Celebrating National Historic Districts & Places That Matter

Julius Miller House

Julius Miller House
Circa 1895 ~ Queen Anne
Oculus window     

Julius C. Miller (1859-1923) & Ida Jane Miller Miller(1864-1950)

                                                     

Mr. Miller was born in Hartford Connecticut April 6, 1858 of German parentage. He moved with his parents to Missouri in 1860 living the St. Louis, Versailles, Greenfield and Lamar.

In 1873 he worked at the Barton County Democrat newspaper in Lamar and the Vernon County Democrat newspaper in Nevada as an apprentice.

September 2, 1876 Mr. Miller came to Joplin, where he worked in various capacities at the Joplin Daily News until 1883 at which time he was appointed deputy sheriff of Jasper County, Missouri serving in that capacity for five years.

Queen Anne
Oculus window

In 1885 he married Ida J. Miller, daughter of Matthew Miller, one of Joplin’s oldest and most respected citizens. At the printing of this city directory, he was residing with his father-in-law and other family members at 637 Sergeant.

In 1888, Mr. Miller was elected Sheriff of Jasper County on the Republican ticket. While serving as sheriff, he resided in Carthage but upon expiration of his term he returns to Joplin to a house at 528 Sergeant where he resided with his wife, Ida.

Upon his return to Joplin he engaged in the wholesale flour and feed business under the firm name of Miller Flour & Feed located at 801 Main Street.

William Henry Picher House

421 South Sergeant Avenue
Colonial Revival, circa 1899
Features: Porte Cochère and Stained Glass Transom

William Henry Picher (1851-1924) was married to Susan Brummel Jones Picher (1851-1904).
The Picher name has long been associated with Joplin’s lead and zinc mining history. In 1875,
William and his brother, Judge Oliver Hazard Picher organized the Picher Lead and Zinc Co. and later they merged with Eagle Paint Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio to become the Eagle-Picher Lead Co., one of the largest lead smelting concerns in the world. The City of Picher, Oklahoma was named after the Picher family.

By 1920, Mr. Picher was living at the Olivia Apartments. He bequeathed $500 per year for 20 years to the City of Joplin. The $10,000 ($176,000 in 2023 dollars) was to be “used for caring
for the poor of the city.”

Vintage photo

ARCHITECTURE

The two-and-one-half-story Colonial Revival house has a limestone foundation and hip roof. An enclosed shed roof porch projects from the east elevation. Three gabled dormers rise from the west slope of the roof. The center dormer is larger with a scrolled parapet. A single gabled dormer rises from the north and south slopes of the roof. Two brick chimneys rise from the roof. A wide wood cornice with modillions ornaments the roofline.

Paneled wood columns articulate the corners. A full-width flat roof porch spans the primary (west) elevation and continues north as a porte cochère. It has wood Doric columns and a turned wood balustrade. This elevation has three symmetrical bays. Bay 2 has a wood door with multi-light beveled glazing and a stained glass transom on the first story. A band of two single windows, separated by a medallion pierces the second story.

FREDERICK WILBER-FRANK WEEKS HOUSE

117 North Moffet Avenue
American Foursquare, circa 1906

Frederick (1870-1934) and Fannie Wilbur were the first owners of this house that is
technically located in the Wilson-Hutton residential district, just three doors north of the
Murphysburg Historic District. At one time, Mr. Wilbur was a clerk for a powder
(ammunition) company.

Herma died at the age of 42 in 1931, following an accidental (mercury) chemical poisoning!
When Frank died of a heart ailment in 1938, he was living at the Olivia Apartments (320 S.
Moffet.) It was common for wealthy and prominent Joplin residents to “downsize” by
moving to the prestigious Olivia.

In 1917, a library and second-story master suite were added to the house by owners Frank
and Herma (Letts) Weeks, barely one year before Mr. Weeks registered for the World
War I draft! Mr. Weeks was associated with numerous mines in Missouri and Oklahoma,
and he explored mining in Texas. Associates of Mr. Weeks regarded him as one of the most
successful and progressive mine operators in the district, and leader in developing and
improving the handling of sludge! The Weeks family enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle as
evidenced by their documented trips to Havana, Cuba and Hong Kong, China.

ARCHITECTURE – The Craftsman style wooden front door with sidelights is an exacting
reproduction. The original sidewalk bricks were used in the reconstruction of the front
retaining wall and columns.

The Jesse Starr House

Many early and prominent Joplin men could lay claim to the “rags to riches” story. Jesse Starr was one such man.  His grit and determination carried him from the Lanyon Smelting Company in Kansas where he began working in 1876, at the age of fifteen, to the Lanyon-Starr Smelting Company that he organized in 1897.

Success continued to follow and in 1905, he organized the Conqueror Trust Company with William Houk, John Gmeiner, and Julius Becker.  He served as the company’s vice-president. 

Starr hired Garstang and Rea to design his Colonial Revival style house. It was completed sometime around 1903.  The classic details on this home were a perfect example of what appeared on many homes built in the early part of the twentieth century.  The heavily detailed cornices on the roof and porch are decorated with modillions.  Other interesting features were the upper porch balustrades and upper-story bay window. 

In 1936, Starr hired A.S. Greenwell to modify the structure.  He created a duplex with one apartment on the upper story and one on the lower. The upper-story bay window and modillions are the few remaining details of the original design.

Some of the many examples of Art Glass of Murphysburg

Mr. Starr (1865-1945) was a self-made man who developed million-dollar industries in
mining, gas leases, real estate holdings, and financial institutions. He contributed
considerable amount of money to charity anonymously. Myrtle Rosa Spicer (1865-1915)
was his first wife, and his second wife was Frances Hayes (1877-1943). Mr. Starr had a
summer home in Ephraim, Wisconsin and spent winters in Miami, Florida, where he owned
apartment houses and business lots. He died at his Joplin home.

The Charles Moore / Sigmond Klein House

Charles Moore/Sigmond Klein House. Both were members of Joplin’s United Hebrew Congregation at 702 S. Sergeant.

Charles Moore was a well-known real estate broker and was active in early day mining activities.  He was considered a pioneer of the city’s development and was an associate of Patrick Murphy.  When he passed away in 1926, he was married to his third wife, Mattie, after being widowed twice.  

Sigmond and Emma Klein were the next owners of the house and were also prominent in Joplin.  Sig Klein was vice-president of the Model Clothing Company in downtown Joplin.  His brother, Cadie Klein, was president and lived at 622 S Sergeant.