For approximately 75 years, the Tri-State Mining District produced more than 500 million tons of ore. An outgrowth to this zinc-mining bonanza was the associated companies that sustained the mining industry. The local mining community needed tools, supplies and heavy machinery to process the valuable zinc ore. A variety of home-based companies were established to fulfill the needs of the growing mining economy.

Joplin Supply Company began assisting the local mining industry as a mining supply house. It opened for business March 15, 1899. Joplin Supply sold Worthington and Goulds pumps, engines, boilers, steam heads, pulleys, belts, fittings, brass goods and wire cloth.

Edward B. Rhea was the first president of Joplin Supply Co. Rhea had previous experience in selling mining equipment when he owned Rhea Wholesale Supply.

The Joplin Supply Co.’s first business address was at 319 Joplin Ave. By 1903, Joplin Supply would move to the Aldrich Building at Fourth and Wall.

For 27 years, the Joplin Supply Co. manufactured parts and assembled automobiles for the Ford Motor Co. Beginning in 1903, the company ordered four Model As at a cost of $600 each and treated many Joplin residents to their first glimpse of the automobile. During that year licenses were required for all the “horseless carriages”; however, horses still had the lawful preference of the right of way on city’s thoroughfares.

In 1908, Joplin Supply ordered the new Model T from Ford. Nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie,” the new low-cost, reliable and interchangeable-part vehicle revolutionized transportation habits for Americans.

Committed to continue to manufacture Fords, the Joplin Supply Co. constructed a five-story brick warehouse on the northwest corner of Third and Joplin streets to assemble automobiles. Completed in 1923, the sprawling warehouse offered the perfect setting to produce Ford vehicles. The large, powerful elevators allowed each auto to move from floor to floor as different parts of the car were assembled together. A spacious showroom on the first floor allowed local customers to look over the finished product.

Replacement auto parts could be purchased there, too. Mufflers sold for 25 cents each, and an entire new fender could be obtained for $2.50.

The Joplin Police Department purchased three brand new, five-passenger Fords from Joplin Supply in 1920. Prior to those acquisitions, the department had only one motorized vehicle.

Joplin Supply continued to be a supplier of parts for Model Ts, Lincolns and Ferguson tractors through the 1920s. In 1931, the company discontinued its association with Ford Motor Co. as the last Ford rolled off the assembly line.

One year earlier, the company and representatives of Ford offered plane rides in a tri-motor, 14-passenger airplane. In July 1930, the Joplin Globe reported pioneer endurance flier Colonel Reg Robbins took local residents on 15-minute aerial tours of Joplin and the vicinity. The sightseeing trip charge was $2.50 for adults and $1.25 for children.

Joplin Supply acquired property at Third and Michigan in 1927. Using a former warehouse on the site, the company began to fill the building with mining and milling equipment. At this time, Joplin Supply began to offer an array of plumbing and heating equipment. In 1946, wholesale refrigeration parts were sold as well. Ten years later, an electrical department was added to the growing company.

In 1958, the Springfield-based Harry Cooper Supply Co. purchased Joplin Supply. The present office and warehouse at 302 Michigan was renovated in 1981. Joplin’s R. E. Smith was the contractor for the $725,000 renovation and expansion building project.

Joplin Supply Co. today is a multi-faceted business that offers an assortment of products. It stocks and offers for sale a compete line of plumbing, electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning), waterworks and refrigeration products for the various trades. Their principal customers are plumbing, electrical, HVAC and mechanical contractors. It offers supplies for industrial facilities, electrical co-operatives, municipalities, hospitals and schools. They have an in-house kitchen and bath galleria called the Showplace to provide displays of new and updated products for builders, designers, remodelers and do-it-yourselfers to select from.

The company serves the Four-State Area with a trade territory of an approximately 100-mile radius from Joplin.

With an annual payroll of $1,750,000, Joplin Supply currently employs 46 full-time employees and two part-time employees.

Through the years, Joplin Supply has adapted to the needs of the ever-changing community it serves. It represents one of only a few businesses that still has a direct connection to the 1800s and our once rich mining heritage.