One of the first settlers of significance in the Joplin area was the Reverend Harris G Joplin who settled in the area in 1839. The minister held Methodist church services in his home for other area pioneers. He died tragically young, but left a considerable impact on people. His impact was so significant that John Cox named the town after him in 1870. Sadly Pastor Harris Joplin’s son Wilbur Joplin rode with Quantrill’s raiders and the James boy’s (sons of another prominent minister) in the civil war and after. Leaving a legacy of death and destruction that is still talked about today.

In 1870, a large lead strike was discovered on Joplin creek which brought many miners to the area and numerous mining camps sprang up. John C. Cox filed a town site plan on the east side of the valley which was quickly populated by many businesses. In 1873, the city was incorporated. Nearby Carthage resident, Patrick Murphy filed another town plan on the west side of the valley, calling it Murphysburg. Before long, a fierce rivalry sprang up between the two towns, but before it could get out of hand, the Missouri State General Assembly combined the municipalities in 1873. The historic Murphysburg district is the last remnant of this short lived town.

With the large influx of miners and money, Joplin was a wild frontier style town, filled with saloons, dance halls, gambling establishments, and brothels. By the turn of the century, the town had become a hub of the region with many fine hotels and restaurants replacing many of these more bawdy establishments. Joplin became t lead and zinc capital of the world, with many fine homes built by the thriving businessmen. Moffet and Sergeant Streets were lined with gracious homes that became the subject of many postcards and tourist stops.

After World War II, most of the mines were closed and population growth leveled off. In the interest of “urban renewal,” 40 acres of Joplin’s historic down area was razed in the 1960s and 1970s, taking with it several of its landmarks like the magnificent Conner Hotel. In spite of these losses many historic Buildings still exist in Joplin including the Newman Mercantile Store building, a landmark since 1910, and now called home to Joplin’s City Hall, Ongoing restorations on the Zahn, Ridgway and Miles-Block Buildings along with completed restorations of many residences and warehouses turned condo’s and restaurants shows great promise for a rebirth of Joplin’s historic downtown and the homes that surround it. Time will tell what the next chapter is in the story of these hundred year old beauties that are historic Joplin.