The Cassill Place Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Portions of the content on this web page were adapted from a copy of the original National Park Service nomination document (1980) titled Historic Resources of Carthage MO, portions of which were subsequently included as part of the Historic District nomination in 1986.
Cassill Place Historic District retains integrity as a surviving segment of the former Cassill Place, a residential haven for wealthy citizens of Carthage in the period between 1890 and 1925. Originally two blocks long, the once-stylish district has shrunk to one block, surrounded by commercial development along Central Avenue. However, this one block contains eight houses that retain a high degree of integrity and demonstrate important stylistic trends of the period between 1890 and 1925 and only one house that has been substantially denatured and therefore does not contribute to the significance of the district. Properties contained within the amended district boundaries are as follows:
Macoubrie House, 721 Central, 1903. The curving veranda of this Victorian Eclectic home was added between 1909 and 1925. The modified hipped roof has a denticulated cornice, as does the porch, which is supported by Doric columns. The hipped dormers are sided with fish-scale shingles.
Former Herrin Home, 728 Central, c.1890. Major Joseph Herrin hired G. Bistline, a local contractor, to begin construction on this 2 1/2 story home. Cast iron roof cresting and finials crown the hipped roof and porch. Decorative sunburst panels and shingles enhance the upper gable and the cornice is bracketed.
Fenimore House, 729 Central, c. 1890. G. Bistline was again the local contractor in charge of the construction of this 2 1/2 story Eastlake home. A fine veranda with turned posts and jig-sawn cut brackets wraps around the front of the residence. The interior and the exterior have received very few alterations over the years.
McFadden House, 733 Central, c. 1925. This 1 1/2 story, frame Bungalow has large, diagonal braces beneath the front gable and exposed rafters under the side eaves. The porch roof is supported by square wooden posts set on stone foundations.
Meister House, 734 Central, c. 1890. The modified hipped roof of this two story Victorian Eclectic home is crowned by cast iron roof cresting. The porch features the same type of cresting, turned posts, balusters and scrolled brackets.
Joe McFadden House, 735 West Central, c. 1910. This home was moved from several lots east of its present location in the 1950s. This two story Box home displays little architectural detail of significance.
A. H. McFadden House, 742 Central, 1914. This two story Box home retains its original door with oval light. The front porch has Doric support columns.
Former Eugene O'Keefe House, 743 Central, c. 1893. This monumental, 2 1/2 story Queen Anne home was expertly restored in 1977-1978. Previous years of neglect had left it in a dilapidated condition. A 2 1/2 story rounded tower, decorative chimneys, fish-scale shingles, turned posts, cut work, and ornamental panels are only a few of the home's descriptive features.
Dennison House, 744 Central, c. 1914. This 1 1/2 story Bungalow has a Carthage marble veneer. The marble has been given a smooth finish.
Cassill Place Historic District ... block retains the character of the period between 1890 and 1925 and exhibit high artistic values, illustrating important trends in architecture that occurred between the last decade of the nineteenth century and the middle 1920's. ... Cassill Place was an important turn-of-the-century neighborhood that was pictured in a Souvenir Album of Carthage, Missouri, a Chamber of Commerce publication of that era as one of the most desirable residential areas in the city. The fine homes in Cassill Place are expressive reminders of an age of prosperity during which Carthage was promoted as "the ideal spot of the universe" by a Chamber of Commerce pamphlet. Cassill Place retains several late Victorian homes of exceptional merit. Perhaps the most notable of these is the Queen Anne style home built by Eugene O'Keefe, who came to Carthage in the 1870's and engaged in business, eventually becoming director of the First National Bank. The Fenimore House is a fine example of the Eastlake style, with a sweeping veranda featuring turned posts and jig-sawn brackets. The McFadden House illustrates the movement toward simplicity and classicism after the turn of the century, and the Dennison House exemplifies the twentieth-century bungalow style, with an interesting use of a Carthage marble veneer. As a group these houses form a cohesive residential unit and convey a definite sense of the period between 1890 and the 1920's.
References
"The Beautiful City of Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri," published by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, 1925.
Carthage, Missouri, "The Open Gate to the Ozarks," published by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, 1926. Souvenir Album of Carthage, Missouri, n.d.
MacMorran, Caryl B. and Hallenberg, Heather M., Carthage Historic Preservation, Inc., Historic Resources of the City of Carthage, nomination document, 1980, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Street Names
Central Avenue West