Jeanne Newby
Joseph Wheeler Aylor moved closer into town after he built a three-story mansion at Webb and Daugherty streets for his wife, C.M.E. Webb, cousin to John C. Webb, the founder of Webb City. His previous residence was on South Madison Street, across from where the Mount Hope Cemetery would later be located.
By 1905, Aylor had invested some of his money in the new Merchants & Miners Bank building. Aylor was a bit paranoid, thinking someone was going to kidnap him and seek the combination to the bank safe. So the foyer in his home was designed with a beautiful etched glass panel on the second floor that allowed him to see who was at the front door. If he thought his life was in danger or if he felt threatened in any way, he could make his escape down the back stairway of the house to the basement or out the back door.
Legend has it that Aylor had built a tunnel south from his basement to John C. Webb’s home, which at that time was located in the middle of the block. Supposedly this tunnel, which would have been about half a block long, was also used by the ladies to travel from one home to the other without being affected by the weather. Legend also has it that when the Webb mansion burned, the tunnel was sealed off. There has never been proof that it existed. But I love legends, and legends were made to be repeated and to be preserved.
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John C. Webb and his son, E.T. Webb, owned and operated the Webb City Bank. Another legend is that E.T. Webb took the bank’s money home at night to keep in his personal safe. E.T. Webb’s beautiful home still stands on the southwest corner of Broadway and Liberty Street.
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It is not often that a large building can just change positions, but that is exactly what happened to the Middlewest Building in 1902. It was originally built in 1883 as a two-story brick building facing north onto Broadway (named Main Street at the time). The owners decided to remodel and make the building face Allen (later Main) Street, as it does today. The remodeling project included the addition of a third floor. The new Middlewest building was described in 1905 as consisting of 43 rooms with a large office, large hall, dining room and everything properly and handsomely furnished with all the necessaries for the comforts of life, such as electric lights, fans, and baths.
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Back in Jasper County’s heyday, Lakeside Park was the main attraction of the area. Advertisements are a bit confusing because they refer to the location as Carterville, Webb City, Carthage and Joplin. It was actually on Center Creek, east of Carterville and owned by the Jasper County Electric Railway Company, which was based in Webb City.
Many employees were involved in the daily operations at Lakeside Park, and the number of visitors was amazing. The only way to and from the park was by streetcar, so you were always warned to not spend your last nickel because you’d need that coin to leave the park.
The sad part of this situation was that many of the motormen and conductors of the Railway Company were required to live at the park to start and finish their daily runs. Proper living quarters were not provided. They slept in tents, in old streetcars or any dry spot they could find. With the men being away from their families so often, divorce was becoming a problem.
The Jasper County Railway Company decided to correct the situation by building a hotel and then in 1895 six cottages were built near the hotel to allow families to stay with the motormen and conductors. The cottages varied between three rooms and five rooms. Now that was a concerned company dedicated to its employees.
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Just a bit of trivia about my favorite subject… the history of Webb City.
