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Star Lanes Bowling, 219 E. Third St., was opened in late 1961 in the former Fox Midwest Crane Theater. The Carthage Evening Press on April 15, 1961 shows a photo of the new floor being laid. It was mentioned that once the floor was laid, Brunswick would be coming to install automated pin-setting equipment and new bowling lanes.

Before Star Lanes opened, residents would frequent Carthage Bowl at 510 Grant Street. It closed when Star Lanes opened. Carthage Bowl was host to multiple bowling tournaments and league scores were consistently posted in The Carthage Evening Press. One ad for Carthage Bowl in early 1960 stated that every afternoon was “open bowl” for the family starting at 1 p.m., except for Wednesdays and Saturdays and included Sundays.

Carthage has seen a multitude of theaters over the past 100-plus years and one of the most popular was the Crane Theater. When the Cranes purchased the old Harrington Hotel site in the 1920s, the family opened the theater next door. When the theater first opened around 1922, they boasted about having a “Mammoth $20,000 Hope-Jones Orchestral Organ” that would be played during silent films. Around 1930, an article in the Jasper County Democrat was written about Vitaphone reps in Carthage confirming the installation of sound equipment so “talkie” movies could be shown.

The Crane was dedicated to bringing movies to this area quicker than any other. In January 1924, the movie “Long Live the King” starring Jackie Coogan came to town. The ad in the Press on January 5, 1924 boasted the fact that this movie was being shown in Carthage before it even premiered in theaters in Joplin, Wichita, and Kansas City. Because they were able to get this movie so early, they had to increase the admission for adults from 25 cents to 30 cents and children’s prices would remain at ten cents.

The theater did not only show movies. They hosted battle of the jazz band events, fiddle contests, The Missouri Pageant and hosted special appearances by a wide array of individuals. One special appearance was made by the “San Antonio Siamese Twins.” Daisy and Violet Hilton were joined at birth and would travel around the country with a musical program. The Carthage Evening Press on July 2, 1930 announced that “all Carthage twins and triplets admitted free!” The paper was loaded with ads from Carthage merchants about the special event.

Even though the theater is long gone, Star Lanes bowling alley is still a popular spot. Leagues bowl there consistently and many people enjoy hanging out at the lanes. Summer hours are in effect now.

Sources: The Carthage Evening Press, Jasper County Democrat, Images of America Carthage Missouri, Michelle Newton-Hansford.

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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Gas stations or filling stations, whatever you call them, have been a necessity since the onset of the automobile. With Carthage being the “Crossroads of America”, it was imperative that we provided a means to fuel up whether travelers were heading east and west on Route 66, or north and south on Highway 71.  

One ad in the Dec. 15, 1930, Carthage Press urges customers to visit the “New Texaco Super Station, northwest corner Central and Garrison Intersection of Highways 66 and 71”. They go on to say “Drive in and get acquainted with Carthage’s ‘latest and best.’ A full line of Texaco products. Car washing and greasing. Cars called for and delivered. G.W. Robbins, agent.”

The corners of Central and Garrison Avenues, of course, saw the largest population of filling stations because of its deemed status as the crossroads. In the photo above, The Darrow Garage, which is now vacant at 200 S Garrison Avenue, is one of the very few of these types of structures still visible today. Darrow’s was constructed in 1935, a few years prior to Boots Motor Court in 1939.

Filling and service stations were not the only necessity, auto parts manufacturers sprang up, too, even in Carthage. H.E. Williams, known for their lighting supplies today, actually was established in 1920 as an automobile parts manufacturer. They played a role in providing auto parts to our men oversees during war time.  

By 1951 there were nearly 40 service stations and over 25 auto repair shops listed in and around the city of Carthage in the Carthage phone book.

Some filling stations served more than just a place to fuel your car. My granddad owned a filling and service station on Route 66, just to the north of Morrow Mill road. You can still see the small cinder block structure that once housed the station, but the garage where repairs were made, is no longer there. Customers that visited his station when it was open talk about Saturday nights and how everyone in that area would go there for live music and homemade ice cream. Some kids would even make the long trek on a bicycle every Saturday just for the fun. People who stopped to fuel their cars were in for a grand treat.

Sadly, many of the stations closed once new highways were constructed. However, we have many excellent auto repair shops and gas stations in Carthage today.

Sources: Powers Museum, The Carthage Press

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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Carthage Hardware at 119 E. 3rd St., is truly a unique structure. Not only has it been a hardware store in its entire 130 years, but its façade is made of a different Carthage “stone” than we are used to seeing on our older buildings. Most of our historic buildings and homes have Carthage limestone either as the foundation, the sidewalk or steps, or even as the outer covering, but Carthage brick is another “stone” that is found throughout the area.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Queen City Brickyards at the corner of Locust and Vine boasted they produced nearly 25,000 bricks a day. They provided bricks throughout Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas for use in new home and building construction.

Before the brick building was constructed in 1880, a wood frame structure housed a hardware store as well, although, not every business on that site has been a hardware store. In 1842, it was a home, general store and post office. Then as it passed hands in 1851, it was changed to a hotel, saloon and livery stable until the Civil War. After the war, reconstruction brought us our first hardware store on the site.

In the fall of 1893, bank robberies were a problem around the Carthage Square. Carthage Hardware at the time was known as Keim and McMillan and they placed fear in anyone who was considering robbing a bank. It was noted in the newspaper “in Keim and McMillan’s show window today is displayed a terrifying array of Winchester rifles. They are for the Carthage banks, to be used in case of an attack by robbers, and will be distributed to various points surrounding the bank localities. Seven of these guns go to the First National Bank, seven to the Central National, six to the Carthage National and two to the Jasper Co. Bank.”

Advertisements throughout the years display products that are new and innovative for the time period, but they never give up the standards that we need. In an advertisement in the 1927 Polk’s Carthage City Directory, the Carter Hardware Company (as it was known then) said “we are in business to serve you. Call us when in need of hardware, dishes or glassware, B.P.S., paints and varnishes, Mansfield tires and tubes. A distributor of automatic electric washers.” They also listed chinaware and sheet metal works.

The hardware industry has always had strict competition in Carthage. In early times, there was a large hardware store on every side of the Carthage Square and now we have several throughout town. Carthage Hardware has only changed owners a handful of times and has survived throughout the years.

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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The Burlingame and Chaffee Opera House, or The Carthage Opera House as it was better known, was built during the winter of 1877-78 at a cost of $10,000 on the south side of the square. The bottom floor was constructed for retail purposes and eventually housed two separate stores. The Opera House on the second story measured 55 feet wide by100 feet long. The ceilings were 18 feet high with iron columns throughout. There was a stage on the north end of the building with two dressing rooms on the side, two private boxes overlooking the stage and six large gas chandeliers were used for lighting. The auditorium was built to seat 900 people.

In the midst of harsh winter conditions, the Opera House was opened on February 28, 1878 with a grand ball. The Carthage Light Guard Band provided the entertainment for the night and it was dubbed “the society event of the season”. Nearly 100 couples attended the event. Lighting was an issue that night. Even though the beautiful chandeliers graced the ceilings of the auditorium, they could not be used because gas lines were not in place around the square until July of that same year.

To enter the Opera House, play-goers would use a stairwell on the far right side of the building that opened from the sidewalk. Once they reached the top of the stairs they would go through frosted double doors to a ticket booth. They could either purchase a ticket there or provide one that they had previously purchased at Hurty’s Drugstore on the square.

Opera houses did not just entertain with operas. All types of acts were seen such as comedy routines, dramatic plays and musical concerts. Some of the hottest traveling shows in the United States passed through the Opera House and local talent was also seen quite often on the playbill. On Wednesday March 26, 1890 The Carthage Evening Press listed the following coming attractions for April: “April 8th - Zanzic, Magician and Conjuror, April 9th – Boston Stars, April 12th – McCabe & Young’s Minstrels, April 14th and week – Chambers & King Comedy Co., April 21st and 22nd – Aleazar Comic Opera Co., April 24th – “Among the Pines”, April 29th – Allen & Burk’s Minstrels.”

The Carthage Opera House was closed in 1893 after another opera house was opened at the corner of 4th and Lincoln Streets and was drawing too much business away. On December 31, 1893 the Opera House was leased to the county for one year for use as a circuit court and offices. Even though many of the characteristics of the opera house are still present today, the second floor of that building has now sat vacant for many years.

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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Construction was completed on this generating station for the Carthage Water & Electric Plant in 1931. It was built to house the Nordberg 750 and two 1250-hp diesel generators.  Before the Carthage Water & Electric Plant converted to diesel power in 1920-25, they were using coal as fuel, which was brought in from nearby Kansas fields. And in the 1940s, the fuel oil engines were converted to use natural gas as a backup fuel.

Before Carthage had electricity, a special ordinance in 1877 granted a company from St. Louis license to manufacture and furnish gas for 20 years to the city. Carthage obligated itself to use the gas in at least 25 street lamps for which they paid $30 per year per lamp. On July 3, 1878, the city was first illuminated by gas. By 1879, nearly 16,667 feet of gas mains were laid.

The need for electricity was rapidly growing by 1885 before the gas company’s contract was up in 1897. The woolen mills and private companies were running electric lines and poles around the city to meet this demand. Of the 30 necessary contracts, 27 had been signed for lighting businesses and houses.  The first light was put into operation at Hurty’s Drug Store on the Square.  The city hired a private firm to add one electric light in the center of the Square and one at each corner.

Before the courthouse was constructed in 1895, there was a park in the center of the Square with a bandstand where the Light Guard Band would play. The newspaper made mention of the scene on a typical Saturday night in 1887.  “While the music played, the electric lights flashed, the girls in white dresses promenaded, stores were filled with customers, and the streets were crowded with carriages and buggies.”  

There was a battle brewing between the gas and electric companies in Carthage. Gas had been established for some time, but the Electric Company wanted to put lights on streets all over town.  In 1891, it was agreed that the fees for electric lights would be split between the city and the citizens.

In a special election in April of 1897, voters approved $32,800 for the purpose of building a city light plant. In 1907 voters then approved a $220,000 bond issue to finance a municipal water processing plant and distribution system. At that time, the Board of Public Works was created to oversee the utility department, which from that time on was known as the Carthage Water & Electric Plant.

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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Kellogg Lake has been a Carthage recreational destination for nearly 57 years. The idea for the Lake came from an individual who belonged to a group called the Carthage Sportsmen’s Protective League. His name was E.M. “Uke” Haughawout.

When the Highway Commission started excavating land for a new Route 66 highway, Uke saw an opportunity. He knew that once they were finished, there would be a large hole which would be the perfect size for a small recreational lake, in which the league had been looking for over the last several years. Uke approached the Kelloggs in 1953 about the use of their property and the title for 28 acres was then deeded.

Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Kellogg purchased the area northeast of Carthage in 1881 for their family farm. They brought two children, Charles “Lex” Kellogg, 3, and Mary Bartlett Kellogg, 2. The farm became a showplace and was used quite often by local hunters and fishermen.

Both children attended Carthage schools. Lex went on to graduate magna cum laude from Yale University in 1900. He was a teacher in Iowa for 13 years before returning to Carthage after the death of his father in 1914. He managed the family farm until he retired. His sister, Mary, later became a pianist and served most of her adult years as a piano instructor in the Carthage area.

The Carthage Sportsmen’s Protective League was formed in 1921 and their mission was to “aim for creation of better relationship between sportsmen and landowners.” The league created nearly 15 rearing ponds at farms that served as local hatcheries. They raised bass and channel catfish from tiny fry to fingerlings and were released into local waters. The two rearing ponds in Kellogg Lake Park were created for that very reason.

Multiple amenities have been added over the last 57 years at the park. After the lake was opened for fishing on July 1, 1954, a roadside park was developed and was dedicated in 1956. Kellogg Lake became a part of the Carthage Parks System in 1963, a fountain was revealed during a Maple Leaf activity in 1969 and a marker dedicating the area to Uke and the Kelloggs was set in 1983 on the west side of the lake. Other projects include roads around the lake, a new fountain, a fishing pavilion, tree planting projects and boat ramps.

Sources: The Carthage Evening Press, Powers Museum

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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The Route 66 Drive-In Theater was constructed in 1949. Once completed, the tower stood 66 feet with 50 foot wings on each side and had a capacity of nearly 500 automobiles. Once it was constructed, Camp Crowder equipped the theater with a surplus of movie projectors.

Another drive-in was in town during the same time period. The Sunset, which was located on the opposite side of town, just off Route 66 near Kellogg Lake, had feature films as well and competed with pricing and times.

A 1957 ad in The Carthage Press for each theater states that the price was $1.00 per car at both theaters. Route 66 was playing Walt Disney’s “Cinderella” at 7:30 and 11:00 and “Abandon Ship” at 9:15. The Sunset was playing “Storm Fear” and “Man Without a Star.” The “Owl Show” was “Women Prison.” They were also advertising “Somebody Up There Likes Me” and “Kartoon Karnival.”

Another lesser known outdoor theater was in Carthage way before either of these theaters. The Airdome Theater was originally located on a lot on East Fifth Street, but was later moved in 1909 to the lot where The Drake Apartments now sit. In the beginning, mostly vaudeville and performing acts from around the country would perform at the Lyric Airdome Theater. In the 1920’s movies would be shown on special canvas that was brought in. The Airdome, at one point, could seat 1,500.      

According to “Show Me Route 66,” the number of drive-ins began to decline in the 1960s. “More teenagers and young adults were behind the wheel, and they preferred drive-in passion pits to local lover’s lanes. Movies, too, became less family-friendly. The loss of regular family support seems to have started a nationwide decline in drive-in popularity. In Missouri, according to driveintheater.com, the number of drive-ins dropped from 121 in 1958 to 85 in 1977. The advent of cable television and VCRs in the late ’70s and ’80s hastened the decline, leaving only 23 outdoor theaters in Missouri by 1987.”

The Route 66 Drive-In was one of the casualties of the 1980s decline. The theater closed in 1985. For the twelve years following, the theater nearly came to disrepair, but Mark Goodman and Wes Alumbaugh came to the rescue. They, along with many other Carthaginians, did not want to see it go and hoped for it to open again. The theater reopened in 1997 with a capacity of about 400 vehicles and is still going strong today with two featured films every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night between April and October. For show information and pricing visit 66drivein.com.

Sources: Carthage Press, Powers Museum

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This Missouri Pacific Railroad passenger station was constructed between 1905 and 1910 and played a part in the system of railways that had a huge influence on Carthage and the entire surrounding region.

Mostly because of the mining industry and railroads, Jasper County saw a jump in population by 100 percent in a 10 year period between 1871 and 1881. Five different rail lines came into Jasper County in that span of 10 years which included The Missouri Pacific Railroad line to Carthage that was completed in 1881.

With the railroads quickly arriving in the area, there appeared to be a lack of education about them. Several lawsuits erupted for a variety of reasons ranging from encroachment on personal property, to injury and even death. Some residents would blame the railroads for the deaths of their pets and livestock that were not even properly fenced or contained.

At least 17 Carthage residents along Parsons Street brought on civil suits against the Missouri Pacific Railroad in its first year of service. Sarah Barker, a 34-year-old hat shop owner on Parsons Street sued the line because she claimed the railroad depreciated her business by $500 and she wanted reimbursed for that very amount. Several of the other suits were for the same reason.

The White River Railway, an extension of the Missouri Pacific line from Kansas City to Little Rock, Ark., was a 239 mile rail that connected Carthage to the cotton belt and the rich trade to the south and southeast. It crosses the White River in Branson, now Lake Taneycomo, and takes a 50-mile short cut through the Ozarks. Construction on the railway was completed in 1905 and was built in two sections. There was a northward line starting in Batesville, Ark., and the southward line started in Carthage. It cost more than $12 million to complete the line which was nearly six times higher than a normal railroad. Building a line through the Ozarks proved to be very difficult because of the many hills and valleys which required tall trusses and blasting through mountains. Laborers were paid $1.25 to $1.50 per day and men with teams were paid $2.50 to $3 per day.

The Missouri Pacific Railroad Station at 514 N. Orner St. in Carthage is in excellent condition and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It has served as an office for the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad, which now operates the White River Line, since 1992.

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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Construction on the Kendrick House began in 1849 and was completed in 1854 by the Rankin family who arrived from Ohio in 1842.  For the time period, the home was considered a mansion by area residents who mostly resided in log homes.  Most of the materials used in the construction process were taken from the family’s hundreds of acres of land, which ran along Spring River.

The Rankin family was most likely the first to commercialize the process of quarrying limestone and sandstone in the Jasper County area.  They would pull the stone up from the bluffs along Spring River up to the area that is now known as Kendricktown to build fireplace bases.  Little did they know how their efforts would impact the entire Carthage area.

A neighbor of the Rankin’s, Thomas Dawson, was hired as the building contractor during construction of the home and later purchased it from the Rankins in 1856.  Dawson in-turn rented the house to William Kendrick from Neosho in 1857 and in 1860, the Kendrick’s purchased the home. It remained in the Kendrick family for more than 125 years and was purchased by Victorian Carthage in 1990. For some time, the home was seen by many as one of the finest residential establishments between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Many travelers coming through the area made the Kendrick’s home a stopping point.

During the Civil War, most of the Kendrick family chose to remain neutral and kept their doors open to both sides, which probably saved their home as many near the Kendrick house did not endure.  The home site was established as a cavalry campsite with Col. Shelby, CSA, on Oct. 18, 1863, and it was during that time that the Kendrick family stood on the second story veranda and watched as Carthage was torched during the battle of Carthage.  Later, that veranda was burned by soldiers.  Many generations of the family that lived in the home afterwards had considered replacing it, but decided not to because they felt it paid homage to the Civil War.

The Kendrick House has many unique features. For example: major supports for the house are two large oak trees that are each two feet in diameter and less than thirty feet long and rest on piers of Carthage stone, and the drawers in the built-in cabinets on each side of the fireplace in the parlor were used to feed the horses of the officers during the Civil War.  Some of the corn cobs were actually kept in the family from the feeding.  And when some old paint was removed from a stairwell, the name Noah Wilson along with the date June 8, 1850 appeared.  

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press

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This is the house that “jack built.” This famous line from a nursery rhyme describes how the Baker home on the corner of Macon and Lyon Streets was constructed in 1893. In this case, unlike the nursery rhyme, “jack” is not the person who built the home, but it helped provide the funding to construct the home.  

Horace E. Baker owned a mine near Oronogo. The by-product of lead and zinc mining was commonly referred to as “jack.” The money that the Bakers made from their mine constructed this Queen-Anne-style Victorian home for $8,000-$10,000 in 1893.

This home has a unique feature that very few homes bear. H.E. Baker wanted to pay homage to his mine that gave him the lifestyle that he desired.  On the east side of the house facing Lyon Street, Baker placed a shovel, pick-axe, an ore cart and ore sample and various other tools from his mine. These items are still in-tact today.

The exterior of the home boasts turrets, towers, wrap-around porches and large windows. The interior has multiple fireplaces on each floor, tall rooms, a grand staircase and many small details.   

Baker’s wife died in the early 1900’s. When he later remarried, he moved from Carthage leaving his son to take care of the home. In the 1920’s, the home was converted into apartments and the residence remained apartments for many decades following.

In 1982, the home was purchased and restored as much as possible. Information about the restoration revealed that many unique qualities of the home were uncovered during the process. One of which was a back staircase, often referred to as a butler staircase, which had been walled up. Everything, including the ornate woodwork, had even been painted brown. The family that purchased the home, did so with the sole purpose of restoring it back as close as possible and reselling it. The home had sat vacant for nearly 15 years when the family bought the residence.

In 1987, Carthage Historic Preservation “adopted” the home to refurbish once again. The remodel was not nearly as extensive as turning the once apartments into a home once again, but it still needed a lot of work.

The home has underwent several restorations throughout the years. This residence is still a very beautiful victorian home with many intricate details. The home is for sale at the current time.

Sources: Powers Museum, The Carthage Press, Images of America, Carthage, Missouri by Michele Hansford

Wade Utter is a columnist for The Carthage Press