone Company

JOPLIN’S FIRST SPEEDING TICKET

Joplin attorney Fred Basom received the first speeding ticket issued in Joplin. He was “hailed by an officer of the law while out for a spin,” after the mayor’s recent instructions to the police department to arrest drivers who violated Joplin’s city ordinance that set the speed limit at six miles an hour.

 Source: Joplin News Herald