The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Carthage, Jasper County

Discussion

March 30, 2008

Jo Ellis: Carthaginians hail from all over the U.S,

CARTHAGE, Mo. — We are not alone. Thousands of people out there who call themselves Carthaginians are telling the truth, because at least 10 other cities or towns across the United States are namesakes of the ancient city of Carthage in North Africa.

But, we can lay sole claim to being the most-populated Carthage (more than 13,300 residents) in America. Here is a quick rundown on those cities, how we are different and how we are alike. Interestingly, many of them also are county seats and have rivers within their boundaries or nearby.

n Carthage, Texas, (pop. 6,664) is in eastern Texas near the Louisiana line. The county seat of Panola County incorporated in 1846, just four years after our Carthage, and is into its fifth courthouse. The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame located there also houses the Tex Ritter Museum.

n Carthage, Miss., (pop. 4,749) is the county seat of Leake County. It is northeast of Jackson along the Pearl River. The residents cheer loudly for their own Carthage Tigers football team. The city was incorporated in 1834. The courthouse is of modern design.

n Carthage, N.Y., (pop. 3,721) is in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, on the state’s upper western side. The city was founded in 1889, and its two parts are separated by the Black River.

n Carthage, Ill., (pop. 2,725) county seat of Hancock County, was incorporated in 1837. In 1844, a mob broke into the jail and killed the Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his followers. The imposing courthouse, built in 1908, is of white Bedford Indiana stone, similar in appearance to our Carthage limestone.

n Carthage, Tenn., (pop. 2,258) is the county seat of Smith County, and boasts a beautiful brick courthouse built in 1879. About 50 miles east of Nashville on U.S. 70, the city is split by the Cumberland River. Al Gore, former vice president, is from the area.

n Carthage, N.C., (pop. 2,030) was founded in 1796. The county seat of Moore County is situated in a rural, hilly country. The closest large city is Raleigh. In the 1800s, Tyson Buggy Co. manufactured carts and buggies, and the city still celebrates a Buggy Festival each spring.

n Carthage, Ohio, (pop. 1,467) was settled in the early 1700s and was known for the Hamilton County Fair. Neighboring Cincinnati overwhelmed and annexed the small community. Located less than a mile from Interstate 75, the community is largely Hispanic and features an annual Hispanic Festival.

n Carthage, Maine, (pop. 509) was organized in 1826. It is in the western part of the state on Highway 142 near Rumford. Its population has been largely unchanged for more than a century. A limestone quarry operated there for some time, giving the town an affinity with our Carthage.

n Carthage, Ark., (pop. 427) is southwest of Pine Bluff. This small town on Highway 48 is about one mile square, and has an elementary school and a high school.

n Carthage, S.D., (pop. 187) is a tiny town but has a big heart and is well-promoted. Its man-made Lake Carthage yields largemouth bass, black crappie, pike and walleye. It was settled in 1882 by a surveyor from Carthage, N.Y. The population declined after a devastating fire in 1910. Residents spent more than 40,000 volunteer hours in constructing a straw-bale museum that exhibits the R-factor of straw, and a collection of farm machinery, tools and kitchen gadgets. In 2006, segments of the Sean Penn film “Into the Wild” were filmed in the area.

So never doubt a stranger if he walks up to you and says, “I’m from Carthage.”

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Carthage, Jasper County
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