New! Wheatley School
added to National Historic Register
Piano Finds a Home
Names & Places - Early
Poplar Bluff settlers chose an uninhabited bluff on Black River
on which to place the town that would contain their governing
offices, and they named it for the beautiful poplar trees that
grew profusely on that bluff.
Bricks & Martyrs - Too
many people look at our town, Poplar Bluff, and miss its colorful
history and unique attributes and culture. They see only an ordinary,
small rural city with its limitations and its idiosyncrasies.
Live here, visit repeatedly or get to know one of our residents.
You'll change your view.
A River & A Bridge - Poplar
Bluff is a river city---like many other fortunate towns and cities
throughout the world. Danger of flooding accompanies this good
fortune, but for the most part, the value of the river far surpasses
any detriments
Tall Timber - The
tall timber of the virgin forest must have been overwhelming to
the earliest settlers of the present-day Poplar Bluff area. In
fact, trees were one of the homesteaders' biggest enemies as they
tried to clear places to grow enough food for their livestock
and large families.
Rodgers Theatre - Call
it the picture show, the talkies, the flicks or the movies, this
great celluloid adventure , has been the main source of entertainment
for many Americans since the country’s first story film “The
Great Train Robbery” was produced in1903.
They Traveled by Train - The
"Wooo Wooo---Wooo Wooo----Wooo Wooo" of the powerful
train engines’ whistles, a familiar sound In Poplar Bluff
for so many years, is now just an occasional nostalgic sound.
Going down to the station to watch the trains come in was once
an exciting pastime for many children.
Homes of the 19th Century - Poplar
Bluff was built on the site of a great forest of hardwood trees,
gum and cypress. Timber was its first industry. It naturally follows
that most of the buildings in the town were built of wood. Many
of the beautiful early homes and their histories are gone. Some
burned and many were in the way of progress and were razed.
Historic Places & City Landmarks
- Take a self-guided tour
presented by the Poplar Bluff Historical Commission. In 1994 and
again in 1998, the National Register of Historic Places recognized
16 buildings and districts in the city. Seven sites in the city
also have been designated City Landmarks.
Hitching Posts - Hitching
posts were the parking spaces of the early 19th century in Poplar
Bluff. A number of them still stand. Photos
Bibliography - Sources
and resources.
Poplar
Bluff Historical Commission - members, terms of appointment.
Fun
Stuff!
Coloring books -
Historic Buildings of Our
Past & Present -Download a whole book, individual pages to
color or choose our online coloring applet.
The Name Game - Try
to find the names hidden in this puzzle!
Brick Street Scrambler - Try
to repair our street!
Poplar Bluff Trivia Quiz - See
how much you know about Poplar Bluff! (Hint: Spend some time here
first!)
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This publication is partially funded by a grant from the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources' Historic Preservation Program
and the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Grant awards do not imply an endorsement of contents by the
grantor. Federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of
race, sex, age, handicap or ethnicity. For more information write
to the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the interior,
Washington, DC 20240.
