Prosperity, Missouri

Unincorporated community in Missouri, U.S.

Unincorporated community in Missouri, United States

Prosperity

Unincorporated community

Prosperity

Location within the state of Missouri

Coordinates: 37°07′35″N 94°25′15″W﻿ / ﻿37.12639°N 94.42083°W﻿ / 37.12639; -94.42083
Country| United States
State| Missouri
County| Jasper
Township| Joplin
Elevation

[1]

| 1,030 ft (310 m)
Time zone| UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)| UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code|

64801[2]

GNIS feature ID| 724960[1]

Prosperity is an unincorporated community in southern Jasper County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.[1] It is northeast of Joplin and just southeast of Webb City, sitting east of Missouri State Highway 249.[3]

## History

[edit]

### Beginnings

[edit]

Prosperity started as one of the lead and zinc mining camps in the tri-state mining district of southwestern Missouri.[4] It began in 1888 at the site of the Troup Mining Company operation on 40 acres of land.[4] By the next year, twenty mines were in the area, and the settlement had a population of 1500.[4] A post office called Prosperity was established in 1891, and remained in operation until 1920.[5] The community most likely was so named on account of the lucrative local mining industry.[6]

### Operations

[edit]

Rail lines came in to serve the workers and mines. The Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company, forerunner of the Southwest Missouri Railroad Company, which had already linked Joplin to Webb City in 1893, was expanded from Webb City in 1894 to Carterville and into Prosperity.[7][8] The line was further extended in 1903 to link Prosperity with Duenweg.[8] The Missouri Pacific Railway also built a spur.[4] Commerce followed: in its heyday, the settlement had a bank, stores, and other businesses.[4] In 1907, the elaborate Prosperity School building was erected for the schoolchildren of the area.[4]

### Decline

[edit]

A reduction in lead prices in the late 1920s and other factors resulted in ongoing decline in the settlement.[4] The school closed in 1962.[4] The building was renovated as a bed and breakfast in 1994,[4] but that closed in 2016.[9] Only the school building and some houses mark the old settlement now.[4]

## Geography

[edit]

The community of Prosperity is located northeast of Joplin and just southeast of  Carterville. It is localized around the junction between the Missouri Pacific Railroad and Route AA. Prosperity is near the headwaters for Bens Branch of  Center Creek.[10]

## Education

[edit]

Public education in the community of Prosperity is administered by Webb City R-VII School District.[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Prosperity, Missouri
2. ^ "Conception MO ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
3. ^ "Prosperity, Missouri". Google Maps. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Prosperity School Bed and Breakfast, Ghostly Lessons. Lisa Livingston-Martin, Haunted Carthage, Missouri. October 2013. ISBN 9781625846730. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
5. ^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
6. ^ "Jasper County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
7. ^ "R52 Southwest Missouri Railroad Company. Records, 1892-1941. 5 volumes, 1 folder" (PDF). State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
8. ^ a b "The Southwest Missouri Railroad Company". Electric Railway Review, September 1906, pp. 543-548. 1906. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
9. ^ "Prosperity School Bed and Breakfast". Facebook. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
10. ^ "Jasper County Map, 2024" (PDF). MoDOT. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
11. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jasper County, MO" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2024. \- Text list

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Jasper County, Missouri, United States

County seat: Carthage

Cities|

* Alba
* Asbury
* Carl Junction
* Carterville
* Carthage
* Duenweg
* Jasper
* Joplin‡
* La Russell
* Neck City
* Oronogo
* Purcell
* Reeds
* Sarcoxie
* Waco
* Webb City

Map of Missouri highlighting Jasper County

Villages|

* Airport Drive
* Avilla
* Brooklyn Heights
* Carytown
* Duquesne
* Fidelity

Townships|

* Duval
* Galena
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Joplin
* Lincoln
* Madison
* Marion
* McDonald
* Mineral
* Preston
* Sarcoxie
* Sheridan
* Twin Groves
* Union

Unincorporated
communities|

* Belleville
* Bowers Mill‡
* Dudenville‡
* Galesburg
* Kendricktown
* Knights
* Lone Elm
* Maple Grove
* Maxville
* Medoc
* Parshley
* Preston
* Prosperity
* Scotland
* Smithfield
* Tuckahoe

Ghost town|

* Georgia City

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Missouri portal
* United States portal

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