USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 24
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Rev. Cyrus H. Dunlap, of Springfield, preached the dedicatory ser- mon and was assisted by the Rev. W. S. Knight of Carthage. The bell (now in the belfry of the Bethany church, South Joplin) was a gift to the society of .John H. Taylor, who, at that time, was a citizen of Carth- age. At the time the congregation entered its new home the church mem- bership was thirty-five.
THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS
April 26, 1877. the natal day of the three-linked fraternity, was duly celebrated in Joplin. The parade, which included the several lodges of the county and the encampments of Joplin and Carthage, was followed by the exercises at the Tabernacle. The oration of the day was delivered by John W. MeAntire and those who heard the address pronounced it his masterpieee.
THE ANCIENT ORDER OF UNITED WORKMEN
Fraternal insurance, which now is exceedingly popular throughout the land, first came into prominent notice through the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and while that society is not the pioneer in fraternal insurance it may properly be said that it was popularized by this or- ganization.
Joplin Lodge No. 34 was organized November 19, 1877, with the fol- lowing charter members : T. J. Howell, W. B. Halyard, J. C. Faulkender, L. C. Hamilton, H. L. Checkering, John Page, Ira Creech, H. C. Combs,
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Jolın Gibbons, John Rousch, F. L. Combs, Jacob Schlars, W. J. Husted, A. E. MeGregor, S. H. Caldwell, J. C. Gastos, Philip Arnold and L. A. Fillmore.
THE WHITE LEAD WORKS
During the year 1877 the first plant of the White Lead Works was built and from then to now, the lead factory has been the pride of all Joplin and perhaps its most widely-advertised institution.
Prior to the building of these works, lead was smelted by the old process and a considerable portion of the lead fumes went up in smoke ; in fact, the best and most experienced smelters would lose at least one- third of the lead in this manner.
E. O. Bartlett, of Philadelphia, conceived the idea of catching the lead fumes, extraeting them from the smoke and thus save the millions of dollars formerly lost in the smelting process.
For ten years, from 1866 to 1876, he experimented with a process which he had thought out. At length, in 1876, feeling certain that he had worked out the process satisfactorily, he came to Joplin and asked permission of Moffet & Sergeant to erect a small experimental lead fac- tory at the smelter of the Lone Elm Mining & Smelting Company. This firm, quick to see the value of an invention of this kind, granted the permission and the process was attached to all of the eyes in their lead furnaces. The experiment was a success and Mr. Bartlett patented his process.
A company was now organized, consisting of Messrs. E. O. Bartlett, Moffet & Sergeant and Geo. T. Lewis, to build white lead works using the new process. The first plant cost $80,000 and was a frame structure. This factory turned out a high grade of lead spelter and also manufae- tured pure and sublimated white lead which is sold in all the markets of the world ; the United States government is a purchaser from this factory, using the Joplin white lead to paint the battleships of the navy. The lead works are now owned and operated by the Picher Lead Company. A further mention of this wonderful process will be made in our notes of the last decade.
THE GRANBY SMELTER
During the fall of 1877 the Granby Mining and Smelting Company erected a large furnace in Lone Elm. This smelter employed a large force of men and smelted the lead from their lands, but during the 'eighties the plant was abandoned and torn down.
THE JOPLIN OPERA HOUSE
The Blackwell (Joplin) Opera House was built in 1877, and was for its time a niee show-house. The amusement hall occupied the second floor of a business block between First and Second, and H. H. Haven was the manager of the theater. The house was opened September 17th, with Blanche De Barr in "Fair Women." The Joplin was a popular
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show house until the middle 'eighties, and a number of old-time stars appeared before its footlights, among them Fay Templeton and Blind Tom.
THE "HIERALD"
On March 4, 1877. the Sunday Herald made its first appearance in Joplin and was published as a weekly until November, when it was changed to a daily and continued as such nntil 1901, when it consoli- dated with the Daily Nous under the name of the Joplin News-Herald.
The Herald was ably edited by A. W. Carson, more commonly known as Kit Carson, and from its beginning was a popular sheet. Mr. Car- son was quick to see the funny side of life and often chronicled the happenings of the day in a humorous vein. He, too, had a faculty of knowing what was news and its columns were both interesting and spicy. Politically, the Herald was Democratic. In compiling the remaining pages of this book the author will quote frequently from the Herald, a full file of which is at the Carnegie Library. a gift to that institution by Mr. Carson some years before his death.
THE MINERS' BANK
In 1877 the private banking house of P. Murphy & Company opened its doors to the public. Patrick Murphy was its president and Frank Kershaw cashier. A year later Mr. Murphy became associated with T. K. Tootle of St. Joseph, T. K. Hanna of Kansas City, and C. H. Brew- ster of Boonville, and its name was changed to the Miners' Bank, which was chartered as a state institution. The officers of the reorganized in- stitution were: P. Murphy, president ; C. II. Brewster, vice president ; Frank Kershaw, cashier.
The great confidence which the citizens of Joplin had in Pat Murphy, together with the financial reputation of the Tooles of St. Joseph brought to the bank a large business.
JOPLIN GAS WORKS
On September 19, 1876, C. E. Gray, Henry Flood and A. B. Bowman, of St. Louis, met with the city council in special session and submitted a proposition to erect gas works in Joplin and pipe it through the city. The proposition seemed fair and was accepted, an ordinance granting a franchise being passed by that body. C. J. Lewis of Lawrence, Kansas, a construction engineer of ability, was engaged to superintend the work. Material for the construction was at once ordered and in Decem- ber the work of laying mains and building the plant was commenced. On March 4th, the same day that the Herald made its first publication, fires were placed in the benches, and on the 24th day of the same month Joplin was illuminated for the first time. The Herald in its issue of March 25th says: "The gas works were completed a few days ago and gas turned into the main for the first time last night. Considering that
1
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it is the first production of the works, it burns exceedingly well. This is the grandest feather that has ever been stuck in Joplin's cap. The speedy manner in which the works have been pushed forward to com- pletion merits for the company the thanks of the citizens of this eity."
The gas plant and reservoir were located between the two towns on Joplin ereek just south of Broadway. C. J. Lewis, the superintendent of the works, remained with the company until 1887, when he accepted a similar position with the Hannibal Water Company, of IIannibal, Mis- souri.
THE FRANCIS MURPHY MOVEMENT
The early months of 1878 saw in Joplin a great temperance revival in the Murphy Red Ribbon Movement which swept over the country that year. The meetings were held in the Tabernacle and for three months were nightly attended by thousands of people, the house not being able to hold the vast audienees that nightly crowded the old church build- ing. This movement resulted in a closing of the Sunday saloon for a time and was the beginning of a movement to close the stores on Sun- day. Twelve thousand men in Joplin signed the pledge and joined the Red Ribbon Club during this temperance erusade.
THE OLD SKATING RINK
Early in the fall of 1877 the roller skate made its first appearance in Joplin and a rink was opened in the old Tabernacle, the chairs being carried out during the week and brought back for the Sunday services. One half of the proceeds of the skating rink went to the church. The amusement became very popular and was enjoyed both by old and young.
On December 31, 1877, a skating contest was held, the following per- sons being entered : E. D. Porter, Mayor F. C. Williams, Wm. Pyle, George Good, Frank Bingham, Rev. J. C. Plumb, Marshal Cass Hamil- ton, Dorie Davis and C. W. Glover.
Mesdames J. C. Shepherd, G. B. Revis, G. A. Case, J. C. Mason, A. C. Pyle and C. J. Lewis.
Misses Sue Leonard, now Mrs. A. H. Warte, Fannie Davis and Miss Blackwill.
E. D. Porter was voted the most graceful skater and was the social lion of the evening.
FIRE DEPARTMENT REORGANIZED
On October 5, 1877, a fire broke out on the east side of West Main street between Third and Fourth and destroyed the entire block, the loss being estimated at $50,000.00. The fire department responded, but the only good that was accomplished was the saving of other buildings on the opposite side of the street. This fire impressed the city with the necessity for an improvement in the fire service and the department was increased and reorganized ; that is, more men were enlisted in the volun-
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teer companies, so that it would be easier to run with the apparatus to the fire.
The following were the members of the new company : Foreman, F. M. Chinnourth ; first assistant foreman, E. Tsehappler ; second assistant foreman, W. J. Ruseh.
Truckmen : G. B. Carney. John Houk, Sol Wallace and Win. Chappen.
Pumpmen : J. Anderson, F. A. Taylor, S. Shellenbarger, F. Hiatt, T. Turtling, J. Grant, D. A. Fox, and C. Adams.
Nozzlenien : D. Chennawith. A. L. Willia. J. N. Dunnigan and J. W. Johnson.
Linemen : JJ. Shellenbarger, D. Hood, G. W. Mitchell and L. A. Hin- ton.
Officers : President, Walter Miller ; secretary, A. O. Tennis ; treasurer, L. A. Fillmore. The last named man, L. A. Fillmore, was a fire fighter of experience having been a member of the Elsworth famous Fire Zou- aves in Chicago, and was from the organization of the volunteer depart- ment in 1872 to the day the paid department was established in 1893 a member of the volunteer fire department.
THE JOPLIN EXPOSITION
In July, 1879, the Joplin Exposition Company was organized by the leading business men of Joplin and with the following officers : President, S. C. Henderson ; vice president, John C. Guinn; secretary, T. A. Me- Cleland ; treasurer, P. Murphy ; general superintendent, Isaae N. Lamb. A forty aere traet of land in the southwestern part of the city was pur- ehased and a race track, agricultural hall, grandstand and stables were built. The first fair was held from October 14th to 18th inelusive and was a marked sueeess.
HARMON'S FOUNDRY AND LECKIE'S MACHINE WORKS
1877 also saw the building of another important industry, the Har- mon foundry. This institution was greatly weleomed in Joplin, because it brought to the mining district a plant where the mining machinery and heavy eastings used in the mines could be made at home. The next year, William Leekie established the Joplin Machine Works and, in addition to a foundry, put in a complete machine shop and boiler works. These two plants gave Joplin excellent facilities for the making and quiek re- pair of heavy machinery.
The following little sketch of the old Harmon Foundry was written for us by the proprietor; the proprietor of the Joplin foundry was Mr. W. S. Harmon, who came to Joplin in June, 1877, from Vandalia, Illi- nois, where he had operated a foundry for eleven years. "In coming to Joplin I experieneed trouble in getting a location to build a foundry. No land owners wanted to sell what I wanted, one aere, and told me that Joplin was not a manufacturing but a mining town. There was not a manufactory here ontside of the lead smelters. I was about to abandon the idea of building a foundry and go to Wiehita, Kansas, when I met
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Mr. E. R. Moffet, president of the Lone Elin Mining & Smelting Com- pany, on June 3, 1877. He wanted to know what I was doing about building the foundry. My reply was 'I have the building contracted, but no place to put it.' Mr. Moffet's reply was: ' If that's all you want, select your location and I will give you a lease free for twenty-five years.' I asked him, 'When will you do it ?' He said 'Tonight. Meet me at the company's office, Fourth and Main streets, and I will have our attorney. Mr. L. P. Cunningham. draw up the lease.' The lease being made, the first foundry building was commeneed July 4. 1877, and the first iron was melted August 15, 1877. The first molders employed were John Fra- zer ; John Rogers, now of the Rogers foundry ; Lewis Lilley, apprentice ; Robert Whittle, engineer. These men came with me from Vandalia, Illi- nois. The first patternmaker to work in Joplin was John McGuire.
"The foundry continued in successful operation until April 3, 1880. The White Lead Works were burned April 3, 1880, and this fire de- stroyed my foundry after I had successfully demonstrated that a foundry could be run here and made to pay. Just as quick as I could count my dollars, I contracted with Mr. Joseph Wooten to build me a store and brick building, one hundred by sixty feet, which was finished and put in operation August 20, 1880. I continued to operate this foundry and machine shop until September 1, 1886, when I leased it to Mr. John Schellenbeek for three years. During the time I operated the foundry I thought I made so much money that I would have to go to California to invest it. I went and returned in time to take my foundry and machine shop back from Mr. John Schellenbeck, and then continued to operate it until September 1, 1893. I then sold it to Messrs. James McKinney and Ross King, and, under their management the property was again de- stroyed by fire and never rebuilt."
THE SCHOOLS
East Joplin-At the spring election of 1877 Prof. S. A. Underwood, of the East Joplin school, was cleeted county school commissioner and was succeeded by James A. Race, who was a scholar of high attainments and whose administration was highly satisfactory. G. W. Mckinney was principal of the school in 1878 and Theodore H. Riffey in 1879.
West Joplin-Prof. J. C. Mason of the Carthage schools was employed as superintendent of the West Joplin schools in the spring of 1877 and at once organized a high school in the Ferguson hall.
For the fall term the Christian church was rented and a canvas partition strung across the center of the church, thus dividing the main audienee room into two parts. Professor Mason taught the high school in one end of the church and L. Z. Barr, the Christian minister, taught the seventh and eighth grades in the other end of the room. The Old Brick, the Fourth street frame and the Smelter Hill sehools were also used, making a total of eight teachers in the West side school.
In the spring of 1878 the first public school exhibition took place in Vol. I-14
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the Tabernaele. One thousand people were in attendance. Miss Alma Sergeant, later Mrs. C. Craycroft, read the salutatory address and Jack Dolan, C. B. Revis and others who later became prominent in Joplin life, took part. Before the arranging of a regular high school course of study it was customary for the pupils to go, before the county school commis- sioner and take the regular teacher's examination, the certificate, if granted, taking the place of a diploma. The first pupils in the Joplin school to take the examination and successfully pass were James R. Thomas and Fannie Paddoek.
In 1878 Mrs. Milner established a Young Ladies Seminary and this was largely attended. In 1878 the original two rooms of the old Central building were constructed and Joplin elosed out the first decade with five school buildings (in its three districts) and employed fourteen teachers.
CITY POLITICS
The following city officers served Joplin from October, 1877, to Oc- tober, 1878: Mayor, F. E. Williams; eouneilmen-C. F. Taylor, C. J. G. Workizer, I. W. Gilbert. W. II. Kilgore, M. Clark, George Parks, W. L. Cole, E. Rayner (removed), L. M. Abbott (to fill vacancy) and A. W. Pyle (to fill vaeaney caused by resignation of Ira W. Gilbert). Marshal, L. C. Hamilton ; police judge, W. B. MeAntire; city attorney, John C. Trigg ; treasurer, G. W. Alway ; clerk, J. P. Newell ; collector. T. A. Me- Clelland ; assessor, P. L. Swartz; street commissioner, T. M. Fall.
The election of October, 1877, was a hot one. Sixteen hundred yards of muslin were used for banners and every candidate had from five to a dozen haeks with which to carry the voters to the polls.
Officers from October, 1878, to October, 1879 : Mayor, R. M. Roberts; couneilmen, W. H. Kilgore, C. T. Taylor, D. C. MeConey, Geo. Parker, Julius Hewitt, J. E. Guthrey, William Allen and W. E. Manard ; mar- shal, L. C. Hamilton, police judge. W. B. MeAntire : city attorney. JJ. C. Trigg ; treasurer, A. C. Pyle; eity clerk, J. C. Chatterman : collector, F. E. Williams ; assessor, J. W. Davis, and street commissioner, F. M. Fall.
A. C. Pyle, the treasurer, was a miner who had met with the mis- fortune of losing his eyesight by going back on a premature shot, and the boys in sympathy, although blind, eleeted him treasurer. The Miners' Bank kept the books for him and he drew the salary in the nature of a pension from the boys on the ground.
Officers from October, 1879, to October, 1880: Mayor, W. E. Maynard ; councilmen, C. F. Taylor (removed), Thomas Connor (elected to fill the vacancy ), W. L. Harris, Hugh Dyer, L. Horr, P. J. Cyphert, J. A. Hewitt. L. A. Fillmore and J. E. Guthrey; marshal, L. C. Hamilton ; police judge, W. B. MeAntire ; city attorney, F. M. Redburn ; treasurer, A. C. Pyle ; city clerk, J. P. Newell; collector. F. E. Williams, and street commissioner, T. W. Fall.
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WILLIE WATSON'S CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS
The following little story illustrates the tender side of the miner's life and is one of hundreds of pathetie incidents which might be related of early Joplin.
Among the men prominent in the early business life of Joplin was William Watson, who operated a bus and carriage line. During the quiet times of the later 'seventies his business fell off, and although not many people knew it, he was on the verge of financial ruin. For sev- eral days prior to Christian of 1879 he had been morose and down-hearted and his old-time friends missed his droll stories and side-splitting jokes. Christmas eve he was standing in front of Billy Teet's saloon and some of the boys asked him why he was so quiet at so merry a time, and he told them of his busines failure. Some one said, "Bill, why don't you hang up your stocking; maybe Santa will put something in it?" Bill replied that he believed he'd do it. It was a happy thought. A. B. McCarty, Matt Stafford, Kit Carson and a few others hurried out and got half a dozen gunny sacks and, making a large ten-foot stocking hung it in front of the Joplin Hotel and labeled it "Willie Watson's Stocking." What Bill intended for a joke now became a reality. His old butcher friend, Bill Beal, came by and dropped in the stocking several links of fresh bologna. A grocer came by and catching the spirit left a sack of flour. A feed man came and dropped by the stocking a couple of bales of hay and a hundred weight of chop. The fever was catching and every man who went by put something in the stocking, or on the ground near by, and Christmas morning Bill Watson took to his barn two wagon loads of feed, groceries and wearing apparel which had been given him, and he used to say that the little bit of a joke tided him over the crisis.
RIVALRY BETWEEN JOPLIN AND CARTHAGE
During the 'seventies and the 'eighties there was consederable rivalry between Joplin and Carthage and the papers of each occasionally took a good natured dig at each other. The following little clipping from the News in August, 1878, illustrates the pleasure the papers took in com- menting on each other: "A couple of Joplin men went up to the county seat several nights ago, became somewhat hilarious and created an ex- citement second only to the hanging of Ables. The good old burg of Carthage makes a nine-day wonder over a little affair like the kicking over of a stove, smashing a few chairs, stopping telegraphic communica- tion for a few minutes, and a three-dollar fine in the police court. Wait until the M. & W. opens its heart and gives Joplin an excursion, and then call out the Light Guards."
WEBB CITY
Webb City, the second city of Jasper county in point of population, like Joplin, had its beginning in the 'seventies and came into existence as a result of the great mining industry. John C. Webb was the founder
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of the city and around his name clusters the early history of that im- portant mining eenter.
Mr. Webb was a native of Tennessee and the second of a large family of children. He was brought up on the farm and received his education in the log schoolhouses of that day. In January, 1849, he married Miss Ruth T. Davis. In 1856 he and his wife eame to Jasper county and set- tled near the head of Turkey creek, the Webb cemetery east of Harmony Grove being on the old home place.
In 1857 he entered two hundred aeres of land where the original Webb City was later laid out. At that time, however, Mr. Webb never dreamed that the land for which he paid the government a few hundred dollars would ere long yield him a snug fortune. He gradually added to his original entry until he was, at the begining of Webb City, the owner of half a section.
During the war he served in the Confederate army, responding to Governor Jackson's eall for volunteers to defend Missouri and entering the southern army at the expiration of his term of service with the State Guard. After the war he returned home and again worked his farm.
LEAD DISCOVERED
In June, 1873, while plowing corn, he accidentally turned up a good sized chunk of lead and in the fall, when the erops were in, began pros- peeting, but with little snecess on account of the water. The next year he put in his erop as usual and after it was gathered purchased a pump and other necessary machinery and, in the parlanee of the miner "beat the water." The pump worked to perfection and in a few days the water was out and the shaft drained sufficiently to go in the ground. The second day after he began work in the old shaft a chunk of lead weighing over one thousand pounds was hoisted. From then until now the mining industry has been pushed and today the mines of Webb City have a world-wide reputation.
In July, 1875, Mr. Webb platted the original town of Webb City. In the original dedication Mr. Webb reserved a block for a church and pub- lie sehool site, the old Central building standing on the block donated by the founder of the city. Webb City grew so rapidly that the next year four additions to the eity were platted and in 1877 six more additions were opened to the public. During that year the eity had a building boom and at the elose of its first five years growth had some two thous- and inhabitants-1,588 within the city limits and from 400 to 600 just outside, but properly a part of the town.
Mr. Webb did not mine the land on which he discovered the first lead, but leased it to a company, and before he died was one of the county's millionaires, made so by the royalties from the mines and the sale of town lots.
G. P. ASIICRAFT
G. P. Asheraft was the first man to sink a shaft on the Center Creek land and also marketed the first carload of ore from the Webb City dis-
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trict. The following little reminiscence which appeared in the Joplin Daily Globe, Sunday, July 30, 1875, illustrates the important part Mr. Ashcraft played in the early history of Webb City.
In having the man who "windlassed," cleaned and shipped the first wagon- load of ore ever marketed from here, and then within less than forty years wit- nessing the growth of the mines on that particular bit of ground expand until now over ten million dollars' worth of ore has been shipped from the Center creek mines, probably gave Granville P. Ashcraft, the pioneer who died a few days ago, a much better chance to witness the activities and accomplishments of life than did Methuselah, reputed to have spent more years on earth than any other man on record.
For in these days of modern achievement, the events of a man's life follow each other with such lightening-like rapidity that a single year in the century now passing has become much more than the equivalent of one hundred years in the patriarchal days when that oldest man of ancient history moved along his quiet and uneventful path.
The distinction that came to Mr. Ashcraft, of making the first sale of lead from Webb City, was, however, like many of the events that make history for individuals and communities, more of chance than of design. For the writer well remembers how, in a conversation with this pioneer citizen whose death all Webb City mourns, he recalled how his coming to Webb City, instead of prospecting elsewhere, was very much the whim of a moment.
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