Austin Allen, The Architect… Remembered

Sunday – December 3, 2023

Joplin | Webb City | Oronogo

1:00 to 6:00 PM

The tour includes fifteen sites in Joplin, two in Webb City, and one in Oronogo.

The tour will have approximately ten sites where the interior and exterior will be open to guests. The remaining eight sites will only be visible from the outside or street view.

1:00 PM – Lecture by Brad Belk on the life and work of Austin Allen, Joplin’s premier architect between 1903 and 1917

1:30 to 6:00 PM – Visit 18 historic structures designed or associated with Mr. Allen.

A commemorative booklet will be given to each guest describing each tour site and its history. The tour includes fifteen sites in Joplin, two in Webb City, and one in Oronogo. Guests can visit the sites in any order.

Due to the design of these historic properties, handicap accessibility is limited. There are two handicap entrances on the west side of the Joplin Schools Administrative Building at 825 South Pearl Avenue.

Advance ticket sales $25

$30 Day of Tour at tour headquarters, Joplin Schools Administrative Building, 310 W. Eighth Street, Joplin  (doors open at 12:15 PM)

Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc. is a non-profit organization that implements
charitable and educational activities, which promotes and stimulates historic awareness
throughout the Joplin area. The Historic Murphysburg District is generally on Sergeant,
Moffet, and Byers Avenues between First to Seventh Streets near downtown Joplin.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Paula Callihan, Historic Murphysburg Preservation, Inc.; 417-208-9376;
Murphysburg@gmail.com; www.Murphysburg.org.

The Joseph S. Walker House

Joseph Scott Walker, Sr., along with his wife Mary Ellen, were original owners of this house. They moved out in 1903. Joseph was considered a “capitalist” and an ore buyer for the Edgar Zinc Company of St. Louis. He was superintendent of the Sunday school at the First Methodist Church of Joplin and for six years was president of the Jasper County Sunday School Association.

Next came Charles W. McAbee, and wife Louella. He was vice-president of Independent Powder Co. of Missouri and later president of Independent Candy & Manufacturing Co. at 4th and Missouri Avenue.

George Washington Moore resided at the house from 1931 to 1937.  However, in 1938, he and wife Ida moved across the street to the “old Schifferdecker home” at 422 S. Sergeant.  It is noteworthy because he “swapped houses” with the Hurwitz-Luecke Family that had lived at the mansion since 1920.  According to the Webb City Sentinel, George was elected the mayor of Webb City in 1904 and was credited with lifting Webb City out of the mud and otherwise modernizing what was then a rough mining community.  George was also an ore buyer and associated with numerous mining and smelting industries.  The Moores lived at the Schifferdecker house until 1947 when it was sold to the Hurlburt-Glover Mortuary—a saga onto itself—eventually settled by the Missouri Supreme Court!

  • Moore House in Webb City 2023
  • Mrs. George (Ida) Moore
  • George’s Death Nnotice
  • George Moore (mid-life)

Postscript: George’s “palatial home” at 903 S. Madison Avenue in Webb City, built in 1908, is slated to be demolished in the summer of 2023 to make way for new commercial development.  Thankfully, the two historic houses in Joplin that are associated with George and Ida listed above have been preserved.  After extensive renovations to the Schifferdecker Mansion by Joplin Historic Neighborhoods, George W. Moore remains engraved on the front step.

Bertha Hurwitz Luecke moved into the house in 1938 and remained until her death in 1952.  Bertha’s husband, Julius died in 1933; he was a jeweler.  Her brother, Dr. Leon Hurwitz also lived at the Schifferdecker House with the Luecke Family.  Dr. Hurwitz died in 1936, ten years after being convicted of selling morphine illegally, serving three years in Leavenworth prison, and understandably losing his medical license!  At one point, he was also appointed as the City Physician.  All of this could explain why Bertha was ready to “downsize” by moving to 411 S. Sergeant. 

Bertha’s son, Carl Luecke continued living here until his death in 1969.  He was an engineer for the Empire District Electric Company for 41 years.  Carl’s wife, Ruth Fleischaker Luecke held a master’s degree in special education and was the first teacher of the sight-saving classes in the Joplin school system.  Carl and Ruth continued living here until their deaths in 1969 and 1973 respectively.
In the spirit of keeping the house in the family, Ruth’s nephew, William “Bill” Fleischaker moved into the house in 1975.  The extended Fleischaker Family factors prominently in Joplin’s early history and that of the United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin.  Several family members continue to serve the community today.  

ARCHITECTURE

The two-and-one-half-story Queen Anne house has a limestone foundation, a hip roof with lower cross-gables and a side-wrap porch with a gabled pediment.  It has brick piers, round wood columns and dentil molding.  A transom can be seen over the front door. 

Historic Murphysburg Preservation

Woman’s History Month…Two Untold Stories

Dora Annabelle Jesse Kneeland…The woman behind a famous seasoning

Dora was born in Diamond, Missouri in 1879 and moved to Joplin in 1895.  Her husband, Guy Kneeland was an engineer for a zinc mine and passed away in 1923.   Dora eventually came to live at 101 North Sergeant Avenue with a daughter, son-in-law, and grandson until her death on July 29, 1945.   Dora was a member of the Zinc Rebekah Lodge and First Baptist Church.

Why is Dora’s story special and carries on to present day?  The answer begins with Dora’s son-in-law, Cecil LeRoy “Roy” Williams, who was the founder of the C. L. Williams Chili Seasoning Company, now known as Williams Foods, Inc.

According to the Williams Foods website, a 1998 article in the Biz Journal (Kansas City), and a 2008 article in Ingram’s magazine, Mr. Williams started the Williams Chili Seasoning company in Webb City in 1937 and began by “…selling his mother’s chili seasonings…” in small brown paper bags and selling them out of his home.  However, there are two wrinkles to this account.  According to Dr. Benjamin Rosenberg, it wasn’t Roy’s mother’s recipe—it was Dora’s, his mother-in-law’s recipe.  The other wrinkle is the location and date.  According to a 1972 Joplin Globe article, “Many years ago, in a small garage in Joplin, (at Roy’s home) using a blender just about the size of today’s coffee blender, the original formulation of pure spices and seasonings were combined by C. L. Williams, the beginning of Williams’s Foods, Inc.”

The 1939 Joplin City Directory shows the Williams family living in Joplin at 101 North Sergeant Avenue.  The Rosenberg family lived across the street at 101 South Sergeant.  

Dr. Benjamin Rosenberg is a long-time Joplin resident, former City Councilman, and local dentist.  Dr. Rosenberg says the seasoning was made in the (extant) detached garage behind the William’s house on Sergeant Avenue.  While attending Columbia Elementary School (five blocks north at E Street and Sergeant Avenue) “Benji” would often ride his bicycle home for lunch.  At that time, Columbia did not serve lunch.  On some days Benji would eat chili for lunch served by the Williams family.  During the cooking, Dr. Rosenberg said, “You could smell chili all over the neighborhood.”

It appeared that no one else was selling packaged seasoning mixes for home use.  Later Mr. Williams was the first seasonings maker to put the product in aluminum pouches.  Once established, Mr. Williams approached the City of Joplin for a special use permit so that he could legally continue the process in his garage.  According to Dr. Rosenberg, City officials denied the request.  Mr. Williams moved his operation from the “small garage” to Webb City around 1942, although some reports site 1945.  However, the family continued to cook chili and the aroma filled the air.     
Interestingly, Roy continued his “real job” as the purchasing agent for Myers Motor Supply Company at 5th Street and Wall Avenue between 1925 and 1952.  Roy died in 1975 and his wife Ida in 1988.

The seasoning’s popularity grew and was distributed throughout the Midwest.  Mr. Williams sold the firm to Conrad Hock, Jr. in 1963 (although some reports site 1961) who continued operating under the Williams brand at the 1502 South Madison plant in Webb City.  By 1972, the seasoning was sold in some 30 states, many countries, and military commissaries.  In 1984, Hock moved the company to Lenexa, Kansas, which was not well received by Webb City residents and is still lamented today!  The company was sold again in March 2008 to C. H. Guenther & Son, LLC.  The manufacturing plant is still in Lenexa with the Guenther corporate office in San Antonio, Texas.

Thank you, Dora Kneeland, for creating a chili seasoning mix that started in a humble Joplin garage and continues to help people get dinner on the table some 86 years later.

The Fred & Red’s chili (spaghetti red) recipe is closely guarded, but many cooks believe the secret ingredient is Williams Chili Seasoning.  Fred & Red’s restaurant is located at 1719 South Main Street, Joplin.

Williams Chili Seasoning packets can be purchased at G & W Cash Saver Grocery Store at 811 West 7th Street, Joplin and across America.  Visit https://williamsfoods.com for the product locator then type in a zip code.

The Joseph E. Garm House

Joseph Edward Garm, vice-president of Joplin National Bank, was a well-known banker and financier. 

He was a member of the Joplin Rotary, president of the Joplin Parks Board, manager of Joplin Clearing House Association, president of the Missouri Bankers’ Association, and a member of the Home Building & Loan Association.

In 1946, Mr. Garm was the campaign treasurer for the proposed Tri-State World War II memorial museum in Schifferdecker Park.  The purpose was to give dignified tribute to the veterans and miners who gave their lives, and adequately display mineral specimens as well as war relics.  The prize collection of zinc-lead minerals was valued at more than a million dollars in 1946. 

The Peter and Adaline Schnur House

Both Peter Schnur (1845-1906) and Adeline Coffeen Schnur (1846-1922) were known as
Joplin’s pioneer residents, having come to what was known as Murphysburg in 1872. Five
children were born in the family. While marching in a Knights Templar parade in
downtown Joplin, witnessed by 15,000 people, Peter became prostrated by the heat and
dropped out of the line, fell near his residence, and died a few hours after being taken to his
house. A feeling of gloom was cast over the city as the news of his sickness and death
passed rapidly from lip to lip. Adeline also died at the house 16 years later.

In March 1872, Peter established the Mining News, which was the first newspaper
published in the town. It later was known as the Evening News and then the News Herald.
The paper had a great influence on the early life of Joplin. According to the book, History of
Jasper County 1912, Peter was “…its editor and proprietor, was a good writer and in the
narrative of events as they happened from week to week, told the plain truth, avoiding the
sensational and printing only so much of the news of the under-strata of society as was
necessary to correctly chronicle the happenings of the day.” Editorially he advocated a
better local government and always was on the side of public improvement. After selling
his paper and printing establishment, he was appointed postmaster. Peter was also
engaged in mining.

ARCHITECTURE – The two-and-one-half-story Queen Anne house has a limestone
foundation and a gable-on-hip roof with lower cross-gables. Gabled wings project from the
north, east and south elevations. Hipped and shed roof wings project from the rear (west)
elevation. A full-width hip roof porch spans the primary (east) elevation. It has cast stone
piers with tapered square wood columns and a wood picket railing. This elevation has
three bays. Bay 1 has a single window on each story. Bay 2 has a historic wood panel door
with glazing and a wood panel transom on the first story and a single window on the
second story. The recessed Bay 3 has a single window on each story. A historic fixed, four-
light window pierces the gable end.