Eavesdropping on a Formal Dinner Party

The museum guides guests through an immersive, innovative program. Our storyline begins as two prominent families lead a campaign to finance a modern 50-bed hospital in Joplin. Charles and Whilhelmina Schifferdecker and their next-door neighbors, Edward and Margaretha Zelleken, understand the importance of building a hospital to care for injured miners and community families. Believing in the cause, they become the first contributors and passionate supporters.

By way of a unique multimedia tour experience, museum guests will encounter voices from the past. Through their conversations guests learn the early history of Joplin, the families, topics of the day, the precise dialect of the era, and the strict etiquette rules of late Victorian America.

The Restoration

In 2017 David and Debra Humphreys acquired the two homes and established a restoration team with the intention to save, restore, and preserve the original building elements that distinctly characterize these historical landmarks.

The restoration journey culminated in 2025. The fully restored buildings reflect the amazing craftsmen’s talent, passion, expertise, and desire for perfection. A century from now these restored Joplin landmarks will illustrate the story of two successful German immigrant families that left a lasting impression during the late Victorian era.