Joplin’s post office opened in 1871, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #64 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
30 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 286 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.
The Joplin post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1873. Seven smaller post offices, Shoal Creek (1850), Leadville (1859) and Murphysburgh (1872), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 7,038 in 18802020 census: 51,762155 years
How historic is Joplin?
B+
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Joplin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Joplin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Joplin is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #64 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Joplin’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Joplin’s 59.9 sits above most of its state (88% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 315 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1873 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Joplin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lead was discovered in the Joplin Creek Valley before the Civil War, but only after the war did significant development take place. By 1871, numerous mining camps sprang up in the valley and resident John C. Cox filed a plan for a city on the east side of the valley. Cox named his village Joplin City after the spring and creek nearby, which had been named for the Reverend Harris G. Joplin, who settled upon its banks circa 1840.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people1912 · page 169Read the page →
Read the text
JoPLiN AND Galena Townships In May, 1873, the county court redistricted the county into municipal towndiips and the city of Joplin was divided, East Joplin being in Dubuque, later Joplin township, and West Joplin in Galena township. The dividing line between the two townships was the alley east of Main street in West Joplin. This arrangement caused great excitement in West Joplin, for the reason that at least one-third of the population of that place was in the east side township. To settle the controversy the county
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The history of Jasper county, Missouri1883 · page 606Read the page →
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Organization. — This territory was in 1841 a portion of Center Creek township,* which included several townships as they are now bounded, and on Feb. 7th, 1873, the present township of Joplin was struck off and called Dubuque, but was changed to Joplin township on Feb. 21st, 1873. The boundaries were as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of section fifteen, township twenty-eight, range thirty-two; thence west to the northwest corner of section fourteen, township twenty-eight, range thirty-three, thence south to the southeast corner of section three, township twenty-
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The history of Jasper county, Missouri1883 · page 190Read the page →
Read the text
J. W. McAntire was educated at Memphis High School, Memphis, Missouri, and Lagrange College. He studied law at Memphis and was admitted to the bar at that place in September, 1872, when he immediately came to Joplin and began the practice, and in 1873 he was elected city attorney of Joplin, and in 1878 was elected prosecuting attorney of Jasper county. He is still residing at Joplin.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Joplin, 1850 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Joplin. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Joplin West sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Joplin.
Every building
Joplin, building by building, 1884–1906
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Joplin post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1873.
How does Joplin rank for history?
Joplin is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #64 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Joplin?
30 listings: 23 buildings, among them the Joplin Connor Hotel (listed 1973, the first), and 7 historic districts with 286 contributing buildings. 315 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Joplin?
15% of Joplin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1985.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (30), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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