Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc.

09/04/2026

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱
The 1915-1916 Jefferson Highway connected Winnipeg (in the province of Manitoba, Canada) and New Orleans, Louisiana. The storied path followed various routes through Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The eight-state highway was named in honor of President Thomas Jefferson who acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1904. The marketing phrase “Pine to Palm” summed up the geographical route taking the traveler from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶
Designing the highway south of Kansas City was most contentious between Kansas and Missouri. Instead of agreeing to one route, each state constructed their own highway. Both were identified as official routes. When they reached Joplin, both state routes merged into one. Joplin hosted the Jefferson Highway Association (JHA) international conference in 1918 and 1923. And this year Joplin takes center stage once again as JHA celebrates its centennial in here September 19 through 22. Attendees are touring the homes at JHN Museum. 𝗷𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆.𝗼𝗿𝗴

𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀
By 1919, over 15,000 stenciled pole markers and 2,500 enameled steel signs were in place to denote the route. The pole markers consisted of 2 six-inch blue bands separated by a 12-inch white band. The conjoined letters “J” and “H” in black were placed on the band. The signs were placed along the route at one-mile intervals.
Note: The Jefferson Highway route ran through 4th Street past the Edward Zelleken home. Adding to the interurban rails and normal traffic, the Jefferson Highway made 4th street a busier thoroughfare.

Stop by for a visit! Tickets and hours are linked in our profile.

09/04/2026

Hot air balloons over Missouri Southern this weekend, and two houses from the 1890s only 15 minute drive away.

Both homes are open for tours Thurs-Sat 11:30-5 and Sun 12:30-4. Tickets are linked in our profile. Come find us on Sergeant Avenue.

08/29/2026

The forty acres he gave to the city in 1913 are why Schifferdecker Park exists. Originally the site of a dairy farm during the 1890s, Charles Schifferdecker purchased this property in the early 1900s, then leased a portion of the land to three local businessmen for the development of Electric Park.

The park featured rides, side shows, animals, musical entertainment, concessions, and souvenir stands. Architect John H. Stem, a Kansas City and Newark, New Jersey, amusement park designer, selected a distinctive Moorish style for the Joplin site. The theme park represented the new era of electricity as thousands of electric lights draped the structures and most park visitors arrived via electrically powered streetcars. Although the legend of the park prevailed long after it closed, the business operated only a short period of time, from 1909 to 1912.

Charles Schifferdecker served on the Joplin Park Board. As a park advocate, he graciously donated to the community the 40-acre tract in western Joplin to be used as a city park. Schifferdecker Park is located a mile and a half west on Fourth Street. Following his death his generosity continued. The Schifferdecker estate, worth close to $744,725 when he died, included another $100,000 gift of land to the city, which led to an extension of the park that bears his name.

Today a busy aquatic center, an 18-hole golf course (the first 18-hole grass green golf course in the Four-States area), and an impressive history and science museum (est. 1931) occupy the property.

The house Schifferdecker was living in when he made his initial gift is just a few minutes down West Fourth Street from the park, and it's open through the holiday weekend.

Both the park and the museum are well worth a visit today! Visit Joplinhistorical.org for more info.

08/28/2026

Three levels, one tradition: JHN Museum's corporate sponsorship program comes as Patron, Benefactor, and Partner. The businesses that built this city, First National Bank of Joplin, Miners Bank, the Inter-State Grocery Company, as well as supporting numerous philanthropic endeavors of early Joplin all trace back to the same founders’ homes we work to preserve. If your business wants to be part of that same tradition, membership and corporate sponsorship details are linked in our profile.

08/22/2026

They made them sturdy back in the 1890s, in some instances the walls were three bricks deep. Also referred to wythes: that's how thick the Schifferdecker Home's exterior walls were constructed. That extra thickness turned out to matter more than anyone in 1891 could have guessed. On March 4, 1991, an early morning kitchen fire tore through the interior, and the house sat exposed to the weather for many years afterward. Restoration masons spent 2020 to 2024 rebuilding everything the fire damaged, replacing about 1,500 bricks with historic-matching material, which included 1890s hydraulic bricks from a St. Louis salvage site.

Preserving that work for the community to enjoy needs people who choose to support it by becoming a member of the museum. Perks of becoming a member (besides the satisfaction of supporting an important piece of history) include unlimited visits to the museum, visiting the gift shop at any time during opening hours, and special invitations to events.

Joplinhistorical.org/membership

08/20/2026

Have you been meaning to visit the Schifferdecker and Zelleken homes? Make this the day to check out this one-of-a-kind historic house museum!

For first-time visitors we recommend the guided tour which gives a great overview of the history-filled, informative presentation of a piece of Joplin history. Rather explore at your own pace? Self-guided visits are offered as well.

We are open Thursday–Saturday from 11:30am-5:00pm and Sunday from 12:30-4:00pm. Tickets can be reserved at Joplinhistorical.org

Two historical homes built by C. Schifferdecker and E. Zelleken in the 1890s in Joplin, Missouri, open as a museum about Joplin history.

08/15/2026

Although Joplin was a rough and tumble mining town, culture was always present. Edward Zelleken was a major stockholder in the Joplin Opera House Association. He later championed, along with other business leaders, to construct the 1,400-seat Club Theatre. Completed in 1891, this entertainment mecca hosted some of America’s most well-known actors, politicians, and athletes.

Joplin's mining wealth didn't just construct homes, hotels and banks. They also built a stage big enough—and important enough—to draw well-to-do patrons like William Howard Taft before he became president, and featured the likes of boxers John L. Sullivan and “Gentlemen Jim” Corbett, the famous acting Barrymore family, and French stage actress and international superstar Sarah Bernhardt. The Club Theatre was a lively venue for this lead and zinc mining community in southwest Missouri.

The Zelleken Home is where that same wealth lived. Come see it. Visit joplinhistorical.org for more information and tickets.

Photos feature Edward Zelleken and The Club Theatre, formerly located on the southwest corner of 4th Street and Joplin Avenue.

08/14/2026

At the height of her popularity, the Gibson Girl was as well-known as any woman in America. And why not? Her face was stamped everywhere on ashtrays, umbrella stands, dresser sets, whisk-broom holders and china. Created by social satirist and illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, the Gibson Girl, singular, was actually a composite of many vibrant and beautiful young women drawn by Gibson that first appeared in the late 1800s as pen-and-ink drawings on the pages of the weekly magazines. She influenced fashion and hair styles.

To a rapidly expanding middle class, the Gibson Girl embodied the independent spirit of the “new woman.” The nation’s five million working women – many now supporting themselves as typists, thanks to the recent birth of the Re*****on – drew from the fashion template she provided. Of course, crazes that wax hot must eventually cool, and the Gibson Girl was no exception. America’s passion with the Gibson Girl diminished in the wake of WWI but her influence on culture during the 1890s can never be denied.

We have a plate in our collection with a depiction of a cartoon featuring the Gibson Girl. Come see it in person. The plate is located inside the Schifferdecker home, in mother-in-law Frederika Martens’ bedroom. Museum hours and link to ticket sales are in our profile.

08/11/2026

Columns and curves are two identifiable details on the Schifferdecker Home. Brick arches frame windows and doors. Rounded-corner brick was installed on all elevations, a touch that clearly distinguished the Schifferdecker home from all the other homes in the neighborhood. Eight limestone steps lead up to the front porch. This entrance way was secured by four pink granite columns from Barre, Vermont.

Architect Arthur Tappan North wasn't just designing a mansion. He was reconnecting to Charles’ homeland where German castles glistened along the Rhine Valley. North’s arches and rounded-corner brick design were also a tip of the hat to the Romanesque style of America’s renowned architect H.H. Richardson.

Then there's the most recognizable tower. During the 1890s curved glass was expensive, hard to obtain and a challenge to install but North wrapped all the tower windows in it anyway, bending each pane to match the curve instead of piecing it together flat. The home was a massive investment reported in one source to cost around $52,000 to build (somewhere close to $1.5 million today.) A lot of that budget was invested in these unique details to be savored for everyone passing via foot or carriage to admire.

Stop by and admire the architectural details for yourself. Tickets and hours are linked in our profile.