Joplin History & Mineral Museum
Joplin History & Mineral Museum
4
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Joplin History & Mineral Museum has been an educational cornerstone since its establishment in 1931. The museum is a vital learning center that provides educational programming and exhibitions for learners of all ages. The Joplin History & Mineral Museum strives to educate visitors about the importance of local history through the continued preservation & display of historical artifacts.
Duration: < 1 hour
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4.0
65 reviews
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25
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25
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8
Poor
3
Terrible
4
coffeesnob
Owasso, OK45 contributions
The Joplin Tri-State mining area is world famous for type locality specimens from the lead-zinc mines. This museum in Schiffendecker Electric Park (Victorian era electric-lighted walking park) is a great collection of enormous calcite dogtooth crystals and other fabulous specimens. Maybe this is not of interest to everyone, but for the mineral collector or geologist it is something you should not miss if in the area. Just take exit 4 off I-44 and go north to 7th street. Can't miss it on the NW corner. A scenic drive as well.
To those of us who know something about the area, the history museum is also top notch for evoking memories. My mother and grandmother remembered the family and little girls who had the knotty pine car-siding playhouse in their backyard. That adds a lot of relevance that an outsider would not have. The Spook Light displays (down the hall - not always open) are also very interesting - I remember goingthere, and my father and uncles did so in the '30s. The porcelain dolls are spooky beyond the limits of my little girls - a scary and great memory we all share. Something out of a horror movie.
Lastly, the miniature circus is phenomenal, but you won't get a shallow gee-whiz experience here like in the modern and (IMO) worthless history "centers" (they *don't* call them museums anymore) that are curated by people with no experience, who only "know about" the topics of their exhibits, but have no contact with the reality that only comes form experience. Everett Richie was volunteer curator of the mineral museum. He worked for Eagle-Picher in the '20s. In response to my comment that the N Y Times wrote an article about the countries most polluted water (with a picture from the middle of the mining area) Mr Richie replied - "yep, how do you think we knew to dig there." It was naturally polluted, and the highly colored pre-mining stream-bed was the geochemical marker indicating further exploration. Alll thsi is lost on those who won't read the ancient tags on the displays
Perry, the (live) cat greeter is also a nice touch
To those of us who know something about the area, the history museum is also top notch for evoking memories. My mother and grandmother remembered the family and little girls who had the knotty pine car-siding playhouse in their backyard. That adds a lot of relevance that an outsider would not have. The Spook Light displays (down the hall - not always open) are also very interesting - I remember goingthere, and my father and uncles did so in the '30s. The porcelain dolls are spooky beyond the limits of my little girls - a scary and great memory we all share. Something out of a horror movie.
Lastly, the miniature circus is phenomenal, but you won't get a shallow gee-whiz experience here like in the modern and (IMO) worthless history "centers" (they *don't* call them museums anymore) that are curated by people with no experience, who only "know about" the topics of their exhibits, but have no contact with the reality that only comes form experience. Everett Richie was volunteer curator of the mineral museum. He worked for Eagle-Picher in the '20s. In response to my comment that the N Y Times wrote an article about the countries most polluted water (with a picture from the middle of the mining area) Mr Richie replied - "yep, how do you think we knew to dig there." It was naturally polluted, and the highly colored pre-mining stream-bed was the geochemical marker indicating further exploration. Alll thsi is lost on those who won't read the ancient tags on the displays
Perry, the (live) cat greeter is also a nice touch
Written 26 October 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PA32pilot
Hamilton, Canada89 contributions
Apr 2012 • Couples
The first thing I was told upon entering was that cameras were not allowed. Mine is a digital camera, I did not have a flash attached. I have toured many Smithsonian connected museums and have never been told that my camera was not allowed. After touring this museum, my husband and I still fail to see why this female staffer was so insistant that cameras were not allowed. Friendlier staff and a better equiped museum "gift shop" would bring in much more revenue. Admission is by donation only, but it is hard to be inspired to give large amounts when the staff are not friendly.
Written 14 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Letsgosomewherefun
Bentonville, AR47 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
The complex is several museums under one roof. There is something for almost everyone. Youngsters will enjoy the big rocks in the mineral museum, the antique fire truck and the circus museum. The mineral museum has an extensive explanation of Joplin's early mining history and will keep a rockhound or fan of 19th and 20th century industry busy. There are collections of artifacts depicting scenes ranging from a Victorian tea parlor to a doctor's office and soda fountain. The circus museum explains the growth of the circus as entertainment illustrated by locally made models. There is a cookie cutter display that will, for many, bring back fond memories of their favorite home made cookies. Find out about the famous and infamous (Bonnie and Clyde) who made their marks in Joplin, along with local sports heros, a tribute to Route 66 and the local electric company. There was no admission fee the day we visited, but the sign says $2 per person.
Written 21 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sinclair l
Shawnee, KS21 contributions
Jun 2020
Hate to give a bad review, but we went there to see the Bonnie and Clyde artifacts, only find that there is almost nothing. There are a few jewelry items that supposedly belonged to Bonnie. I say supposedly, because there is a door on display that looks to be the shot-up door to the apartment they were hiding out in. It didn't look right, so we asked the kid at the front desk about it. He said, "Oh yeah, that's just some door we put there. It didn't come of their hide-out or anything." I think this is downright unethical. It is obviously put on display to make people think it was from the Joplin shootout. The other items in the museum were more for school kids.
Written 7 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are sorry to hear that you had an unpleasant experience at the museum. We have discussed this incident with our staff to ensure that we are giving out the most accurate information that we can to patrons. The door is from the apartment where Bonnie & Clyde stayed. However, rather than being an exterior door, it was the door located at the top of the stairs--sort of the "front door" to the living space of the apartment. We hope this corrects the information given to you and that you will consider visiting the museum in the future, as we expand our exhibit on Bonnie & Clyde.
Written 8 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
WooPigSooie
Fayetteville, AR26 contributions
Apr 2012 • Friends
As the previous reviewer noted, the museum staff are not friendly and welcoming, which is unusual for an area often noted for its friendliness. We were told we could not enter the museum without making a donation. Isn't that the same as paying an admission fee? We were also told we could not take pictures which is an unusual rule given that most museums do allow a large amount of their collections/exhibits to be photographed.
The museum itself is a weird mishmash of things: minerals, mining equipment, a creepy circus exhibit, and a bizarre cookie cutter "museum." The museum is poorly lit, appeared dirty, and in need of a good overall cleaning. The person who was with me said the museum had not changed since they first visited it in the 1980s (except for the circus and cookie cutter junk).
The museum itself is a weird mishmash of things: minerals, mining equipment, a creepy circus exhibit, and a bizarre cookie cutter "museum." The museum is poorly lit, appeared dirty, and in need of a good overall cleaning. The person who was with me said the museum had not changed since they first visited it in the 1980s (except for the circus and cookie cutter junk).
Written 23 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer R
Detroit, MI3 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
If you have small and/or spirited children under 6, I recommend you skip this museum. We live in Detroit; I am visiting for the week to see my family. I wanted my children to see a little bit of Joplin's history. My oldest is a history buff, and loves science, so I thought it would be a nice outing before heading over to my parents for the afternoon.
My youngest was enthralled with the "caves." Keeping in mind that he could not speak a word six months ago because he has apraxia of speech, he was jabbering loudly and showing me the cool things he saw. If he tried to touch something, I redirected him. Now he has two speeds: Fast or asleep. He was hurting no one, but Dina, the administrative assistant, came to me with disdain. She wrinkled up her nose, looked at me, and said with scorn and judgment, "He needs to be not so rambunctious." I said we would be leaving, collected my disappointed son, and told my husband and older child (who were in the WWI exhibit) we needed to leave, sorely disappointing my other child.
When my husband and son came out, I went back in to express my outrage and disappointment at her treatment of us. I have never been treated so rudely. If other guests had complained (she admitted no one had), or if I really felt like he was a danger to the museum, himself, or others, I would have let him explore less or left on my own. As it was, if she was unhappy with the situation, she could have expressed it with kindness instead of scorn. I did receive a seemingly sincere apology from the executive director, but Dina kept trying to defend her actions. In the end, she apologized, but I do not feel she meant it.
Having access to world-class museums in Detroit, we take advantage of them for learning and enjoyment, and we have never been treated like this, even when my children have had meltdowns. It should never be a goal to humiliate guests.
My youngest was enthralled with the "caves." Keeping in mind that he could not speak a word six months ago because he has apraxia of speech, he was jabbering loudly and showing me the cool things he saw. If he tried to touch something, I redirected him. Now he has two speeds: Fast or asleep. He was hurting no one, but Dina, the administrative assistant, came to me with disdain. She wrinkled up her nose, looked at me, and said with scorn and judgment, "He needs to be not so rambunctious." I said we would be leaving, collected my disappointed son, and told my husband and older child (who were in the WWI exhibit) we needed to leave, sorely disappointing my other child.
When my husband and son came out, I went back in to express my outrage and disappointment at her treatment of us. I have never been treated so rudely. If other guests had complained (she admitted no one had), or if I really felt like he was a danger to the museum, himself, or others, I would have let him explore less or left on my own. As it was, if she was unhappy with the situation, she could have expressed it with kindness instead of scorn. I did receive a seemingly sincere apology from the executive director, but Dina kept trying to defend her actions. In the end, she apologized, but I do not feel she meant it.
Having access to world-class museums in Detroit, we take advantage of them for learning and enjoyment, and we have never been treated like this, even when my children have had meltdowns. It should never be a goal to humiliate guests.
Written 14 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am so sorry to hear that you had this experience at the museum. The employee in question is no longer employed with the museum. We are now part of the City of Joplin and many changes and improvements to the museum have been made and are continuing to be made. We hope that your bad experience of the past won't prevent you from returning in the future.
Written 8 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jim M
Joplin, MO20 contributions
Oct 2016 • Family
If you are in the Joplin area you MUST plan on stopping at the Joplin Museum Complex. The large collection of mining equipment arranged outside the museum is only the beginning. Inside you will see numerous large chucks of raw ore broken open to show the unbelievable beauty of the imbedded crystals - perfect geometric shapes just sticking out of the stone! Upstairs the scale model displays of buildings and mining equipment clearly illustrate what was involved in getting ore up and out of the mine shafts - a good illustration of applied mechanical engineering.
Downstairs on the non-mining section of the museum you will find many items of interest, including a comprehensive section explaining the exploits of Bonnie & Clyde and why they were hiding out in Joplin (on the border of 4 states). The cookie cutter collection is amazing. If you ever watched Gunsmoke (Chester) or McCloud (Sam McCloud), you will appreciate the section dedicated to Joplin's own Dennis Weaver, who played the roles of Chester and Sam McCloud. At one time Joplin was the winter home for the Tivoli Circus and the museum has an interesting section about the circus.
The museum is located in the center of Schifferdecker Park and the adjacent golf course and city swimming pool offer other activities for families visiting Joplin.
Downstairs on the non-mining section of the museum you will find many items of interest, including a comprehensive section explaining the exploits of Bonnie & Clyde and why they were hiding out in Joplin (on the border of 4 states). The cookie cutter collection is amazing. If you ever watched Gunsmoke (Chester) or McCloud (Sam McCloud), you will appreciate the section dedicated to Joplin's own Dennis Weaver, who played the roles of Chester and Sam McCloud. At one time Joplin was the winter home for the Tivoli Circus and the museum has an interesting section about the circus.
The museum is located in the center of Schifferdecker Park and the adjacent golf course and city swimming pool offer other activities for families visiting Joplin.
Written 17 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
drinafriedTRIPS
Las Vegas, NV12 contributions
Friendly, helpful staff, well told story of Joplin, place of some famous & infamous people Bonnie & Clyde), models/clothes, well marked artifacts, (free cookie cutter room with sample)...fun circus room with models too). AND the important lead & zinc mining that was done until the 1970 's along with The Crystal Cavern story- the whole museum complex Park area is so pleasant too. Best place here!
Written 31 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Old_Drum
Warrensburg, MO222 contributions
May 2013 • Couples
This small museum is ruled by Percy, the resident cat. Part of the museum covers local geology & mining in depth; the other part has local displays - and a collection of cookie cutters (please take one from the freebie box). No entry fee, but donation (including toys for Percy) are welcome. Folks are friendly and helpful - Percy brooks no interference.
Written 5 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
starrynight22017
Joplin, MO23 contributions
Sept 2017 • Family
The museum complex highlights the history of Joplin and the local area. There's a great mining exhibit, which is key to the local history. There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore.
Written 28 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Per their website, the cost is $2.00 per person or $5.00 for a family.
Written 3 February 2016
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