5 Colorized Photos from Joplin’s Past

5 Colorized Photos from Joplin’s Past

Written by Explore Joplin

A look at Joplin's rich history

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Joplin, Missouri has a rich history dating back to when the city was founded in 1873. It quickly grew into a major mining center as it was known for its lead and zinc mines. The city’s economy boomed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Since then, Joplin has undergone many changes over the years, but its unique charm remains. The city is home to a variety of historical landmarks, including the Joplin Museum, historic downtown area and several original buildings that are still in use today.

To celebrate Joplin’s history, we found a couple black and white photos and put them through the new Photoshop AI features to colorize, de-age and restore them see what they would’ve looked like in full color. And the results are awesome! 

These photos offer a glimpse into what life was like in Joplin, Missouri over a century ago and serve as a reminder of the city’s vibrant past and the people who lived here.

Shout out to historicjoplin.org for the photos!

Enjoy!

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Photo credit & learn more @ Historic Joplin

Joplin Worth Block circa 1902​

The Worth Block was one of the tallest buildings in Joplin, Missouri in 1902 was located at 4th and Main which is now home to Spiva Park. It was built by James H. Worth, a prominent businessman and housed a variety of businesses, including a “Donehoo the Druggist” drugstore, the Keystone Bar, and the Connor hotel. It was also a popular meeting place for people in Joplin.

In the colorized version, you see the red brick walls of the Worth block standing out against the blue sky. People are gathered on the sidewalk in front of the building, dressed in clothing that is typical of the 1900s.

The colorized version of the photo brings the Worth block to life and serves as a reminder of the city’s vibrant past and the people who lived here.

Photo credit & learn more @ Historic Joplin

The Joplin Supply Co. circa 1913

This photo of Fourth Street looking east – sometime before 1913.  In the photo, we see busy 4th street, men in suits walking, a trolley steetcar  and the  Joplin Supply Co. 

In 1913, the Joplin Supply Company was one of the largest and most successful companies in Joplin. The company employed over 100 people and had an annual sales volume of over $1 million. The company was also a major taxpayer in Joplin.

In the colorized version, we see the man on the right’s blue suit with brown pants, the black car (possibly model T) and brown brick buildings. On this photo, we used a colorizing tool as well as de-aging to remove film grain from the photo.

About this project

At Explore Joplin, we believe that exploring new technologies like AI can help people connect with the city’s past and local culture in fresh new ways.

We hope you enjoyed this look at Joplin’s history. If you are interested in learning more about Joplin’s past, we encourage you to visit the Joplin Museum of History & Science and visit Historic Joplin’s website.

Thanks for reading!

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Explore Joplin

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