Webb City timeline: 1986 – 1999

1986 – Bill Lundstrum was elected mayor until 1990.

1986 – Webb City Nursing Home moved into its new building behind the old Elmhurst building, which was demolished.

1987 – Steve Benjamin moved Webb City Lumber and Hardware from East Broadway to 1506 S. Madison St. (Frack Chiropractic & Wellness Center now.)

1988 – Expansion of a new runway at the Joplin airport resulted in the closing of the portion of Carl Junction Road that was located north of the airport. Most of what remained of Carl Junction Road was renamed Stadium Drive. Now a short east-west street in the subdivision north of Heritage Preschool is named Carl Junction Road.

1988 – In an auction, the fountain at Bradbury Bishop Drug Store was sold to the Garland Center in Carthage. A group of businessmen and the Preservation Committee purchased the fountain back before it ever left the building. The Garland Center burned not too long afterward. The fountain would have been destroyed – but it’s still in Webb City.

1989 – The Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot was moved in January to King Jack Park, with the idea being that it would be a community center. The east side of Sucker Flat was a good location, with a good view of the lake and Praying Hands. The Mining Days Committee paid $200, and the Park Board was to have spent $4,000. However, asbestos in the depot spoiled the plan.

1989 – Jane Chinn Memorial Hospital closed after 79 years of operation.

1989 – The last four concrete silos of the former Ball & Gunning Mill at Austin and Madison streets were demolished.

1989 – After 39 years, Johnson Paint and Farm Supply closed its doors at 111 W. Daugherty St.

1989 –  The Webb City Cardinals won their first state championship in football vs. Sumner in Springfield.

1990 –  Phil Richardson was elected mayor, but a controversy involving the Police Department caused him to leave office early.

1990 – Lucinda Hensley became the first woman president of the Webb City R-7 School Board.

1990 – Jeanne Newby was elected as a school board member, making it the first time since 1927 that two women were on the board.

1990 – Ozark Motel was closed in June to make way for the new McDonald’s, which opened in August.

1990 – Police recovered three stolen cars from a mine pit between Webb City and Carterville.

1990 – The first Cruise Night on Main Street in Webb City was held in June.

1990 – The Webb City dump, in the chats on Dump Road was closed because it didn’t meet state regulations. Dump Road is now called East Street.

1990 – The Cerebral Palsy Center opened on West Austin Street in what had been the new addition to Jane Chinn Hospital.

1991 – The dump became a tire recycling center, but the owner couldn’t handle all of the tires, which became an environmental hazard. In April black smoke rose from the dump, where an estimated 70,000 tires burned.

1991 – The abandoned Frisco railbed became the Frisco Greenway Trail.

1992 – The Webb City Mining Days Committee built two shelters at the front of King Jack Park with funds accumulated from the celebrations. No more tents for Mining Days! Those shelters became the pavilion in use today by the Webb City Farmers Market.

1992 – The badly deteriorated YMCA building in the 100 block of West Daugherty Street was demolished. The trustees of the building were never replaced as they passed away so no one was responsible to maintain it.

1992 – President George Bush passed through Webb City in September as his motorcade traveled from the Joplin airport to Missouri Southern State University.

1992 – In October, Sterling Gant took over Phil Richardson’s term as mayor.

1992 – Webb City won its second state championship in football against Rock Bridge in Columbia.

1993 – While football fans were in Lebanon on a Friday night in October, a tornado touched down west of the stadium. There were no injuries, but 20 homes were damaged.

1993 – Volunteers showed up to rake, sweep, clean and carry off trash in an effort to revitalize Hatten Park.

1993 – The Webb City Singers performed at the White House in June.

1993 – The Webb City Cardinals earned back-to-back football championships for the first time.

1994 –  April, Sterling Gant, Mayor 1994 to 2002 (two full terms )

1994 – Mural of landmarks along Rt. 66 by local artist John Biggs was painted on the side of Bruner’s Drug Store along Main Street

1994 – WCHS graduate Grant Wistrom signed with Nebraska. After a storied career as a Husker, he played with the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams in 2000 and later with the Seattle Seahawks.

1994 – Webb City merchants invested in new Christmas decorations… durable long-lasting snowflakes that are still in use.

1995 – Ramey’s, which had taken over the Foodtown building at Madison and Broadway, built its new store on West MacArthur Boulevard. It became a Price Cutter and then Junkerville.

1995 – A new bridge on Old Route 66 over Center Creek at Lakeside was built.

1996 – Jeanne Evans, 57, who had recently retired as a popular teacher at Eugene Field Elementary for 25 years, died unexpectedly on Jan. 12. A memorial tree was planted in front of the school on March 15. Mrs. Evans dreamed of becoming an astronaut and shared that enthusiasm with her students.

1996 – The Park Board sold 14 acres of King Jack Park to a housing developer for $90,000. The city originally paid $25,000 for 154 acres that became the park. The subdivision, Alpine Estates, finally took off, especially after the Joplin tornado in 2011 and ran out of lots.

1996 – Police Chief Emmett McFarland retired on May 31, after 23 years. Don Richardson, a retired Missouri Highway Patrol officer, succeeded him.

1996 – The first city engineer was hired. He was Jerry Ruse, from Los Angeles, Calif. The position has been vacant since he left.

1996 –  Citizens of Webb City and Oakland Corners voted to consolidate.

1996 – Webb City R-7 added a big wing onto Webb City High School, including an auditorium, a second gym and band room. The auditorium was named the Ronald R. Barton Performing Arts Center in honor of the former superintendent.

1996 – The R-7 School District purchased land on the southeast corner of Highway 96 and D Highway in preparation for the growth of housing in Oronogo. They also purchased property between the high school and Webster Primary Center.

1996 – A replica of the Zinc City sign that had marked the entrance to the West End was installed at the entrance to King Jack Park. The project was spearheaded by Fred Rogers and backed by William Perry II, whose Cardinal Scale firm built the sign. Rogers was tireless in promoting Webb City’s streetcar heritage. The sign was later taken down for improvements in the park and received damages too severe to be reinstalled.

1997 – Rick and Gina Monson restored the Dickinson Theatre, which had been built in a portion of the burned remains of the Newland Hotel on Main Street. After initially being the stage for live music, the restored theater has become successful as the Route 66 Movie Theater.

1997 – The 1871 Georgia City Bridge was moved in June to King Jack Park. Paying to relocate the bridge was actually a penalty for the city. An employee, attempting to get back at City Administrator Gordon Fish, reported to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that the city had been illegally dumping asbestos floor tile in the chats on the east edge of town. City Attorney Paul Taylor arranged the Georgia City Bridge deal, which became an asset. It is now part of the walking trail through the park.

1997 – Open house was held in August for the new City Hall at Main and Second streets. The city got a good deal on the purchase of the relatively new building after Empire District Electric closed its office here. The building was remodeled and extended with an open room for council meetings and municipal court.

1997 – Construction of Harry S Truman Elementary began on the southeast corner of Highway 96 and Route D.

1997 – John Rogers became the new city administrator on Sept. 15.

1997 – The city’s second water tower was built at South Hall Street and Cardinal Drive, primarily to serve the nearby Joplin/Webb City Industrial Park.

1997 – Webb City won its first state championship in boys basketball.

1997 – Hometown boy John Roderique (WCHS ’86), in his first year as coach, led the Webb City football Cardinals to another state championship.

1998 – Sterling Gant won a third term as mayor.

1998 – Jasper County’s first escalator was installed by J.C. Penney in Northpark Mall.

1998 – The Webb City Historical Society moved in to its new location, the historic Clubhouse, which had been built for the relaxation of streetcar employees. It’s now the headquarters for Charlie 22 Outdoors.

1998 – Alba School closed at the end of the school. The building was donated to the City of Alba. Since then, students have attend Harry S Truman Elementary.

1998 – Webb City Drive In, the outdoor movie theater that provided so many memories during the 40 years that it was in operation, was demolished on June 15. It was on the site of the Walmart Superstore.

1998 – All-day kindergarten began. No more half days.

1998 – Walmart paid for a new traffic light at 13th and Madison streets.

1998 – Kathryn Patten, longtime city official, was rightfully named Webb City’s Champion Booster by the Webb City Area Chamber of Commerce.

1999 – The Consumers grocery store (NAPA now) closed its doors. It had operated since 1980 at the south end of the shopping center it and Walmart had anchored.

1999 – Webb City received over 12 inches of snow.

1999 – Walmart became a 24-hour Superstore at its new location, the site of the old Webb City Drive-in Theater.

1999 – New traffic lights were installed on Madison Street at 17th Street (renamed Fountain Road).

1999 – Fifth grade students from Eugene Field and Mark Twain schools and those from the former Sixth Grade Center carried their desks to the new Webb City Middle School.

1999 – American Legion Post 322 dedicated Barnes Baseball Field on June 7 in honor of Chuck Barnes, a former commander.

1999 – John Roderique was inducted into the Pittsburg State University Hall of Fame.

1999 – Webb City Police Department moved from old city hall to 211 W. Broadway. The new location, dedicated on Aug. 1, was a combination of the of the old telephone and water department buildings. Dawson Furniture donated the old telephone building, which it had occupied with Heritage Furniture offices.

1999 – The Boys and Girls Club was allowed to use old city hall for its after-school program.