Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc.

Although settlers arrived in the region well before the Civil War, a town did not begin to develop until two miners, E.R. Moffet and John B. Sergeant, sank a shaft in the Joplin Creek valley and struck lead in 1870. The promise of unlimited quantities of lead and quickly-made fortunes lured miners to the area. In the 1890s, Joplin began to evolve from a notorious western mining town into an important city in Missouri. Eastern capitalists and miners who had made millions from their discoveries began to invest in Joplin and build impressive homes in residential districts bordering the downtown area. Unfortunately, progress, urban renewal and neglect ravaged the residential districts as well as downtown Joplin, and many of these architectural treasures remain only as images in books and postcards. Today, a collection of 19th and 20th century residences line two streets, Sergeant and Moffet Avenues, in Joplin’s historic residential district. Just as E.R. Moffet and J.B. Sergeant sparked a mining rush, homeowners have sparked a revitalization trend in the neighborhood. In the last ten years, residents have invested countless hours and money in the once impressive structures to restore them to their former glory. Finding that they had a common interest in historic preservation and a desire to revive the neighborhood that was once one of the most beautiful residential districts in the city, homeowners created a grassroots organization to promote historic preservation throughout the community. The members are dedicated to preserving the collective integrity of the individual historic structures and renewing the vitality of the downtown community. Join Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc., and become a preservationist for Joplin, too.

Get Involved! Join Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc. and help us:
Promote historic preservation in the district and throughout Joplin.
Educate the community about its history.

Annual Membership Categories:
$15 Individual
$50 Business

Why Do People Protect Community Resources?
The residents in 2,300 “certified local government” historic districts in the United States believe that preserving the historic character of the buildings and revitalizing neighborhoods can have a positive economic impact on their cities. Residents in Joplin’s historic district hold the same belief. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that historic preservation plays an important role not only in the heritage of a community, but in the city’s economy as well. Recent studies across America have produced strong evidence that historic districts are making significant contributions to the economic health of cities. The following statistics, from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, typify findings in many of the studies being conducted:

• Historic preservation activities generate more than $1.4 billion of economic activity in Texas each year.

• Rehabilitation of historic properties in Georgia during a five-year period created 7,550 jobs and $201million in earnings.

• Each dollar of Maryland's historic preservation tax credit leverages $6.70 of economic activity within that State.

• In one year, direct and indirect expenditures by heritage tourists in Colorado reached $3.1 billion.

Upcoming events
Holiday Tour of Historic Homes
December 2 and 3, 2006

Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc.
P.O. Box 1332
Joplin, Mo 64802