Read our Flipbook Tabloid all about Jasper County and

Tom Flanigan's efforts on behalf of all Jasper Countians!  

Campbell’s New Atlas of Missouri, 1874. Image courtesy of Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.

As Eastern District Commissioner, Tom Flanigan serves 

these cities and towns in Jasper County, Missouri

Alba Platted in 1882. An early postmaster gave the community his last name. A post office called Alba has been in operation since 1860. Population 536 

Avilla Fourth-oldest settlement in Jasper County today, founded in 1856. Platted and laid out for public use July 23, 1858, by Andrew L. Love and David S. Holman.  Population 103

Asbury Platted in 1896. A post office called Asbury has been in operation since 1894. Population 190 

Carl Junction  Carl Junction was laid out near a railroad junction by Charles Skinner, who gave the town his German first name of Carl. A post office called Carl Junction has been in operation since 1878. Population 8,366

Carterville Founded in 1875, incorporated as a city in1882.  Land on which Carterville is built was originally owned by a Mr. James George Leroy Carter in the 1860’s. His farm about two miles northeast of the town in the Center Creek bottoms was for years, and as late as the 1960’s, known as “the old Carter place”. His father James Carter originally settled in Jasper County in 1841. Population 1,852

Carthage Jasper County was formed in 1841. Carthage was chosen as the county seat, the area cleared and the town platted in 1842. The city was named after Carthage, an ancient city on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. By the time of the American Civil War, there were over 500 residents, a brick and stone courthouse, and several businesses.  Population 15,491 

Duenweg  While the Osage Tribe inhabited the general region previously, European-American settlement started in the year 1855, when two brothers, Elijah C. and James C. Webb, from Overton County, Tennessee, moved to the area. Mining in the vicinity later caught the attention of Otto Duenweg and his father, Louis, of Terre Haute, Indiana, who in 1895 purchased significant mining interests at the site. The mining camp became known from that time on as Duenweg in their honor. A post office called Duenweg has been in operation since 1895. Population 1,645 

Duquesne  Duquesne had been a village since its inception, but in 2006 Duquesne successfully applied for status as a Fourth-Class City. Sixty to seventy percent of the structures of Duquesne were destroyed by the May 22, 2011, tornado with thirty percent of Joplin being destroyed. Population 2,349 

Jasper  Dates its beginnings from 1868, when the first town plat for the village of Midway was prepared; 1876 is the time of origin because that was the year when the Jasper City post office was established. Jasper has been known as Coon Creek settlement, and as Midway (a name that at times included the Dublin community just across the Barton County line) for its position between county seats Carthage and Lamar, but in the late 19th century it was renamed Jasper to reuse the postal equipment of a previous Jasper that existed southeast of Carthage. Population 2,388  

La Russell Platted and laid out for public use August 18, 1903. La Russell was named in honor of Russell Harding, vice president and general manager of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad at that time and of importance to the town's creation. The French La was added to the original proposed name of Russell in order to prevent confusion with another Missouri town named Russellville. Population 135

Neck City had its start as a rough mining settlement called Hell's Neck. A post office called Neck was established in 1899, and the name was changed to Neck City in 1957.  Population 229  

Oronogo Platted in 1856. The name, according to local tradition, came about when it was found that the previous name, "Minersville" was already taken. At a public meeting to change the name, after considering many possibilities, a man in the back blurted out "its Ore or no go", referring to the mining operations. Elaborating on that, Colonel J. M. Young, suggested substituting the Spanish word "Oro" for ore, and the dropping the "or" to make the word euphonious. He pronounced it "Oronogo" and the audience accepted the name.  Population 2,784

Purcell Platted in 1903, and named after James Purcell, a local law enforcement agent. A post office has been in operation at Purcell since 1905. Population 320  

Sarcoxie Platted in the early 1830s, and it was originally called Centerville from its location upon Center Creek. In 1839, the settlement was renamed in honor of Sarcoxie, a chief of the Delaware Indians who had settled near a spring in the present town limits. Sarcoxie was once the strawberry capital of the world and still is the peony capital of the world,^[7] and home to Gilbert H. Wild, one of America's largest growers of daylilies, iris, and peonies. Sarcoxie once had its own currency that had a picture of a strawberry on one side.  Population 1,388 

Waco was laid out in 1875. The city's name most likely is a transfer from Waco, Texas. A post office called Waco began operation in 1878 but closed in the early 2000s. Population 73 

Webb City (Webbville) was platted by John C. Webb in September 1875 and incorporated in December 1876, with a population of 700. The city was located on a portion of Webb's 200-acre farm, which he entered in February 1857. There, in 1873, Webb discovered lead while plowing. With the assistance of W.A. Daugherty, he sank the first pump-shaft in 1874. Webb then leased his land to Daugherty and G.P. Ashcraft. In 1876, the Center Creek Mining Company leased the land and began operations. Some 20 years later, 700 mines were located within the limits of Webb City and adjacent Carterville, and the district ranked first in the production of zinc ore. Population 13,165

On August 16, 2021, Jasper Countians celebrated the completion of the Carthage Courthouse renovation!

Preparing to lay new Jasper County Seal in the foyer.

Near completion

Courtroom Renovation

New Display Cases

Carthage Courthouse Renovation Complete August 16, 2021

Extensive Floor Renovation

Construction near 2nd Floor Elevator

Wide Angle View

The uncovered room!  This surprised everyone!