Jmag March - April 2016 by Joplin Metro Magazine

15 Big Places, Small Spaces

48 Just Junkin’

34 Local Real Estate Pros You Should Know

52 Glossary of History & Architecture

38 Photo Spiva Kids

56 Day Trippin’

44 Erimish Bracelet Bar

62 Pet Tales

HEAD WRITER Amanda Stone

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Roger Nomer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS David O’Neill Brad Belk Bobbie Pottorff

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Courtney Adams Regina Carnahan Brian Huntley Justin Oden

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Mitzi Starkweather Laurie Sisk Andra Stefanoni Bobbie Potorff Terri-Lynn Frasher

JMAG | MARCH • APRIL

LAYOUT/DESIGN Brian Huntley Gina Langston

THE JOPLIN GLOBE PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Mike Beatty 417.627.7291 mbeatty@joplinglobe.com EDITOR Carol Stark 417.627.7278 cstark@joplinglobe.com JMAG EDITOR Kevin McClintock 417.627.7279 kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com

In each issue: 9 The 10 Spot 8 & 13 The Scene 65 The J List 66 The Parting Shot

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Brent A. Powers 417.627.7233 bpowers@joplinglobe.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jack Kaminsky 417.627.7341 jkaminsky@joplinglobe.com JMAG is a publication of Newspaper Holdings, Inc. and is published bi-monthly. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be produced in whole or in part without the written permission from the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter. The publisher assumes

MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

Letterfrom the

Editor

There are a million sayings out there, floating around the Internet, about a person’s most prized possession — their home. One of my favorites is this one: “The home should be the treasure chest of living.” I was fortunate enough to grow up in the same house from childhood into early adulthood, living in a small two-bedroom home in Carterville. From there, I lived in a string of single-room apartments: in Miami, Oklahoma, in Bentonville, Arkansas and nearby Fayetteville. I loved those apartments. They were small and cozy; more importantly, they were exactly what I needed at that time in my life. Sure, the tissue-thin walls were annoying when the neighbors sharing my kitchen wall decided to have their weekly parties; or when my senior neighbor upstairs blasted out reruns of “Price is Right” just after midnight; but not having to worry about mowing a lawn was a huge plus! Later on in life, I would graduate up to a townhouse here in Joplin and, later, a rented house with a good friend of mine down in Rogers, Arkansas. But it wasn’t until I got married that I finally owned my first home in northern Joplin, a four-bedroom house that is in every way a castle compared to my matchbox-sized apartments of old. As you can probably guess, homes are the subject of this latest edition of JMAG. We offer you fives packages on five unique 6

JMAG | MARCH • APRIL

homes in our area: a historic home, a haunted home, a renovated home, a berm home and, finally, a loft, the latter being all the rage in downtown Joplin. On top of that, we profile nearly a dozen other homes, ranging from the Lustron house and the Sky High Castle here in Joplin to Caveland and the sprawling Pensmore Mansion outside Joplin. We also have a story on the current housing market in Joplin while the 10-Spot is dedicated to a number of unique “places and spaces,” ranging from the Carthage Underground to the Joplin Carnegie Library. Elsewhere in the magazine you’ll see the photographic handiwork of 14 area children who participated in this year’s PhotoSpiva Kids class. You’ll likely agree with us that all of them have a bright future in the arts! You’ll also read about a Joplin woman who babysits beloved pets while their owners are away, a popular bracelet bar in downtown Joplin and a woman who owns an acre of whimsy garden art that’s called “Chaos.” Remember, if you have an interesting idea for a story, or if you know someone who would make a great subject for a feature, don’t hesitate to contact us or leave a message. You can reach me at kmcclintock@ joplinglobe.com, by mail at JMAG, 117 E. Fourth St., Joplin, Mo. 64801 or by calling us at 417.627.7279.

Kevin McClintock Editor, J MAG

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The

Scene Photography by Roger Nomer

Anita Flannigan (left) greets her neighbor, Irene VanGilder, during the Jasper County Courthouse’s birthday. Irene’s late husband, Marvin, was honored during the ceremony. A previous courthouse was burned during the Civil War, when federal and rebel forces fought in the streets around the building in 1863.

Carthage Junior High choir members sing “Happy Birthday” during the courthouse’s 175th birthday. Built in 1895, the Jasper County Courthouse remains one of the Show-Me State’s most ornate structures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Members of the Turkey Creek Fusiliers Civil War re-enactor Color Guard bow their heads for prayer during the 175th birthday celebration of the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage. It’s one of the most beautiful buildings found in Jasper County, and it’s also one of the most photographed buildings in Missouri, coming in second only to the green-domed courthouse found in downtown St. Louis.

JMAG | MARCH • APRIL

MAY 2015 | JMAG

The

TenSpot Written and photographed by Kevin McClintock

Ten unique structures You’ll read about some truly remarkable homes in our cover section later on in the magazine, and there were so many cool “places and spaces” in our area, we had to collect them here. So, without further ado, here are 10 very cool, very unique structures — some homes, some inns, some businesses — found in or around Joplin.

Kendrick House in Carthage

Upon first sight, the little brick house on the edge of Carthage doesn’t look like a 100-plus year old building. But make no mistake, the Kendrick House, built in 1849, has seen it share of history — and spilled blood — over the decades. It was used, for example, as headquarters by the South during the Civil War. Confederate soldiers kept their horses housed inside the house — hoof prints can still be seen today etched into the wood floor. Wounded soldiers were operated upon a wooden table — some surviving their war wounds, others being not so lucky. A slave woman was hanged in the garden out back. Slave families lived inside a two-room house at the back of the property, linked by a brick pathway long since overgrown. Today, this Victorian, two-story home is the oldest standing building in Jasper County. It survived both the war and the burning of Carthage. It’s also the county’s most haunted structure. Over the years, residents living inside the house and neighbors surrounding it have reported strange occurrences, from disembodied voices to seeing strange, shadowy figures outside. Inside lives a spirit, many think, named Carol — Carol Sue Janney, the daughter of Carl Jr. and Lucy Janney, who died of polio in the house back in 1936. Today, the house serves as a living museum and is available for tours (by appointment).

Bonnie and Clyde Apartment

When Bonnie and Clyde and their friends had their infamous shoot-out with Joplin authorities on April 13, 1933, it left behind far more than scattered bullet casings and bad memories. Even as Southwest Missouri residents mourned the loss of two fallen lawmen — Det. Harry McGinnis and Constable J.W. Harryman — authorities were slowly gathering together a sizable amount of “souvenirs” left behind by the fleeing fugitives after abandoning their rented E. 34th Street apartment in south Joplin. It included parole papers, Bonnie’s handwritten poetry, some jewelry that today is on display inside the Joplin Museum Complex, an arsenal of weapons as well as a camera. Photos from this confiscated camera, developed by the Joplin Globe, included the enduring image of Bonnie Parker staring at the camera, pistol in her hand, foot on the bumper of a stolen Ford, cigar clamped solidly between her teeth. The collected evidence would help authorities track down, ambush and kill the lovestruck duo along a state highway in backwater Louisiana nearly a year later. Despite being linked to the deaths of nine people, however, the couple in love would forever be remembered as America’s first celebrity criminals. And thanks to their stay and shoot-out at the 34th Street apartment (which is privately owned), Joplin is now a key destination spot for national — and even international — Bonnie and Clyde enthusiasts.

MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

5. The Underground in Carthage

The Carthage Underground, most of it owned and operated by Americold, is a collection of marble quarries encompassing 43 million square feet: much of it occupied by warehouses and factories for food production and storage. The temperature deep beneath the ground sits at 60 degrees year-round, though in some places, due to artificial refrigeration, the temperature dips as low as -30 degrees. Now, those are the facts. From here, urban legend takes over, as some claim the Carthage Underground stretches for more than 20 miles, reaching out from under Carthage and reaching as far away as Joplin. It is also said this sprawling complex is home to its own ecosystem, with underground lakes hosting turtles, fish and other cave-dwelling species. The Underground (insert X-Files music here) is also alleged to hold secret government bunkers, capable of keeping safe state and federal officials from harm should disaster ever strike. The Underground is located just off Civil War Road in north Carthage.

4. 10

Mission Hills Mansion at Missouri Southern State University

It’s called the Mansion, but it was actually the home of Lucius P. Buck and Ethel Caywood Buchanan. Like so many people did in the area, Buchanan obtained a fortune from mining zinc, and this beautifully-preserved structure on the campus of Missouri Southern State University became their home. Built in 1926, the two-story, 11-room building was modeled in the Spanish Revival décor, and mimicked similar homes found in California and Puerto Rico. By 1965, after the property became the landing spot for the new Missouri Southern College campus, the Mansion was converted into offices for faculty and the college’s first cafeteria. It soon became the office for President Leon Billingsly. From there, it would serve as the home of the school of business (1969-1980) as well as the social sciences department (19871992). Today, the building serves as the Ralph L. Gray Alumni Center following a remodel. It remains the oldest structure found on the ever-growing university campus. JMAG | MARCH • APRIL

Joplin Carnegie Library

When you think of the Joplin Public Library, you think of the sprawling building taking up the former footprint of the historic Connor Hotel, which opened in 1981 and has served the needs of the Joplin area through the turn of a new century. But with the much anticipated move of the library to its new digs along 20th Street, we tend to forget about the library’s original location (Ninth and Wall Streets) and structure (Neo-Classical Revival style). The Joplin Public Library District was established in 1902, when local residents voted for a 10-cent tax to operate a public library. The famed Carnegie Foundation green-lit a $40,000 grant to pay for the three-leveled library’s construction. It served the public’s literary needs until 1981. During that time, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (in 1979). A plaque reads: “The gift of Andrew Carnegie to the City of Joplin 1902.” The Joplin library was actually just one of 33 built throughout Missouri. Two other Carnegie libraries exist in Jasper County, and both of them are still being used for their original intended purpose. The first one is located at 321 W. 7th St. in Carthage, built in 1902. The other is located in nearby Webb City, at 101 S. Liberty, and built in 1913. Other Carnegie libraries exist in Springfield, Aurora and Nevada.

John C. Cox home

Founding father John C. Cox’s home at 615 Persimmon in Joplin is an example of a modified Dutch Colonial style, incorporating a gambrel roof, according to Belk. What becomes interesting is how this early East Coast, 18th Century style was reinvented and adopted in Southwest Missouri. The outside walls of this antebellum home are five bricks thick. Fireplaces are found at both the east and west ends of the home. The prominent hill the house occupies was referred to at one time as “Wig Hill.” Located north of the house is Cox Cemetery, which dates back to 1857. During the late 1990s, this historical treasure received the Rozier Award from the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation. The home’s original builder and owner, John Chandler Cox, was an extraordinary historical figure. He wore many hats during his life — county judge, justice of the peace, postmaster and platter of a town east of Joplin Creek in 1871. Cox selected the name of “Joplin” in honor of his former friend and neighbor, Methodist minister Harris G. Joplin, according to Belk. The home is located in North Joplin at 698 N. Mineral Ave.

Union Depot

With the possible exception of the now gone Connor Hotel, no Joplin-based structure has generated more interest over the last 50 years than the Joplin Union Depot. Despite being abandoned for decades, the hollowed-out and graffiti-scarred building continues to be one of the city’s true architectural gems. From the moment it opened in 1911, to the time passengers boarded the very last train in the winter of 1969, thousands of trains and tens of thousands of people have passed through this building. The very first train to chug into the station was a Kansas & Texas (Katy) railroad train No. 83 at 10:30 p.m. on July 1, 1911, with fireworks and skyrockets exploding overhead. More than 2,500 spectators from around the area came out to see the smiling passengers disembark. Designed by the Canadian-born architect Louis Curtiss, the station was the subject of a feature story in a 1912 edition of Popular Mechanics, due to the fact that the building’s concrete slabs had been mixed with local mining waste. In recognition for its beauty in a time when few buildings of its type still existed in Missouri, the Union Depot was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in the spring of 1973. There have been several attempts to revitalize the building, either as a museum or center for arts and recreation. But until a proper decision is made, the building remains closed to the public. You can catch a great view of this grand old lady, however, from the East Broadway Street viaduct.

World’s Largest Small Electric Appliance Museum in Diamond Inside J.R.’s Western Wear store between Carthage and Diamond on State Highway 59, through a door at the very back of the store, sits the “World’s Largest Small Electrical Appliance Museum.” Owned by J.R.’s owner Richard Larrison, it serves as one of the area’s most unique spaces. This three-room museum houses approximately 3,500 small electric appliances, ranging from 700 toasters to an impressive array of waffle irons. It’s arguably one of the most diverse grouping of 20th Century American electric appliances found anywhere in the nation. There are also large assortments of coffee pots, hot plates, blenders, mixers, razors, hair dryers, popcorn poppers, hot dog cookers and fans. MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

Redings Mill Inn

It’s one of the oldest buildings still standing today in Southwest Missouri. Built in 1872, and located at 102 Broadline Blvd., the white building with the distinct red-colored roof in Redings Mill has survived a fire, a flood and visits from notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. Over the years, the building has served as a key agriculture mill where flour was ground up for area farmers, a country club, a restaurant as well as a bed and breakfast. Just minutes after a famed shootout in south Joplin between Bonnie and Clyde and their gang and Joplin and county law enforcement, the outlaws were motoring south when Clyde, driving while wounded, barely missed the curve in the road approaching the Redings Mill Bridge. They nearly ended up in the middle of Shoal Creek. As it was, they made the turn, motored across the bridge, flew right past Redings Mill Inn and managed to live for at least another year. Today, the Inn is a popular bar and grill.

10.

Joplin Bauhaus Office

The Bauhaus school began in 1919, when iconic German architect Walter Gropius fused together the Weimar Academy of Fine Arts and the Weimar School of Arts and Crafts, according to Brad Belk, director of the Joplin Museum Complex. At the Bauhaus (“Bau” meaning building and “haus” meaning house), students were taught to unify art, design and construction to showcase the concept of “form following function.” Dr. Mark Woodin selected the Bauhaus style of clean geometric lines and rectangular, offset thin metal-framed windows for his new office, located at 2228 Maiden Lane. Woodin’s original office was an unfortunate casualty of the 2011 tornado. Woodin took the opportunity to make a fresh start as well as to make an architectural statement with his newly-designed building. He loves the finished product and has recognized other buildings adopting many of the same Bauhaus features, according to Belk. 12

JMAG | MARCH • APRIL

A steady and strong housing market

The

Scene Photography by Willis Brown

By Bobbie Pottorff

Housing sales in the Joplin area have remained reasonably steady in the aftermath of the 2011 tornado. “The average number of home sales during the past four years is $900 to $1,000 per year in Joplin alone,” says Lori Salchow, a realtor with Pro100 Realty in Joplin. Today, the benchmark for pretty much everything related to housing in Joplin is the tornado of May, 2011. And Salchow says home sales in the southern part of the city are still leading those on the northern side ever since that dark and violent day. “There are, on average, twice as many homes sold in the ‘tornado area’ than in the northern parts of Joplin,” she says. Part of those numbers can be attributed to the Joplin Housing Assistance Program, or JHAP. JHAP was established to help homebuyers re-populate the area wiped out by the storm. Qualified, low-income homebuyers can obtain financial assistance, up to $35,000, toward the purchase of a new or existing home. Salchow says the funds have contributed significantly to rebuilding Joplin’s tornado zone. “As of May, 2015, $7.4 million in funding has been awarded to homeowners, resulting in 281 home sales for the JHAP program alone,” says Salchow. Housing sales in the areas surrounding Joplin have remained consistent since 2012. Salchow says that often times there are reasons homebuyers search for a particular location and that they generally have a good idea of where they want to be and why. “It is dependent on school districts and extracurricular activities if the buyers have children,” Salchow says. “Sometimes I find with aging couples, being close to the hospitals or medical facilities are most important. After the tornado, selling in Joplin was more difficult due to the shortage of homes, and complications of the schools setting up temporary locations.” The types of homes people are choosing over the past few years have also remained consistent when it comes to the price range. “Homes for sale in the $100,000 to $140,000 range have been in the highest demand, be it new construction or existing homes,” says Salchow. “But there is a good mix of homes being sold, except in the tornado zone, which is predominantly new construction homes.” Another great factor for homebuyers and sellers in the area is the low crime rate. Carl Junction is on the list for the 50 safest cities in Missouri. “We are fortunate that violent crime rates in our area are very low, and that is an asset for our communities,” says Salchow. “Most local buyers are already educated about the crime statistics for Joplin and the surrounding areas. However, our buyers who are relocating from other parts of the country will often ask us about the crime rate in the area.” But the best feedback Salchow gets when selling houses is from outof-town buyers. “They say how friendly and helpful people are in our area,” she says. “As a realtor and resident of this community, it makes me so proud knowing that we have such genuine, kind people who are always willing to lend a hand to someone in need.”

Leah Gagno n, an instru ctor with Dow Yoga on the ntown 500 block of Main Street, through a ro goes utine with Li ndsey Tagg art.

Taggart listen closely as Leah Michelle Kleinheider (left) and Lindsey routine. Gagnon instructs prior to a stretching

Deep in med

itation — “A

nd breathe.

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Columnist The year 2015 was a really good year for the local real estate market. Nationally speaking, and following the housing market’s best year in nearly a decade, existing-home sales are forecast to expand in 2016 at an even more moderate pace. We also hope this rings true for our metro areas. OGAR’s REALTOR® members know the marketplace very well and use a program called Flex MLS to store data that they share regarding listed and sold homes. This makes one central buying and selling place with more than 465 sets of eyes on it; currently the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) hosts more than 2,265 total listings. The MLS is a powerful tool and the agents and association do their best to keep the integrity of the data honest and fact driven. The real estate market in Joplin and surrounding areas was, of course, deeply impacted by the devastation and loss of so many properties and homes in 2011. With the need for housing being so immediate, we saw people purchasing or renting just about anything they could find, mainly to stay local and continue the ease of working in and around this area. Approximately 4,000 transactions were completed in the next 8-12 months, including rentals. With something as unfortunate as that happening in our market, we weren’t really sure when (or even if) our market would stabilize and become steady enough to monitor again. We record housing statistics on a monthly basis for both local and for the state so we can see patterns of movement such as increased or decreased sales, listing prices, listing types, fluctuation of days on market or even absorption rate changes. Our local, state and national Associations of REALTORS® can use these reports to try to forecast what may or may not be coming to the world of real estate. A forever changing scenery that is extremely crucial to housing everywhere, our hope is always going to be that we have a steady market with both affordability and availability. For our association, 2012 through 2015 showed positive increases all along the way, a good thing for our communities here. Our thought provoking expectations were to see a decline in the market

somewhere along the way, and although there were some small ones, the bottom truly never fell out. We often say that our market, being in the heart of the Midwest, doesn’t particularly experience the same highs and lows as the East and West coasts, as well as other dense metro areas. Certainly, the City of Joplin’s JHAP program (Joplin Homebuyers Assistance Program) did much to bring back homeowners to the tornadoaffected area by providing a financial assistance program. The JHAP program will be completed by the end of the year and we expect to continue to get to a place of normalcy in the residential market. We would like to note that Commercial transactions are also on the up-rise at this time and that this is usually a good sign for our economy. As for this year, we know that market changes are a possibility and can be sudden and sometimes unforeseen. Some of these changes can be factored in by the volatility of the stock market, a Presidential election year, the Federal Government raising interest rates or adding new regulatory changes that might affect home mortgage loans and so forth. However, we’ve shown strong numbers for both January and February so far. The current average days on market is 97 days with an average sales price of $151,234. Also, spring is just around the corner and that time of the year is typically when people who’ve been thinking about selling tend to spiff up their homes and put them on the market. This creates a great working foundation for buyers and sellers. We believe the value of a REALTOR® can definitely make the difference in any real estate transaction. We also believe the American dream is still being able to be a homeowner. Using a qualified REALTOR® can definitely help with each step of the process. At the end of the day, our membership’s hope is to continue to offer any kind of assistance to the community with buying or selling their homes and keeping our local market viable. We are Kim Cox certainly looking forward to Association Executive/CEO seeing what 2016 brings to Ozark Gateway Association our local communities. of REALTORS®

MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

Historic Home 1163 S. Grand Avenue, Carthage By Amanda Stone Photography by Roger Nomer

Built in 1870, Carthage’s historic Spencer House is known as the oldest home in town. The stately beauty was purchased at auction by Pat and Judy Goff in 2006. John Williams and his wife lived in the home since the 1960s, eventually deeding it to the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri in 2001. Williams died in 2006 after suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Proceeds from the sale of the home went into an endowment fund that will continue to benefit several charities, including the Carthage Public Library, the Carthage Historic Preservation, Inc. and the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS foundation,

among many others. “It’s a neat thing to live in a house that’s going to live on,” said Judy. The Goffs are lovers of history, preservation, art and community, and have enjoyed living in historic homes throughout their lifetimes. “We say the houses belong to the town they sit in. We are just their caretakers,” said Judy. According to photographs from the 1880s, the Spencer House looks remarkably the same as when Clinton Spencer had it built and served as its first resident. Spencer was the Jasper County Sheriff, and his extravagant house was

steeped in controversy. Rumors swirled around Spencer’s alleged embezzlement of funds, along with his use of prisoners as laborers in building his elaborate home. The scandal came to a head in 1873, with Spencer losing the house that had become an ornate subject of bitterness among the townspeople. The interior of the two-story, Italianatestyle home went unfinished. The parlors on the south side of the home have Italian marble fireplaces, ornate plaster rosettes on the 13.5-foot ceilings, moldings and beautiful woodwork. The other rooms were finished with simpler methods; the modesty of the sitting room and dining room lies in stark contrast to the fancier rooms across the entry hall. The house’s sordid past lends an air of mystery to its durable frame. The cypress floors upstairs are the same floors that families have walked upon for 145 years, and the shutters lining the many windows have seen the surroundings go from empty fields to bustling construction sites fueled by the mining boom — now it’s a street

The former Spencer House was owned by Clinton Spencer, who was sheriff of Jasper County. The house allegedly was built with embezzled funds and by jail convicts. 16

JMAG | MARCH • APRIL

lined with historic Victorian-style homes. A kitchen was built when the back of the home was added on in the 1890s, but the Goffs haven’t had to do much structural work. “We didn’t have to do a lot to it, just some redecorating. The house is solid,” said Judy. As far as decorating and updating, they honor the look of the house by searching for fixtures that look like they truly belong there. The Goffs have filled their historic home with keepsakes, furniture handed down over generations and relics brimming with charm and personality. Judy’s ties to the area and its history are strong. A Carthage native, she grew up a block away in an old rambling house on Main Street. Her grandfather was an auctioneer that had a farm next to the original Red Oak. After meeting at college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the couple moved around the country with Pat’s job, living in a few historic homes along the way and amassing possessions that the Goffs felt belonged in older homes. “My dad gave me my greatgrandmother’s walnut trundle bed, dresser and dining tables. Part of the reason I always wanted to live in an old house is because that’s where my things need to be,” said Judy. Like the house itself, all of the things inside have a story. Judy has a room called the “ladies department” that houses her great-grandmother’s furniture as well as vintage hats and dresses. Pat has a room with his cowboy collection and toys from his childhood. “We lived in a new house once. We had to do more to that house and it was less than 10 years old. Old houses are built out of lumber you can’t even find any more. And I like real plaster walls because we don’t hear noises from outside. That is not the case with drywall. Most of all, I like the uniqueness of it. I like woodwork that

has all of this,” Judy said as she gestured to unique trim around a doorway. Once the Goffs retired, they settled into the Spencer House, and the rest is history. The couple are avid community volunteers, lending a hand in arts, historic preservation, cooking and serving on various boards.

This beautiful bannister is an original to the Spencer House.

Pat and Judy Goff of Carthage stand inside the former Spencer House, located at 1163 Grand, and was built in 1870.

MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

Haunted Home 4788 County Road 200, Joplin By Kevin McClintock Photography by Roger Nomer

The Prosperity School Bed and Breakfast, says owner Richard Roberts, combines the charm of a 19th Century schoolhouse with the elegance of a 21st Century Inn. “Owning a bed and breakfast is just something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Roberts, who moved from Dallas with his wife, Janet, after purchasing the school over Thanksgiving in 2002. He knew something about the school’s history: That it was built in 1907, that it served as a country school for nearly 60 years and that it outlived the mining community once surrounding it. What Roberts didn’t know about the two-story former schoolhouse was its rampant paranormal activity. “We hear voices all the time, and footsteps on the floor or on the staircase,” Robert said. Guests have reported their own unusual experiences, such as ghostly knocking on doors and walls and disembodied voices speaking from the corners of various rooms. In one room, sleeping couples feel the weight of a small child crawling into

bed with them. Several paranormal groups — Joplin Paranormal Research Society and Paranormal Science Lab are two local examples — have recorded strange activity inside the structure, ranging from photographs of orbs to infra-red cameras fading in and out as if something unseen is passing before the lens. A video posted on You Tube shows — allegedly — the shadowy outline of a school boy walking through thin air. In Lisa LivingstonMartin’s book, “Haunted Joplin,” she talks about witnessing a shadow person peeking through the living room’s doorway on the school’s ground floor. Even Roberts admitted he’s witnessed “a dark figure” of a man strolling from the kitchen through the front door. Roberts lives in the only bedroom found on the bottom floor, accessed through the school’s large kitchen. But he doesn’t mind it at all that he may share living space with entities that go bump in the night. “I’m happy I made the decision (to buy the school),” he said with a chuckle. It’s both the history of the building and the supernatural life swirling around inside that makes it an irresistible destination stay for hundreds of annual travelers. During the last weekend in January, for example, 60 people were in and out of the 109-year-old

structure over several days, photographing models and highlighting through pictures the unique historical look and feel of the school. The following weekend, 35 members of an out-of-state paranormal group roomed on the second floor for some supernatural explorations. “We get a lot of people showing up here for a lot of different reasons,” Roberts said. “Some people (who stay) don’t like to hear about the (paranormal). Some do. If they ask about it, we’ll tell them. If they don’t ask, we won’t tell them. There’s no reason to scare someone off.” Even without the alleged paranormal activity, business would remain brisk, due to the school’s mining history. During the late 1880s and up through the early stages of World War I, the town of Prosperity was a rather lively community, home to nearly 25 active mines that annually produced and shipped out more than $1 million in lead. Because of this, the town’s population swelled from just a few hundred to 1,500 — even peaking at around 5,000 at the start of the 20th Century. Many of the miners came to Southwest Missouri with their families in tow, which immediately brought about a need for a school. Rising above a long string of livery stables, boarding houses, saloons, hotels, blacksmith shops and general stores, the Prosperity School and its unique bell tower opened in 1907. It would serve in that capacity until 1962, before Prosperity kids were bussed to the nearby Webb City school district. Between 1962 and 1994, the building sat abandoned, a haven for partying teens, starting small cooking fires inside the building’s living room and spraying the walls on both floors with graffiti. Prosperity resident John Southard owned the school for a time, hoping to turn the local landmark into a nursing home. He eventually sold the property to Kevin Quinn and Cleo Copeland in 1994 — the two cleaned up the building, restoring the metal roof and installing both a well and a septic tank (when the school was active, even during the early 1960s, the kids and

Prosperity School was built in 1907, when the town’s population was around 2,000 people. Today, it’s the only building left over from that town except for some homes. Prosperity is home to about 120 residents. 20

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teachers were forced to use out houses). The couple sold the school in 1998 to Pam and Roy Whyte of Louisiana; it was this couple who converted the former school into a proper bed and breakfast. Most of their work was centered on the school’s second floor, where the main teaching area — a huge open area with a stage — was divided into four bedroom suites, each featuring unique hinge-windows above each door and 12-foot ceilings. The bed in the largest suite rests on a stage that once was the spot for untold fictional plays and singing recitals. Sheri Lea, who’s stayed at the Prosperity B&B, called her experience, “a special place in my heart.” “I simply love it,” Lea wrote. “The old school house has lovingly been restored it is obvious in all the special touches and memorabilia all throughout the house; I used to drive by it as a young girl when it was abandoned and overgrown.” After nearly 15 years, Roberts is currently looking to sell the property to new owners. “I’ll sell it, go somewhere else and go camp out where I want to,” Roberts said. “I used to camp out all the time but I haven’t really done that because I have to be here all the time.”

Dotting both floors of the former school house are little historical bits, like this picture collage of previous school kids, teachers and principal dating back a handful of decades.

Lots of alleged paranormal activity takes place on this 23step staircase and the entertainment room on the second floor. There are four sleeping rooms here, two on the left and two on the right. The room to the left in the picture is the Pansy Smith Suite, the most popular of the four rooms. Before renovations, this was one big room, with the stage originally situated in the back left corner.

The Prosperity School Bed and Breakfast, a former eight-grade school and currently a bed and breakfast, is rumored to be haunted.

The beautiful sitting room on the school’s bottom floor, which sits just off from the living room.

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Rehabbed Home 705 E. Centennial Ave., Carthage By Amanda Stone Photography by Roger Nomer

“It’s a work in progress” is a mantra happily repeated by homeowners Elaina Edman and Jim Schriever, as they point out projects in their unique Carthage home. The mid-century modern style house, located at 705 E. Centennial, was built in the 1950s. It had started to fall into disrepair by the time Schriever and Edman encountered what would become a passion project. Their tale is one of serendipity, with their renovated home becoming an extension of their story as a couple. After renting a dumpster and gutting what they could, the couple moved in one year ago. They lived in two rooms, with a microwave in the bathroom doubling as a kitchen, while they worked on the house. Schriever has done the vast majority of the work. “I’ve learned to be pretty handy. I think about all of the possible solutions to a problem. If it doesn’t work out, we change the plan. I always have to ask, ‘what’s

the answer here, what are the alternative solutions?’ Then we do it.” Edman, an artist and teacher of Joplin’s gifted 4th and 5th graders, and Schriever have worked with what the house gave them. “There are lots of things that can’t be undone, and we have embraced them. We want that clean modern line, but not harsh, cold-modern. That’s what the Frank Lloyd Wright era was about. Modern, but natural and warm.” Although the house is situated directly behind the middle school on a fairly busy street, the design and landscape offer the sense of natural privacy. “Part of the thing with the mid-century modern style is the feeling of being outdoors. That’s why there are these huge windows and trees all over the property. With the sun coming up through the windows every morning, and all of the trees, it’s such a good vibe here,” said

Schriever. Edman and Schriever enjoy watching home improvement shows and comparing their experience to the ones on television. “We love those shows, but we’re frugal and we have a budget. We didn’t have $100,000 to work with to gut the whole house and start fresh. And we didn’t want to,” said Edman. “It’s a process,” added Schriever. “When you hit a snag with a house like this, you have to figure out something with what you already have. Starting over wasn’t a feasible option.” They both enjoy the challenge of bargain hunting for fixtures and décor at flea markets, secondhand stores and on craigslist. “Jim can find the most amazing treasures,” said Edman. “This house has been a good luck charm for that,” added Schriever. “We’ve had needs and they just show up. We did a lot of it on a shoestring budget. We just kept finding things for great deals that were perfect for the vibe of the house. It’s been such a gift.” The stress of remodeling has been known to break couples. However, Edman and Schriever laughed easily together as they reminisced on the past year of renovations, telling one story after another of how things have fallen into place seamlessly, in their rehabbed home and as a couple. Both are self-proclaimed tinkerers and artists,

Elaina Edman and Jim Schriever are currently rehabbing this Carthage home. 22

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and their house has been and continues to be an ideal project. “We had a guy come in and show me how to fix the bathroom. I redid the walls, the ceiling, put in all this tile, everything. Elaina comes in and does this one mosaic, and that’s where all the attention goes,” laughed Schriever, pointing to a mosaic

of a tree that Edman installed on the bathroom wall. They’ve thrived in the renovation environment and want to do more. “Jim figures things out in such a creative way. We’ve loved doing this together and we can’t wait to do another one,” said Edman.

They enjoyed the process of remodeling in an affordable way, and creating a cozy home with artistic touches as a result. Creativity abounds, from the use of unique fixtures to displayed, meaningful pieces of art made by friends and family. The result is an eclectic mix of artistry that melds effortlessly with the design of the home.

Jim Schriever and Elaina Edman share a private story inside their rehabbed kitchen.

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Berm Home 18957 Jessamine Lane, Carthage By Kevin McClintock Photography by Roger Nomer

When Steve Cooper decided to build two custom homes, one for his parents and the other for his own family, he had a few must-haves in mind. First and foremost, it had to be energy efficient. The best concept he could think of that would meet this criteria was an earth berm home. He excavated and helped plan a 1,100-square-foot home for his grandparents and a 2,200-square-foot home for himself, his wife, and his kids. Between 1979 and 1981, both homes were built. Today, both homes are nearly 40 years old. “If I was ever going to build a brand new house,” Cooper, 68, said while relaxing in his living room recliner, “it would be just like this.” The concept of the berm home — nominally three sides of a structure tucked

into the earth and the roof sitting just a foot or less above level ground — was invented during the energy crisis of the 1970s. Even today, berm homes are still considered some of the most energyefficient house plans available. “With utilities you might as well just be throwing that money away — it’s just gone. So it was the idea of having a house that was easy to heat in the winter and easy to cool in the summer.” Thanks to the natural heating and cooling effects of Mother Nature — due to the dirt surrounding the Cooper home on all three sides — heating bills for this allelectric home are roughly 40 percent less than what someone would be paying with a conventional home. The inside of a berm house is almost identical to the interior of a cave, where temperatures remain steady year-round. So it takes very little spent energy to raise or lower the temperature by a few degrees. Cooper likened it to the temperatures

found inside the nearby Carthage Underground. “Our biggest bill was $170, and that includes pumping water to our neighbors,” Cooper said. He and his wife Janette, who works at the Joplin Globe, lived in the larger home for 3 years. For the last 17 years they have lived in this smaller home. Storm safety was another reason why Cooper chose a berm home over a more conventional, above-ground home. After all, this is Southwest Missouri we’re talking about here. “When it gets stormy, we just sit here and watch it come in,” Cooper said, gesturing toward the living room’s window that faces toward the west and Oronogo. Should a storm turns out to be particularly nasty, “we don’t have to go anywhere. We just walk (down the hall) and into the other room,” he continued. The back room walls are eight-inch reinforced concrete, Cooper said. No terrestrial storm is going to uproot those from the ground. “It just takes us a few seconds to get to a safe place,” he said. A third advantage is noise — or lack thereof. “It’s quiet here,” he said. Regular sounds like passing cars, bird calls or yells of playing children are, at the very least, muffled. “You just don’t hear stuff outside like you do in a regular home.” One time, though, he and Janette did hear the pitter-patter of little feet tottering

Standing in the living room looking into the kitchen. Nearly every room has a small window near the top of the ceiling, which fills the home with natural sunlight.

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around on their roof. When Cooper went to investigate, he found the neighbor’s Beagle, nose to shingle, meandering around on the roof. To this day, he still chuckles at that memory. Another advantage of a berm house is the lack of outdoor maintenance. Exterior home improvement projects homeowners dread the most are either painting the house or scrubbing patches of mildew from vinyl siding. “There’s nothing to paint. (The homes) are already 35 years old and I haven’t taken a paintbrush near it,” Cooper said. “That’s a big plus; I’ve had to do hardly any exterior maintenance.” The house is also built near the top of a small hill, so there are never any issues or worries about flooding. The one type of house Cooper didn’t want was a completely enclosed earth home. Those are the types of homes you might see where the ground and grass is the home’s roof; you’ve seen humorous videos of homeowners mowing the lawn around their homes, and then mowing the grass on top of their home. “I wanted to make sure I had a way to get out from the house in case of a fire,” Cooper said. Windows were installed in all rooms to allow escape as well as to filter in natural lighting. “I would not live in a home where there was no other way out

but the front door.” When asked why there aren’t more berm homes being built in the area, particularly in the aftermath of the 2011 tornado, Cooper just shrugged. “I think part of it is vanity — people don’t think they are as pretty as conventional homes. But what they don’t understand is you can have everything you could ever want with a berm home that you can with a regular big home.” Plus, each month, they save hundreds each month on utility bills. Over the years, those savings build up pretty quickly. “We wanted to use that money to go out and eat and to do what we want to do, instead of just spending it all on utilities,” he said with a grin. The dining room inside Steve and Janette Cooper’s berm home.

A view from the kitchen into the living room and showcasing the large living room window that faces west. On a sunny day, the lake that sits on their property just outside that window is a beautiful sight.

Steve Cooper enjoys watching storms roll through the area from the recliner inside his berm house located between Carthage and Oronogo — he knows he’s safe from them.

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“Sky High Castle”

The castle was briefly opened to the public between 1988 to 1992, where an average of 1,000 people annually walked through the house, at the time owned by Jim and Gladys Moody. A 1984 advertisement in the Joplin Globe described the structure as “reminiscent of Renaissance Europe,” and included a rockterraced lawn, swimming pool, guest house and stables. But the main feature of the home, of course, is its tower. A spiral staircase winds itself all the way up to the top. At its peak is a socalled “dummy” room, where previous owners of the house sent their children to when they misbehaved (but no dungeon was constructed, thank goodness!). There were also several fish ponds, a rock bridge and a water fountain located on the grounds east of the house. The castle is no longer open to the public today, though it is clearly visible for free viewing far below on the appropriately named “Castle Drive” in the heart of Redings Mill.

Castle Court/Castle Drive - Redings Mill south of Joplin It’s possibly one of the most talked about “homes” found anywhere in Jasper County, simply because it’s less of a traditional home and more like a medieval castle. Sky High Castle’s original owner was wealthy Joplin plumber Thomas Comerfield, who began building his own version of distant European castles in 1927. It was finished three years later. Because Comerfield had spent so much of his free time during the 1920s roaming the lush European countryside, he made sure his Joplin home had a turret and crenelations, directly imitating its larger cousins found in England, France and Germany. According to www.rlmcastle.com, laborers were paid $1 a day to build the house, which was the average depression era wage.

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“Rothanbarger House” 1210 N. Florida, Joplin

The Rothanbarger house is the oldest occupied house found in Joplin today. It’s also one of just a few structures remaining from the Civil War era. Solomon Rothanbarger began building the two-story house on the north bank of Turkey Creek in 1837, and lived in a crude log cabin until the house was finally completed in 1855, in what is today Joplin’s Royal Heights subdivision. The home’s brick walls, still intact today, were constructed from clay dug up from the creek’s shore, and are 15-inches thick. All three downstairs rooms have fireplaces, and the rafters high above are joined with wooden pegs, hammered into place by square-headed nails made of wrought iron. Embedded in one of the walls are two minie balls. During the war, Confederate guerrillas

under the command of Major Thomas Livingston attempted unsuccessfully to burn down the brick structure in the summer of 1863, primarily due to the fact that Rothanbarger held strong sympathies for the North’s cause. Charred rafters inside the home testifies to at least one failed Confederate attempt. The house also served as a temporary hospital and cared for 15 wounded and ill soldiers. In a 1937, members of the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated the historical home with a bronze plaque due in part to the lives that Rothanbarger saved during the war. It was long speculated that Rothanbarger cared for and had even hid a number of runaway black slaves from Southern sympathizers. These rumors were proven correct in 1995, when officials with

the United States Department of Interior and the National Park Service confirmed the house had indeed served as a way station for the famed Underground Railroad, with Rothanbarger risking potential death at the hands of Confederate sympathizers in doing so. The Joplin house was just one of six such sites established in Missouri, and the only one found in the southwest portion of the state. Rothanbarger died in 1884, and he and his wife are buried in the Carl Junction Cemetery.

“Chateau Pensmore” 2700 Woods Fork Road - Highlandville, Missouri

It’s one of the largest private single-family homes found anywhere in the United States. It’s larger than the White House by more than 18,000 square feet. It’s been under construction for seven years and counting. And it’s located right here in Southwest Missouri. The Pensmore Mansion is located at 2700 Woods Fork Road in Highlandville, which is a small rural town located north of Branson. The all-concrete home, which is still under construction, is owned by Steven T. Huff, who is chairman of TF Concrete Forming Systems. Part of the reason why the house’s construction costs are so enormous had to do with it being bullet and blast proof, as well as tornado, earthquake, fire and bug resistant. It is

said to have 13 bedrooms, 13 to 15 bathrooms, a children’s library, three elevators and an observatory. The reason why the Ozarks was chosen over more populated areas or states is because there are no building regulations or inspections in this rural location, and the Missouri weather better tests the home’s state-of-the-art green technologies. Because Huff was a former CIA officer, there are a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the 72,215-square-foot home regarding its true purpose, including that the mansion serves as a headquarters for the Illuminati or that it’s a focal point of an expansive tunnel system that burrows all the way to distant Los Angeles and New York City. MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

“Joplin Mansion” County Lane 294 - Galena, Kansas

The sprawling structure found on Route 66 between Joplin and Galena, Kansas is the closest thing Joplin has to a tried and true, Hollywood-style mansion. It’s owned by self-made millionaire Gary Hall, and it turns heads during the tourist traffic summer season as thousands travel east and west on Route 66 through Joplin. There’s a rumor that the house only possesses two bedrooms — if that’s the case, they truly must be the largest bedrooms found anywhere in Southwest Missouri. Fact is, there’s just not a lot known about this private mansion. Regardless, it’s a beautiful structure, and someday we here at JMAG would love to get inside and do a proper feature on it. Think of the home, simply called “The Mansion” by locals, as Joplin’s version of the famed Pensmore Mansion located near Branson.

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“Glass House” 6565 Park Circle - Airport Drive

Described as an “imaginative treasure designed from the mind of one of America’s frontier architects — Bruce Goff,” the unique house — located at the back of Tabor Woods subdivision in Airport Drive — has been a favorite among architect students for decades. Goff, who died in 1962, was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the house was a fine example of the man’s modern contemporary/organic architectural approach. Known as the “Glass House,” it was built in 1958.

Restored after the turn of the century, the home won an American Institute of Architects award in 2005. Why? Because many of the home’s unique treasures have been meticulously preserved, including original Norwegian Rose granite and Okmulgee blue stone. Inside, the house consists of an open floor plan with few walls, with numerous windows allowing an abundance of natural light. There’s also a uniquely placed large stove located in the middle of the living room. Over the years, architect students far and wide would come to Tabor Woods to tour the house and snap pictures. The 2,480-square foot home, which is currently up for sale, offers two master suite bedrooms upstairs, each with its own private balcony. There is also lush landscaping, including a koi pond and waterfall. MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

“Seven in seven Homes” 2300 and 2400 blocks of Connor Ave., Joplin It was one of the few “good” stories that came out of the horror show that was the 2011 tornado. Five months after the storm, and during a frantic October week, 14,000 volunteers from around the country poured into S. Connor Ave. to build seven homes and seven days for seven families. Initiated by ABC’s popular “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television program, the unveiling of the homes would comprise the series’ 200th episode, and aired nationwide over two hours in early 2012. Among the volunteers helping in any way were 10,000 professional builders and tradesmen, a vast majority of them from Joplin and the surrounding area. Even before the cheers and screams of the famed “Move That Bus!” catchphrase had faded away, the seven families had

already dashed into their new homes. House were built for for Kyle and Jill Howard and their children; Crystal Cogdill and her son; Crystal Whitely and her daughter; Kari and Justin Nevins and their

“Caveland” Festus, Missouri

Known by some as the “Cave House” and others as “Caveland,” this is the famed Missouri house built inside a cave. Located in Festus, a suburb of St. Louis, the cave was originally a working mine, was morphed into a skating rink during the 1950s, and later became a concert venue named Caveland, which hosted, among others, Ted Nugent and Tina Turner. The William Sleeper family purchased the unused cave in 2003 off eBay, and began converting the cave into a family home. The family had to live in tents for nearly four years as the house was slowly constructed. Completed, this 17,000-square-foot home was built throughout three cave chambers: the main part of the three-bed house (gently-curved staircase, hardwood floors, a 400-squarefoot kitchen and 28 sliding glass doors) in the first one; a laundry and storage room in the second one; and the old stage and party area in the third chamber. The entire complex has a year-round temperature of 70 degrees. The house is now up for sale, and bids back in 2014 ranged in the $300,000 area. The property includes the house, cave and nearly three acres of woods complete with three freshwater springs and 14 waterfalls — all of it located, surprisingly, near downtown Festus.

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children; and Tom and Emily Walters and their daughter; Thang and Tiffany Nguyen; and Natalie and Scott Gonzalez and their son. Today, the seven homes are popular tourist attractions with many out-of-state families stopping for pictures or video.

“The Lustron house” 3534 Oak Ridge Drive, Joplin

William Markwardt’s daughter, Lois, was getting married in 1948. Her wedding gift was a famous Lustron home located in Freeman Grove subdivision (now known as Oak Ridge). It would be the only home of its type ever built in Southwest Missouri. Only 2,500 Lustron homes were ever built, though the Lustron Corp., right after World War II, envisioned millions being made and moved nationwide. The homes were made of prefabricated steel

— even the roofs — taken from surplus war material, including naval ships and airplanes. The homes were compact (1,000 square feet total), efficient and economical (though the $10,000 price tag was considered steep for the times). The homes were mass produced, assembly line style, similar to what Henry Ford perfected two decades earlier. Each Lustron home was said to be “completely maintenance free” and each included unique built-in furniture, pocket doors,

radiant heating panels in the ceiling and all-electric appliances such as a combination dishwasher/clothes washer. Both interior and exterior walls were made of enameled-steel. According to the “Joplin Keepsake Album,” writer Leslie Simpson wrote that because those walls were made of metal, “magnetic hooks (were required) to hang anything on them.” The homes, which came in 3,000 pieces, were sent directly from the Columbus, Ohio-based factory (a former World War II aircraft plant) in a flatbed delivery truck to its destination, where it was pieced together on-site. Today, the Lustron house, still privately owned, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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“Usonian — Bachman Wilson House” Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art - Bentonville, Arkansas Frank Lloyd Wright is now honored far and wide as one of the greatest American architects of all time. His blending of people and the natural environment into his homes and buildings introduced “organic architecture” to the world, and it’s considered the man’s greatest achievement. But Wright was also famous for a later architectural movement that centered around the so-called “Usonian home.” In his lifetime, he designed 60 of these middleincome homes. Each one is a small, single-story structure without a garage or any storage space. Most were L-shaped, to purposely fit around a garden or pool (or both). The homes were made of native materials: roofs were higher over living spaces and lower over bedrooms. There were overhangs for passive solar heating and natural cooling. Natural light entered the home through floor-to-ceiling windows. The Bachman Wilson Usonian house, built in 1964, was recently

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taken apart and relocated from New Jersey to the campus of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas, and rebuilt. The 1,800-square-foot home is now open to the public for free viewing and tours on the museum’s grounds. There once was a Usonian-inspired home located right here in Joplin. About a fourth of a mile west of Stone’s Corner in Airport Drive sat the home of Stewart Stanley, which was based on Wright’s Usonian design. The house was designed by Joplin architect Robert Braeckel. The family moved into it in 1950. The house had steel construction supports, Carthage limestone walls and large areas of glass; copper tubing was built into the floor to provide heat. There was also a swimming pool and bathhouse. Sadly, the house no longer exists today. It was demolished on May 3, 2012.

“Contemporary homes” These certainly aren’t your grandparent’s homes. Nobody wanted to redefine the skyline of Joplin, but the 2011 tornado ultimately determined that. To reshape what was otherwise a blasted landscape of cement slabs and twisted trees, a series of uniquelooking, minimalistic conventional-style homes began popping up in the 26th and Main Street area, challenging the conventional, conservative look of the type of houses which had existed in the area

prior to the historic storm. These True Style homes, designed and built by co-owners Matt Harris and Matt Robertson, are usually small homes atop small lots, many of them no larger than 1,500 square feet. But they climb high in the sky, at least two stories stacked, with energy-efficient walls, angled metal roofs and huge and sprawling open loft spaces, top to bottom. For example, one of their newly-built homes has 13 windows, allowing in tons of natural light.

“We felt there was a need to show Joplin there’s a different way of looking at a house than being normal,” said Harris in a You Tube video made during the construction of one of their latest homes just off S. Main Street. What they’re trying to do is simple: create unique homes that are energy efficient and geared toward young families of the Baby Boomer and Gen Y generations. Essentially, smaller homes with larger, more open interior spaces inside, with smaller overall rooms but higher ceilings. “We are leading the way for the new skyline in Joplin,” Harris said.

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Allyn Burt – Charles Burt Realtors

Allyn Burt has the pleasure of doing his dream job as a real estate agent for his family business, Charles Burt, which was started in 1962 by his parents. He says if he could do anything else he would probably be an architect or a builder. “I was always the one in the family that liked houses,” he recalls. “Before I could even get into it (real estate) I was always remodeling my parents’ house. I like architecture.” Burt came from a big family, he is one of six children and has followed in his parents footsteps and became a Realtor. “I remember my parents worked for another company when we first moved back from Southern California,” says Burt. “But they wanted to do things their own way so they decided to open up their own office.” “I love building,” he says. “I also love to do anything with property. We own MoLandCo Construction and have been in business for over 30 years or so.” And Burt, if given the choice to live anywhere in the world and sell real estate, he would choose Joplin. “Other places have drawbacks,” Burt says. “Too expensive, too big, to much traffic... and Joplin is just the right place. It has all the seasons.” Burt’s wife Penni is also in real estate and works for the family business. The couple has been married for 20 years and they have four children. “Penni is on the support side of real estate,” he says. “She has been in real estate for a long time also and definitely keeps me organized.”

“I love seeing dreams become reality,” says Forrest Stodghill with Crye-Leike Realty. “That’s what gets me up every morning.” Crye-Leike Real Estate Services was established in 1977 and has over 3,000 agents in nine states from Oklahoma to Florida. While Stodghill hasn’t been in the real estate profession long, he says he is 100 percent sure this is his dream job. Why does Stodghill love being a Realtor? He says there’s a certain excitement that wells up inside of him beginning with the first conversation about someone’s dream property. “After all the tours, inspections, appraisals, weekends, lender calls, and surprises along the way, handing the keys to a buyer’s new home gets me every time,” says Stodghill. Last year Stodghill won the Spirit Award from the Ozark Gateway Association of Realtors. He’s a member of that group along with the Missouri Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. Stodghill says that if he could pick any other profession other than Realtor, it would be a musician. “I’d have a real estate license in every state and show homes before playing gigs on tour,” he laughs. Stodghill is married and has five children. Stodghill says he truly became interested in real estate after having bad experiences with two different Realtors. He and his wife both agreed he should pursue a career as a Realtor after a layoff from his other job. And it seems like that might have been the sign Stodghill needed. “My mission, every single day, is to ensure that no one who works with me will ever have a bad experience buying or selling a home,” he says. “I will work tirelessly to ensure they are treated with the utmost respect, with honesty and integrity at the core of everything I do for my clients.”

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Forrest Stodghill Crye-Leike Real Estate Services

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Kyle Lewis with Keller Williams Realty was always interested in real estate. Kyle has had his license since he was 22 years old. Since that time he has helped over 400 people buy and sell property. “Every day, I get to make a difference in someone’s life,” he says. “I get to help people on a large scale. As soon as I wake up I feel invigorated to get to work,” exclaims Lewis. “Real Estate is truly my passion, and it really helps that I love the company that invests so much in me as a person and as an agent. I can’t imagine doing anything else!” Lewis says if he could live anywhere in the world and sell real estate it would be in developing markets like Panama, Belize or the Caribbean. And because he loves to spend his free time with his amazing and supportive wife who continuously makes him laugh and their four children, he would probably take them along, since they all love to travel! And he says the secret to real estate is to always laugh, especially during a trying situation or stressful transaction. “I remember that I am fortunate to be doing what I love,” he says. I LOVE laughing, I LOVE having fun, I LOVE sharing happiness with others!” The love Lewis has for life and for his job shows in the number of awards he has received from Keller Williams. He won the Keller Williams Culture Award for 2015. The recipient demonstrates the values of God, Family, and Business in a positive aspect while making the Market Center a great place to work. Lewis has also been a member of the Keller Williams Agent Leadership Council for 3 years. These members are chosen from the top 20% of sales from each Keller Williams office. He won bronze medals in 2008, 2009, and 2010 for closed production from Keller Williams International; Silver Medals through Keller Williams International for the years of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 for closed volume. He also won 5 trophies for completing advanced sales trainings.

Alyssa Hunter – PRO 100, Realtors Inc.

Alyssa Hunter, PRO 100, Realtors Inc., has had an interest in the real estate and construction industries for many years. Hunter worked in health care administration for almost 10 years before she joined her father, Jim Hunter, to form a team to best serve their clients. “It was a full-circle moment, as my first job as a teenager was working for my dad in the family-owned small business and here we are today as business partners” she says. The Hunter team works in residential, commercial, property management and farm and land sales. Hunter says, “No two days in the life of a real estate professional are ever the same. The spontaneity, fast-paced environment and challenges keep you on your toes”. Hunter says she would much rather be “busy-busy” than tapping her fingers and waiting for something to do. “The ultimate perk of this profession is witnessing the face(s) of your client(s) when you are able to successfully represent their highest and best interest in a transaction,” she says. Hunter says that the satisfaction that comes from giving everything you have and utilizing everything in your tool box to make a deal happen for a client is indescribable. “Yes, this is definitely a dream job for me. I can say that with enthusiasm, as my dream job consists of working with people, brain-storming and working alongside others to achieve their goals and many times that involves the sale or purchase of real estate”. Hunter has received many accolades in her real estate career including Joplin Business Journal 15 Under 40 Honoree in 2015 and the OGAR Rookie of the Year nominee in 2014. She is also a Board Member for Art Feeds in Carthage, an Advisory Committee Member for Bright Futures in Carthage, a Board Member for the Carthage Art Walk, and she is a 2009 Leadership Joplin Graduate.

Kristi Greek, part of the Real Estate Girlz team of REALPRO Real Estate, says you have to have a sense of humor to get you through the day to day ups and downs of real estate. Greek has always wanted to be in real estate and she says it took her a long time to feel brave enough to step out and just do it. “I love it and when you love what you do, it doesn’t even feel like a job,” she says. “So yes, I guess it is my dream job.” Whether it’s selling a house or buying a house, Greek says it’s such a big part of a person’s life and it’s such a joy to be a part of that event. “I consider myself a people person and I love to help others,” Greek says. “I have always been in sales and what better combination of the two than real estate.” Outside of her dream job Greek is a wife, mom, daughter, sister and friend. She says she loves spending time with her family and friends and she’s up for just about anything. If she wasn’t a Realtor, Greek says that something else she has always dreamed of was one day owning a coffee shop. “I may still eventually do that, but for now I am happy just being a Realtor.” And when given the choice of living anywhere in the world and selling real estate anywhere, Greek says she would stay right here in Joplin or the surrounding area. “This is home,” she says. “I love to travel but always look forward to coming back.” Greek has won numerous awards throughout her career because she is pretty competitive and strives to be at the top. REALPRO Agency is a new agency with Realtors who have a lot of knowledge and experience. They value the customer and strive to meet their needs with integrity and professionalism. Sponsored content

Kyle Lewis – Keller Williams Realty of SWMO

Kristi Greek – Real Estate Girlz REALPRO Real Estate

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Stephanie Willis – Realty Executives TRI- STATES

“I get to set my own hours, work with fun people and sell the ‘American Dream,’” says Stephanie Willis, agent for Realty Executives. “Yes, this is my dream job.” Willis says she really does love seeing the look on someone’s face when they purchase their first home. “It’s a happy moment and I enjoy being a part of that,” she says. “I enjoy working with people. I’m a people person.” Willis was told by several people that she would be a great real estate agent and because she had worked in sales for 14 years she knew quite a few people. “After hearing it over and over, I thought I would take a chance on myself and go for it,” Willis says. “I’m so glad I did!” If Willis had to choose another profession, she could see herself owning a travel agency. Her hobbies include cooking, traveling and spending time with her husband Dominic. And other than Joplin, the most popular location for most real estate agents to dream about relocating to and selling property is somewhere tropical. If Willis had to choose another place to sell real estate it would be the Carribean. Willis has been recognized with many awards including the 2008 Ozark Gateway Association of Realtors Rookie of the Year; the Top 40 of Real Estate Agents in the Region (5 States) for Realty Executives 2013; Executive Gold Club for Realty Executives last three years in a row for sales; and 100% club for Realty Executives for the last three years in a row. Realty Executives was started in a small office with just four agents in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1965 and has been in the business of selling the American Dream for more than 50 years.

Tami Adams, Realtor for REMAX Classic, grew up around the construction business ... because that was the family business. About 15 years ago she planned to sell real estate part-time just for her family, but her business took off and she says it went from “I’ll just make some extra money” to a “full-time” productive job. “This is not a job that I had ever even thought of doing for a living. But I can say I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I love my job,” she says. Adams enjoys assisting people with one of the biggest investments they will make in their lives. She says that even though being a real estate agent can be stressful and demanding, it can also be the most rewarding job ever. “The Joplin tornado is an example of the many long hours and hard work of a Realtor,” she says. “Not only did we help find homes for these people, we helped them with clothes, food, and gave many hugs. Our clients lives where turned upside down. Many hours were spent listening to them, crying with them and helping them start a new life.” Adams has received many accolades in her real estate career. She was honored with the Missouri Realtors Salesperson of the Year. “This award is voted on by the peers I work with throughout the year,” she says. “I have also received the Athena Award.” The Athena Award honors a person “who has achieved the highest level of professional excellence, devoted time and energy to the community, and opened the doors of leadership opportunity to women.” Her other awards include: Local Realtor of The Year, REMAX Hall of Fame, and Missouri Realtor Honor Society.

Jesse Bruce, Smith Midwest Real Estate

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Tami Adams – REMAX Classic

Jesse Bruce, with Smith Midwest, was born in Joplin, attended Carthage and Joplin schools and graduated from Diamond High School. He and his wife, Karen, relocated to Neosho after surviving the 2011 Joplin tornado and now have a son named Mason. Because Bruce has lived all over southwest Missouri, he believes he knows the area very well. Helping people to realize their dreams and to navigate through what is probably the biggest transaction of their life is the main reason Bruce loves being a real estate agent. Being around friends who were agents is what sparked his career in real estate. “Being a Realtor IS my dream job. It allows me to be my own boss, make my own way, spend more time with my family and actually be rewarded for hard work.” “I started in real estate part-time after witnessing the success of my good friend and fellow Realtor, Cody Smith and his Uncle, Kip Smith, the owner of our real estate company,” says Bruce. Bruce is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Missouri Association of Realtors, Seneca Church of Christ, and the Neosho Masonic Lodge #247. Smith Midwest Real Estate has fourteen agents, and three administrative staff members. Smith Midwest is known as a viable solution for professional real estate assistance. Sponsored content

Building Your Dreams – BIG or tiny with Four State Homes By Bobbie Pottorff

Established in February of 2000, Four State Homes brings nearly 100 years of commercial and residential experience together in one package. The company specializes in custom built homes and commercial buildings. “We do everything from large estate homes to tiny houses and all of our homes are custom built. Right now tiny houses are very popular, but honestly, they’re not any cheaper per square foot to build,” says Charlie Kuehn of Four State Homes. “I’m building one now and there’s about $15,000 worth of cabinets in it. We also do restaurants, retail, and medical and professional office space.” Kuehn says the price point for the homes they build can run the gamut from $120,000 to $2.5 million depending on the wants and needs of the buyer. He says the tiny houses are especially costly because you are putting the same fixtures like stoves, electric panels, refrigerators and more, just in a smaller space. One of the tiny home designs Kuehn was looking to build was running about $247 per square foot. “Some local builders are putting up houses for $98 per square foot,” he says. “They (tiny houses) really aren’t any cheaper, but this one is simply gorgeous. It’s basically this gentleman’s weekend resort.” Kuehn joked that now that his kids were gone he and his wife, Pam, could probably live in a tiny house. “Honestly, that’s where we spend most of our time, eating or sleeping, so those would be perfect.” Four State Homes continues to help the area rebuild after the May 2011 tornado.

“For the first three years after the tornado we worked seven days a week,” remembers Kuehn. “The first two years after the tornado, we teamed up with another contractor out of Springfield, to help with some of the rebuilding and we also spent a lot of time on the ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ build.” Four State Homes was the lead contractor on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on all seven houses. Along with the work they had going on before the tornado, it was a very stressful time for everyone, but Kuehn says they definitely made a lot of new friends and acquaintances. “Four State Homes has established a remarkable clientele and a fine reputation,” says Kuehn. “Our dedication and commitment to style and craftsmanship can be seen in our design and construction of every project. We are the team you want to call when you build your dream home.” Four State Homes likes to use other local businesses and sub-contractors for nearly all of the homes they build. Some of the local businesses they rely on include: Rocky Schell Construction, Next Generation Plumbing, Simpson Sheet Metal, Bridgewater Roofing, Dana Owen Painting, Ketron Suspended Ceilings, Deines Construction, Quality Exteriors, Joplin Floor Design, Fireplace Shop, Meek’s Lumber, Ron Watson Drywall, Fowler Construction, and Seward’s Insulation. Kuehn has served as president of the board of the Home Builders Association in the past and Four State Homes has been recognized as HBA Builder of the Year for 2003 and again in 2010. He has been building custom homes, multi-family units and commercial structures in the Four State Area since 1978. Bruce Warstler, one of the co-owners, established himself in the Southeast Kansas region in 1976, and continues to specialize as a premier custom home builder and remodeler. “Our goal at Four State Homes is to build back a better Joplin, both residentially and commercially,” says Kuehn. “We want to bring in new business and see them thrive. We also want to see the existing businesses thrive and grow as well.”

MARCH •content APRIL | JMAG Sponsored

PHOTO

KIDS

rom now through March 31, the photographic genius of 14 kids from the Joplin area will be on display in the Upstairs Gallery of the Spiva Center for the Arts. In conjunction with Spiva’s national photography competition, the PhotoSpiva Kids exhibit features the work of very young photographers. Two images from each student were selected by curator Mark Norris and was framed and displayed in the Upstairs Gallery, said Spiva Assistant Director Kerstin Landwer. A reception was held on March 6. The event was sponsored by Gay Cragin Currence. Back in January, students used one of Spiva’s digital cameras to learn basic photography techniques; they then fanned out across the Four States area, camera up to their eyes, focusing on subjects that interested them: a family pet, an abandoned building, a waterfall, frozen water, trees or haystacks. Here is one selected image from each participant.

“I like my pictures, I think they are beautiful and artistic! I like to take pictures because I am curious!”

James Bhend Age: 5

Elnora Allender Age: 8

“I like art because it is fun and I can be creative. I love doing PhotoSpiva Kids. I like expressing my feelings through art.”

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Molly Greer Age: 5

“I just really love taking pictures of everything!”

Henry Bresee Age: 5

“I’m in Kindergarten at Lincoln School. I like Miss Kemp because she’s nice. I like to build models of airplanes. I like to paint pictures. I like hiking. It makes me happy. I like to play in the backyard. I want to be a construction worker when I grow up.”

Elizabeth Hall Age: 4

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Mae Harrison Age: 7

“I am Mae Harrison. I am 7 years old. I want to be an artist. Art helps me see the world more clearly.”

Dharma Joe Age: 6

“I like taking pictures of my cat because she is always being sneaky. I also like to take pictures of lines.”

“My name is Riley. I am 7 years old. I love to play and swim. I wish it was summer so I could go roller blading.”

Riley Harrison Age: 7

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Braxton Davis

Finley Laue Age: 5

He is a big brother and a ninja master. When he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t busy practicing his moves, he is out hunting deer and searching out the best rocks for his collection. He loves to take photos of all the cool stuff around the ranch.

Taylor Houdyshell Age: 8

Taylor likes to create with all types of media. She loves expressing herself through coloring, painting, taking photos, singing, and cheer.

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“I like taking pictures and going to art class because its fun! I love crafting, baking, tumbling and reading. I want to be a figure skater when I grow up.”

Rylie Shultz Age: 5

Michael Peters Age: 8

“My name is Michael. I love art because there is a scene like the one with me taking a picture of a squirrel eating. It looks like wildlife, which it is but not just that, it looks realistic.”

Garrison Davis

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Braxton Davis

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The bracelets, when worn together, are called stacks. The stacks are a mix of natural and synthetic stones. The sticks range in price from $45 to $75.

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Just Junkin’: An acre of worthy whimsy

Headed south out of Joplin on Indiana Avenue, houses line the street, cars zip along and life is business as usual. Seemingly out of nowhere, a property pops up that’s worth taking a second look: An acre of whimsy worthy of its given name, Chaos.

Written by Amanda Stone Photography by Roger Nomer

Sandra Parrill smiles as she shows off her very unique garden.

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The extensive stretch of winding paths, trees, plants and art is the work of Joplin Globe columnist Sandy Parrill and her husband Jim. Sandy is a garden writer, nature lover and artist; her garden is living proof. It is a veritable wonderland of art in nature. She has created numerous outdoor sculptures and works, from found pieces of what many would refer to as “junk.” The result is an eclectic mix of yard art around every twisting turn in her garden’s path. “We’re just always picking stuff up. I can see possibilities of reworking it or can use the whole thing as a piece of garden sculpture. I don’t stick a plant in something just because it has a hole in it. My things are more like art projects. I’m always finding bits and pieces that can come together,” said Sandy. Pointing to a large, heavy-looking metal base, Sandy said, “I found that at the junkyard. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I wanted it.” It ended up being the bottom of a 1920s-era water heater. She had a wire basket that fit in it perfectly, making it a one-of-a-kind planter. At Chaos, architectural salvage, bird bath bases and decorative metal parts from retail store displays come together to form beautiful, Frankenstein-like works of yard art. The Parrills are on the lookout for potential art projects everywhere they go. Flea markets, junk yards and garage sales are great sources, but sometimes they come upon cast aside treasures that catch their eye. A slab of marble tops a table base they found in the weeds of a nearby field. Sandy pointed to a delicate-looking

A rusty-looking snail

“We’re just always picking stuff up. I can see possibilities of reworking it or can use the whole thing as a piece of garden sculpture. I don’t stick a plant in something just because it has a hole in it. My things are more like art projects. I’m always finding bits and pieces that can come together.” hanging lantern and said, “That was an old cracker tin. I cut out designs, added lamp parts and painted it.” Sandy’s yard art is subtle, and requires a watchful eye to notice many of the pieces. In her column, she writes of being mindful. In order to take in all of her work, it’s helpful to be in the moment, observing and paying attention. Even then, it would take several trips to Chaos to see it all. Subtleties are everywhere. She claims not to have any favorite pieces, but she does love working with lamps. “They make good bases for pots and I love lamp globes,” said Sandy. Sewer tiles are also something she enjoys using. They can be found throughout the garden, used in a variety of ways, yet all clearly placed with purpose. Wind chimes made from stained glass tinkle in the wind, glass birds sit atop blue

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(top) A Mosiac globe. (bottom) No, not a “hobbit hole” but a gnome home.

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bottles that have been fashioned into a cobalt bottle tree, colorful bowling balls dot the landscape (Sandy has found that they’re just as pretty as glass globes but much sturdier) and cheese graters with just the right amount of rust line a walkway, waiting for a candle to be placed inside at sundown. “I re-use absolutely everything. We’re always making things out of pieces and parts and bits. It’s here and there and everywhere,” said Sandy. A mailbox past its prime houses plastic bags in her

workspace, while an old push mower’s wheels stand up vertically as, “a perfect place to park a pot.” Rusted barrel hoops are repurposed in a number of creative ways, from being filled with cement as a base for a mosaic to one hung up and wrapped with fishing line to form a spider’s web. One was bent into a curved shape that became a snail. “I found a cool rock for a shell, added springs for feelers and that was that,” laughed Sandy. A snail was born. The Parrills put the wild outdoors

to good use in their art projects. They fashioned a rounded “hobbit house” or “gnome home,” complete with front door, from fallen debris. Beyond the trees in a nearby clearing lies a circular labyrinth made from rocks. Their playful side shines with an area of the garden inhabited by toy dinosaurs and a dragon made from a log and rocks, with marbles for eyes. Like much of the Parrill’s art, he is hidden among the plants, and would be easily missed unless one was looking for subtle whimsy.

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activities. The following decade Newman recorded the aggressive union efforts over the labor force of the mining fields. These labor disputes erupted into riots and deaths, forcing martial law to exist in selected areas of the Tri-State Mining District. Newman also informed the public on the Eagle-Picher labor board trial that occurred at the Joplin Federal Building — the court proceedings lasted six months, becoming the longest trial in the history of the community. For 15 years he was editor of the Globe. n a Globe editorial dated Christmas Eve 1971, Newman was praised: “His copy was invariably crisp, easy to read, flawless in fact and grammar, typically produced under pressure of

Mining the Past Nodules: The nodule is one of the TriState region’s most misunderstood rock formations. Due to their unique globular shapes, the nodule is ripe for various misinterpretations. Popular interpretations include: dinosaur eggs, Native American artifacts, mammoth or dinosaur bones, and a local variant — confederate or union stone cannon balls. A nodule actually is a rough spherical formation of chert. The rock, chert, can form as either a massive bed, as seen at Joplin’s Grand Falls, or as nodules embedded in a host rock of

Nail Head Calcite: Calcite has over 800 crystal forms. In the Tri-State Mining District two crystal forms of calcite are common; the dogtooth (scalenohedron) crystal and the nail head crystal. Nail head calcite has six sides terminating in a stubby six-faceted point. Visually it looks similar to quartz, but chemically it is easily dissolved in acid and is much softer than quartz. Negative Crystal: A negative crystal is a cavity in a mineral mass that contains the outlines of crystal that has been dissolved. Once the original crystal forms it is covered by a soft material such as a mudstone. Over time the host rock hardens to stone, while the original crystal dissolves. Negative crystals of calcite can and have been found in the Tri-State region.

approaching deadline and while the entire plant waited for Newman’s copy.” His journalism career began in Galena, Kansas as a Globe correspondent shortly after his graduation from Galena High School in 1918. In just a matter of months, the young scribe was reassigned to cover the booming Picher, Cardin and Hockerville lead and zinc mining fields. Looking back at his 50 years of writing, Newman’s words continue to have meaning today.

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limestone. As acidic groundwater causes the limestone to dissolve, the chert nodules are exposed. The nodules can vary greatly in both size and shape. They can be found formed as small as marbles to massive boulders weighing multiple tons. While most nodules are spherical, the multitude of shapes can easily lead the novice to misidentify the specimen. Chert nodules are often thought to be geodes as well, but they are solid inside, or if partially hollow they lack the interior crystalline formations that make a geode. If cut in half, a chert nodule can exhibit concentric bands similar to a cut onion.

» C OME JU DG E

for Yourself.

GOLFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME TO CHALLENGE THE JUDGE and the two other golf courses in Prattville at RTJ Capitol Hill. Bring your clubs and come take on Judge hole number 1, voted the favorite hole on the Trail. Complete your day in luxury at the Marriott and enjoy dining, firepits and guest rooms overlooking the Senator golf course. With the Marriott’s 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 96 guest rooms and luxurious Presidential Cottage combined with three world-class golf courses, business and pleasure can definitely interact in Prattville.

THE ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL AT CAPITOL HILL is home of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on the Senator Course September 18 to 24, 2014. The Marriott Prattville is part of the Resort Collection on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 800.949.4444 to learn more. MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

Day Trippin’:

in a third house located in a second Kansas City suburb, Independence. Independence is also home to a magnificent museum dedicated to him. Grab your hat, jump into the backseat and hold on tight, folks! We’re traveling north on I-49 to get close and personal with Missouri’s most beloved U.S. president!

Harry S. Truman’s Life in Missouri Written and photographed by Kevin McClintock

Roll out of bed, pour coffee to go and hop in the car — it’s time for a day trip to follow the footsteps of Missouriborn Harry S. Truman, America’s 33rd President. Truman was born in nearby Lamar

in 1884 and spent most of his youth on his 600-acre family farm in Grandview, a suburb of Kansas City. And with the exception of time spent in Washington D.C. while serving as both senator and president, he lived the majority of his life

First stop — Harry Truman Birthplace State Historic Site 1009 Truman Street, Lamar, Missouri 9:00 a.m. This is the shortest of the four stops on our list — we were probably here for roughly 10 minutes — but it’s an important one in the early life of Harry S. Truman. Why? Because the future president was born inside this one-and-a-half-story home. In essence, folks, this is where the Buck got started. Truman was brought into this world on May 8, 1884, in the downstairs southwest bedroom. During my stop I limited myself to a quick walk around the house, snapping pictures and peeking through windows

This tiny house in central Lamar is where a little baby named Harry was born, destined to be our 33rd U.S. President

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A detailed replica of Harry S. Truman’s Oval Office found inside the Truman Library in Independence.

and the opened doorway. There is a visitor’s center located right across the street. One cool fact about this house is that, in 1958, when it was officially named a historic site, Truman himself attended the dedication ceremony. Information: Free tours are offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays from March through October.

Second stop — Truman Farm Home 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd., Grandview, Missouri 11:03 a.m. I left behind the birth home of Truman and now, two hours later, I’m peering at the 33rd president’s farm home. Located at 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd., the home was built in 1894 by Truman’s maternal grandmother on 5.25 acres. As a young

man, Truman worked on this farm from 1906 to 1917. It was here, rumor has it, that Truman gained his famous “common sense.” Information: The grounds are open yearround, free, though no guided tours are offered.

Third stop — Harry S. Truman National Historic Site 219 N. Delaware, Street, Independence, Missouri 11:41 a.m. A third stop. A third home. But this one is the most important of Truman’s Missouri abodes in that he lived in it, along with wife Bess Wallace, from the time of their 1919 marriage to the time of his death in late 1972. To tour the house, the fee is $5 and there are no self-guided tours; all visits to the home are conducted by professional guides. Tickets can be purchased at the Visitor’s Center a few blocks away from the grounds. The home’s ground floor offers unique glimpses of the type of simple life the Truman family enjoyed before and after their eight years spent at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Continued on page 60

The Independence home of Harry and Bess Truman.

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A mural graces an entire wall inside the Truman Library, painted by Neosho native Thomas Hart Benton.

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Continued from page 57

An eternal flame burns outside the Truman Library.

On display is a Steinway piano (a gift from Truman to his daughter, Margaret), a portion of Truman’s personal library, the family’s record collection and the official White House portrait. Interestingly, the home’s second floor is currently not open to public tour, per wishes from Bess Truman herself, who wanted a small part of their family life kept private.

in day-to-day activities there for more than a decade; he even trained museum workers and conducted press conferences for visiting children from nearby schools. He would even answer the phone, legend has

it, surprising callers when it dawned on the folks just who, in fact, they were actually speaking with — an actual, honest-togoodness and flesh-and-blood former U.S. President.

Fourth stop — Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum 500 W. U.S. Highway 24, Independence, Missouri 1:03 p.m. A three-minute drive north of Truman’s home will bring you to the final stop on our Harry S. Truman tour, and it’s the biggest stop of them all. The Presidential Library and Museum is truly a magnificent building, opened to the public in 1957, and sitting on a hill overlooking Kansas City’s distant skyline to the west. A cool fact about Truman and this facility is that he participated 60

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The final resting spot of Harry S. Truman, located in the courtyard outside the museum.

The museum’s most popular attractions include: • Truman’s office, which appears today just as it did when Truman passed away in 1972. This glassed-in exhibit preserves Truman’s “safe space,” the place he would toil sometimes for up to eight to nine hours a day on the museum grounds, writing letters and a book prior to his death. Some of the preserved items visible on his desk include a silver cigar box, a red leather paper organizer, a ceramic piano, a giant globe — a gift given to him by members of the Department of Defense — as well as a chrome cigarette case given to him by newspaper photographers who covered him while he was in the White House.

the scaffolding, was listening to the comments of his chief critic and patron below, President Truman. Finally Benton called down, ‘If you want to help paint, come up here.’ ‘By golly, I will,’ Truman replied. He climbed up to the platform, seized a brush and began dabbing blue on the sky. • And finally — worth the price of admission alone, in our opinion — sits a stunning replica of Truman’s Oval Office from his two-term Presidency during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It

is the museum’s central and most-sought exhibit. All the U.S. Presidents following Truman chose to keep the same “look and feel” of this famous room office, from John F. Kennedy all the way up to present-day Barack Obama. As a bonus, a two-minute detailed audio tape that plays from speakers high overhead, highlighting some of the room’s cool features, is narrated by Truman himself.

Information: Admission to the complex is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $3 for children ages 6 to 15.

• Truman’s final resting spot, found in the open-air courtyard. Truman was laid to rest here in ‘72, and 10 years later, his wife joined him in the ground. Their daughter’s remains are also interred in the courtyard. All three graves can be viewed in the outdoor courtyard. • A rare mural from Neosho-born Thomas Hart Benton graces the lobby wall facing the museum’s main entrance. It’s titled, “Independence and the Opening of the West.” Benton began work on the mural three years after the Truman Library opened. According to the library’s Web site, the following incident occurred: “In one account, Benton, high on

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Pet Tales:

‘There’s no place like home’ Joplin woman provides professional pet-sitting services for vacationing families By Kevin McClintock | Photography courtesy Marcia Kay Foster

When the Kester family recently took a weekend trip to Snow Creek in Weston, Missouri, they left behind their two dogs, four cats and a number of rescued ferrets. Rather than call upon a loved one to check on the pets — or worse, paying little Sally from down the street to babysit them — they turned to a professional. Marcia Kay Foster, who owns and operates Creature Comforts, has been pet sitting a number of four-legged loved ones for nearly a decade now. She is a licensed, bonded and insured professional with extensive experience working inside a veterinarian clinic. Foster is the only person in the Four State Area, Quinton Kester said, who he would completely entrust his pets with. “(Foster) just doesn’t leave some food and water and leave,” he said. “She does so much more than that. She (tends) to 62

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their emotional needs; she gives them that love and attention they need to hold them over while we’re away so they won’t be traumatized.” What Foster provides, essentially, is a free and easy state of mind, for both the pets and their human owners. She gives the animals much-needed attention and care inside the home, where they feel the most safe and secure — they don’t have to leave their familiar surroundings for the unfamiliar environment of a boarding house. At the same time, the family on vacation can fully enjoy their time away from the house without feelings of guilt or nagging fears. “The kid down the street can come over and probably do okay and get food and water for (the pets), but they’re not bonded or insured if something bad should happen,” Foster said. “Knowing what to do

in a situation like that, if a pet gets sick or a dog gets loose, is a big selling point.” Foster began operating Creature Comforts on a part-time basis back in 2001 while she was working for Dr. Kent Arnold at Companion Animal Hospital, pet-sitting in the mornings, nights — even during her lunch breaks. But in 2011, “I decided to do what I loved doing part of the time — full time,” she said. Today, Foster has 130 (human) clients. She estimates she works from roughly 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, and drives about 100 daily miles. She charges $18 for a 45-minute home visit. “I’m just not there to come into the house and put down food and water,” Foster said with a laugh. “I had one guy ask me, ‘You charge $18 to come in and

throw down some food?’ No, I charge $18 because I come in and I pick up the mail and I make the house look lived-in.” And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to provided services. She will give your feline and canine buddies a good cardio playtime. She will walk the dog through the neighborhood. She will feed them and clean out the cat’s (or ferret’s) litter box. She will transport them to the vet or the groomers, if requested. She will administer medicines to them, including insulin injections. She will also water the plants, bring in the newspaper and daily mail, turn on or alternate lights, open and close blinds, carry in or out trash and remove all doggie waste from the front or back lawn. Currently, Foster is tending to scores of dogs and cats, a handful of ferrets, two tamed raccoons and a bearded dragon. She’s also

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able to care for horses, goats, light livestock, small mammals, amphibians, birds and fish. Essentially, she “allows your pet to stay in the comfort of their own home rather than being kenneled while you’re out of town,” she said. “Your pet will sleep on their own bed (and) eat out of their own bowls.” Take the Kester family, for example. Because they have three different types of animals, taking care of all of them within a regular visit can be rather tricky. “You have to be flexible, like a yoga instructor,” she said with a chuckle. When she enters the Kester’s home, she first checks on a ferret named Waffle. Because Waffle and the cats get along great together, the four cats and ferret can spend some quality time together while Foster feeds them, cleans out the litter boxes and gives each animal some much-needed individual attention. She then shifts her attention to the other ferrets — the Kester’s operate a unique ferret-rescue program. All of the ferrets except for Waffle are a family group (technically called a business). It is led by an alpha-male ferret who would fight Waffle — to the death, if possible — if they ever interacted with one another. So Foster ensures Waffle is never in the same room with the rest of the ferrets when the latter are being fed, groomed and loved on. After this, she sets up baby gates to ensure the cats don’t escape the house before heading out back, where she gives some quality attention to the family’s two dogs. One of the dogs simply wants to be loved on; the other wants to run and play fetch. Foster happily obliges both. And she knows all of the animals by name, without any hesitation.

“That’s what makes her so special,” Kester said of Foster. “That she cares enough to call each pet by name and that she genuinely cares for the animals.” And she does. Recently, when she was told over the phone that a client’s dog named Tigger had suddenly passed away, a dog she’d grown attached to over the years, she cried out an “Oh no!” and later wept at the loss. “I just love animals,” Foster said. “They are special to me.” For more information about Creature Comforts and the services that Foster provides, please call her at 417-529-6750 or go online at CreatureComfortsJoplin.com.

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J List

The

Hey, all of us realize Range Line Road is Joplin’s busiest roadway. Fearing the heavy congestion on weekends, those of us who live here avoid it like the plague. Usually visitors from out-of-town are the only ones seen on Range Line Road or Main Street during the weekends. It’s similar to how Branson residents view 76 Highway, using Green Mountain Drive or Gretna to avoid the main drag’s heavy congestion. The following streets are some nice shortcuts to avoid heavy congestion found on Range Line Road or Main Street.

Rex Ave. is a beloved dog’s name. It’s also the name of a road that is, well, beloved by Joplin residents for its traffic-related convenience. It’s a short road, really — stretching from just Seventh Street to 20th Street. But it’s a great way to connect traffic between the 15th Street Walmart to the businesses lining Northpark Lane. You can also use the nearby Davis Blvd. to reach distant 32nd Street, without ever touching Range Line Road’s well-used pavement.

Once a no-name, two-lane city street, Zora Street was expanded to three lanes years ago and is presently being widened to five lanes. While it’s no longer a secret short cut like it once was, the road’s still a great way for people to travel from S. Range Line Road to S. Main St. without a lot of fuss. What a lot of folks may not realize is that Zora now extends traffic all the way west to N. Schifferdecker Ave.

This road is one of my favorites found in all of Joplin. Hodgdon Road, like Rex, is a short road. But like Rex, it helps you avoid the congestion at the three Northpark Mall entrances as well as the long traffic light at Fourth St. If you’re traveling south on Range Line Road and need to get to downtown Joplin, Hodgdon (which turns into Truk Ave.) is a great way for you to zip over to Fourth Street and head west without a lot of starts and stops.

A good way to zip north/south across Joplin while avoiding Range Line Road and Main Street is utilizing your two good friends: Wall and Joplin Avenues. Use these to get from north Joplin to the southern hospital district without much trouble — with the exception of the traffic light at Joplin and 20th Street, which I swear is the longest in recorded history.

Murphy Blvd. is an important north/south road that helps ease traffic off busy Main Street (and all of those traffic lights) and gives you a nifty, stress-free ride into the heart of Joplin, snaking its way all the way to 20th Street. As a plus, it’s also one of the prettiest drives found in northern Joplin, as the road passes through Landreth, Ewert and Murphy Boulevard/Parr Hill parks. MARCH • APRIL | JMAG

Parting

Shot

Heavenly Music Photography by Roger Nomer Eleanor McLemore fills the spacious interior of Joplin’s St. Philip’s Episcopal 66 JMAG | MARCH Church • APRIL with beautiful music.