Rothanbargar operated a brickyard on the site, manufacturing bricks from the clay along Turkey Creek. He supplied bricks for many of Joplin1s early buildings. The Rothanbargar house is an example of the antebellum Federal style. During the Civil War, the home reputedly served as a hospital for wounded Union soldiers, including Lieutenant Reece Crabtree, and as a way station link on the Underground Railroad.