January 15, 2025
While we were busy getting ready for Christmas and our lives were becoming more intense, we missed a moment to say “Happy Birthday” to good ole Webb City.
On Dec. 11, Webb City reached the ripe old age of 148 years old. There was a bit of controversy during the early days when officials did not know which date they wanted to celebrate. Should they celebrate the date in July of 1875 when Webbville was platted. Should they celebrate Dec. 11, 1876, when Webb City was incorporated. Or maybe Feb. 28, 1878, when Webb City became classified as a fourth class city, allowing it to tax the citizens in order to pay expenses. And then came the date of December 26, 1889, when Webb City was classified as a third class city. Well, I am happy to say they finally reached an agreement and the date of December 11, 1976, became the official birth date of Webb City. Can you imagine what our forefathers would think if they came back for a visit today?
John C. Webb would be surprised to see how much the city has grown. The original city was platted with 12 city blocks. He did get to see the city grow a little before he passed away in 1883. Would he wonder why his beautiful mansion at Webb and Broadway burned? Would he be amazed at the number of businesses out on Madison Street which was just a streetcar road? Webb was not a vain man so he wouldn’t expect a statute in his honor, but I am sure he would be impressed with the Kneeling Miner and the Praying Hands. The Kneeling Miner represents the miners whose hard work helped build the city. Webb was a very religious man, and I am sure the Praying Hands would make him smile… after he got over the size of them!
Col. James O’Neill, if he came to town, would be amazed at the water tower since he established the Webb City Water Works in 1889 for $100,000. He also was responsible for the black, stand water tower that was being used in those days. It was quite a bit smaller than today’s. But he might be concerned as to why we don’t have his gas company anymore! He would be overwhelmed at the number of water lines, sewer lines and gallons of water being used in Webb City.
Granville Ashcraft – the first to bring ore to the surface and the first to ship ore from Webb City, the first to build a frame house in Webb City, father of the first child born in Webb City and the first automobile owner in Webb City – would be in awe of Webb City today. So much traffic from all the families living in the area, new houses being built every day and quite a population growth would likely overwhelm the “man of firsts.”
E.T. Webb, son of John C. Webb and owner of the beautiful Webb Home at Liberty Street and Broadway, would be amazed to see his precious home in such great condition after all these years. He would appreciate the artwork displayed, as that was his trademark. He would take a stroll around town and find a few places that he would recall with pleasure. He may not have been the founder of the town, but he left his mark on the banking industry.
Oh my, if A.D. Hatten could pay us visit, he would be happy to see the second brick building built in Webb City by him still standing at the northeast corner of Main and Daugherty. He’d be even more excited to see his “farm house” that he built out in the country between Sixth and Seventh streets and between Ball and Roane streets. He would note that it was nowhere near the country, as the city has built up around the family home.
I think all the mentioned forefathers would be surprised at the lack of mining sites to be found in the area once deemed the “The Zinc Capital of the World.” But a trip to East Daugherty Street would bring back the memories of the Southwest Missouri Railroad Companies viaduct built to connect Webb City and Carterville at a cost of $100,000. The tracks are not there but we do have a sort of memorial to mining and the streetcar with those concrete pillars of pride. Maybe we need a sign to let others know of its former glory.
There are many other forefathers that we could comment on, but the idea is that Webb City has changed in many ways over the past 148 years and she deserves several salutes of honor in her favor as she continues to progress.
The Webb City Sentinel isn’t a newspaper – but it used to be, serving Webb City, Missouri, in print from 1879-2020. This “newspaper” seeks to carry on that tradition as a nonprofit corporation.
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