National Murphysburg Residential District
HISTORIC MURPHYSBURG PRESERVATION, INC. (HMP)
2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS & ACTIVITIES
JANUARY : For an understanding of the future, look to the past
Continued the distribution of the coloring book, Coloring JOMO: Women Who Made Their Mark, walking tour brochures, and hand illustrated maps. Continued research on original and or significant owners of Murphysburg houses. Received Visit Joplin (formerly known as Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau) grant funding for HMP website updates.
MARCH: Bring to light often overlooked history
HMP promoted Women’s History Month by featuring two (unrelated) women that lived at 101 N. Sergeant in the early 1940s to late 1950s. Mary Kirk Kelly, as a professor at Joplin Junior College, started Model United Nations for students. They would travel to regional and national simulations which continues today; after retirement she became an internationally known ceramic artist. Dora Kneeland invented what came to be known as Williams Chili Seasoning and her son-in-law produced it in the garage before moving the operation to Webb City
APRIL: We envisioned new projects
Completed research on the Pearl Brothers House (101 S. Moffet) and requested a local historic marker sign. Continued advocacy for the rehabilitation or abatement of apartments at 117-121 S. Byers (built in May 1950) through direct conversations with Tyler Casey with ProX Management and City officials. Represented HMP at the Spring meeting of Missouri Route 66 Association and the Visit Joplin Tourism Connection regional meeting.
MAY: Bring awareness to underrepresented communities
Partnered with Downtown Joplin Alliance’s Loft Tour. Presentation to City Council asking for historic street name signs. Provided Mt. Hope Cemetery with QR codes for 50 original Murphysburg residents interred at the cemetery. Staffed a booth at DJA’s Third Thursday.
JUNE: The impact you helped make possible
Represented HMP at the annual Missouri Preservation Conference held in Joplin.
JULY: We advocated for
Partnered with the Scottish Rite Cathedral to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the building.
AUGUST : Promote heritage tourism
Facilitated a feature story & photographs of Murphysburg walking tour in the 417 Magazine.
OCTOBER: Benefitting from new energy
Hosted the annual membership appreciation meeting at the Cornell Complex with guest speaker Neely Meyers, Science Center Creative Learning Alliance director.
NOVEMBER: Home for the holidays…in Murphysburg
Installed Christmas Wreaths on Murphysburg District utility poles. Monitored HMP’s “Giving Tuesday” donation website. Guest appearance on MSSU TV Newsmaker show.
DECEMBER: Overlooked history
Conducted the Austin Allen, the Architect — Remembered historic building tour and lecture which was co-sponsored by Visit Joplin and Joplin Celebrations Commission . Received a Visit Joplin grant to pay for production of a booklet featuring Murphysburg District houses. Continued dialogue with City officials to save 130 S. Moffet, the Albert Newman House from demolition.
ONGOING
- Manage Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Mail Chimp, HMP website, liability insurance, storage unit, and more.
- Manage communications, inquiries about houses for sale, Joplin history & media inquiries.
- Conduct historical research using Ancestry.com, Find-a-Grave, Newspapers.com, etc.
- Interface with North Heights Neighborhood Group, Downtown Joplin Alliance, City of Joplin, Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc., Connect 2 Culture, Bluehaven Homes & Bykota, REI (the Olivia Apartments) and many other community organizations/projects.
- Welcomed new Murphysburg homeowners with historical documentation on their house and general HMP membership information.
SOUTHWEST MISSOURI RAILROAD CLUBHOUSE
In 1889, Alfred Harrison “A.H.” Rogers (1858-1920) started a railway system between Webb City and Carterville pulled by mules. After 1893, the system was electrified. It continued until late summer of 1935 for Carthage, and 1940 for other communities. The clubhouse was constructed for officials and employees.
The A.H. Rogers House is in the Murphysburg Historic District at 623 W. Fourth Street and is currently being restored by Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc.
Charlie22 Outdoor’s mission is to provide outdoor activities to the nation’s veterans and their families. For more information, contact Scotty Rae Hettinger at (417) 437-7247 or charlie22outdoors.com.
Following are excerpts from the Joplin History & Mineral Museum calendar published in 2021: Originally, the first floor was divided into a pool room, a gymnasium that was also used for large social groups, a locker room, a dressing room, toilets, and shower baths. The second floor housed the clubrooms, complete with a kitchen and dining area. The clubrooms were used for reading, writing, card playing, social entertainments, banquets, and to conduct business meetings. The third floor consisted of two dormitories, where a bed could be rented by the day or week. The facility was possibly best remembered for the elaborate employee banquets.
The Tale of Joplin’s Two United Service Organizations (USO) during World War II
HMP’s philosophy is to look at historical facts with a neutral eye. In this spirit, HMP does not honor the practice of segregation, but rather recognizes the history that shaped our nation, state, city, and the armed services, plus those who gave of themselves.
The multi-level building at 306-312 South Wall Avenue borders the Historic Murphysburg Residential District on the east side of Pearl. In the late 1920’s it was Farmer Motor Company and several mining and smelting companies. In the 1930’s and early 40’s it was the Quality Motors car dealership. Through the years the building was many different businesses such as manufacturing companies, optical laboratory, an insurance company, a wholesale supplier, and more. During World War II, the building housed the United Service Organization (USO) offices and recreation center.
Because Joplin was a WWII hub for six defense centers and was within close proximity to Camp Crowder in Neosho, Missouri, the United Service Organization designated Joplin for a local USO site. On March 3, 1942 the USO opened for soldiers, sailors, and 30,000 to 40,000 defense workers!
Mary Anne Phillips and husband James D. Scott have owned the building at 306-312 South Wall Avenue since 2000. Jim’s business, Scott Electronic Systems, Inc. has operated out of the building since 1979. Jim says it is a sturdy structure with six metal I-beams that span 40 feet to support the second floor. Special features on the second floor include a mezzanine surrounded by offices, a large skylight, and transoms above the office doors. Mary Anne believes that many artifacts remained with the building through the years such as chairs, a glass display case, and draperies because they are depicted in a postcard the couple acquired from Paula Callihan.
Pictured here is a 1940’s postcard of the interior of the USO at 310 South Wall Avenue. The other is photo a fabric found years later in the building. The current owners discovered from the postcard that the fabric they found was a remnant of the draperies used for the USO.
But that is not the end of the story. According to minutes of the Joplin USO Council, 1941-1946, (courtesy of the Joplin History & Mineral Museum), it was not long before the USO Council faced an unforeseen dilemma. Some “colored troops,” 2000 in number, were scheduled to arrive at Camp Crowder. Joplin officials questioned how to accommodate them, since the black population in Joplin was small, only 854.
Committee member W. H. Maher made a passionate plea, declaring “Those men are wearing the uniform of the United States…We are talking about American soldiers…and we owe the duty (USO services) to the colored soldiers as much as…the white soldiers. I believe there should be no racial or religious distinction.” He did, however, suggest that, “The negroes preferred to have their own group.”
On February 6, 1944 with much ceremony by white and black dignitaries, the Main Street (Negro) USO Club opened in an old building at 221 South Main Street. Less than a year after its opening, due to the reduction in black troops at Camp Crowder, the club was ordered shut down. An appeal was made to the USO executive in Kansas City to retain the facility. The colored soldiers stationed at Camp Crowder stated they were appreciative of the Joplin facility and it is better than any they had found elsewhere.
QUICK FACTS
The Wall Street USO closed its doors on June 30, 1946. The Main Street USO remained in operation for another three months until all of the black soldiers had left the camp.
Over one million soldiers passed through Joplin’s USO clubs during the war years.
While the building that housed the Wall Street USO is still in use today, the Main Street USO building is gone and is now the site of Commerce Bank.
Additional Resources
Click here to learn more about the United Services Organization, Inc., or write P. O. Box 9680, Washington, D. C. 20077- 7677
Sources:
- James D. Scott Family Archives
- Brad Belk, David Cunningham, Andy Ostmeyer, and Leslie Simpson Joplin Souvenir Album, St. Louis, Missouri: G. Bradley Publishing, Inc., 2001. Pages 16-17.
- Callihan Postcard collection