SW Missouri Electric Railroad Complex

The railroad started out in 1890 with a few mule drawn trolleys on tracks from Carthage to Webb City. It eventually stretched over 94 miles with electric powered trolleys running every 15 minutes at peak times. By the mid 1920s the electric trolleys began to give way to gas powered buses. The buses eventually lost out to people driving their own cars and by the late 1930s the business was essentially over. An old trolley from the system is located in King Jack Park in Webb City.

This interesting building on the east side of Madison was the railroad employees Clubhouse. It currently houses the Webb City Historical Society. It is the only other original building in this complex that is still standing, at least two have been demolished.

The Clubhouse was built in 1910 at a cost of $10,000.00, plus furnishings. It replaced Clubrooms in the now long gone car barn that stood next to it on the south side. The new three story Clubhouse had a gymnasium and billiards tables on the first floor, reading and card rooms and a large kitchen and dining area on the second floor while the third floor held dormitories. The recessed panels on the front represent the now enclosed original veranda.

After the company operations ended in the late 30s or early 40s use of the building was given to Jasper County for use by the county health department. When the health department moved to Carthage in the 1997 the building reverted to the heirs of the original owners who then donated it to historical society.

The completion of the powerhouse in 1903 on the NW corner of Broadway and Madison signaled the switch from mule drawn trolleys to electrified units. This was the main powerhouse where they generated electricity to power the trolleys of the Southwest Missouri Electric Railroad. Originally the generators were powered by oil and natural gas. By the spring of 1907 they added a power line from the Spring River Electric Company as a backup in case none of the generators were operational.

The Webb City Wholesale Grocery Company remodeled the interior and moved into the building in 1945. The former powerhouse was heavily damaged in a 1951 tornado. Most of the roof was blown off the former powerhouse and a wall collapsed on the office section. The end walls of the building are several feet lower than originally and a large smokestack has been removed, all of which I suspect happened when the building was repaired after the 1951 tornado. On the east end of the building one set of walk-in doors and eight windows have been removed.

As close as I can tell at the moment, the main offices for the railroad stood somewhere on this gravel lot shown in the photo above, but the only location is that the office was directly across the street from the clubhouse.

This sign on the south side of the former Clubhouse commemorates it's role in the life and times of the railroads employees.

Photo(s): 2016