Lowell Davis' Mural, "Forged in Fire," was officially presented to the City of Carthage by the Soroptimist Club in ceremonies at the historic Jasper County Courthouse on October 10, 1976. The following note in the official program was written for the occasion by State Representative Robert Ellis Young.
Sunday, October 19, 1976 will be long and gratefully remembered as the mighty role of Missouri in the history to our nation becomes better understood.
The importance of this date is that it marks the presentation of the best of all Biventennial gifts to the City of Carthage by you leading citizens known to us as the Carthage Soroptimists.
Through the City of Carthage, the gift becomes a memorable one to the State of Missouri and the United States of America as well.
It is so much more than a mural. It is a memory of the past. It is a legacy for the future. The past of Jasper County and Carthage, its Capital, is more glorious than we know.
Our Capital and our Country were "in the pathway of the armies," not just in 1861 when the Civil War Battle of Carthage occurred, but the the whole four year period of struggle and sacrifice for the Union's preservation.
It is appropriate then that the Civil War itself, coming after the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President, is remembered in the Davis Mural for Americans to contemplate in Jasper County's majestic citadel of government, the Carthage Courthouse.
What happened here at Carthage and later at Wilson's Creek near Springfield during the first year of that war was more important than people knew and than many people living now realize in preservation of the Union.
The Davis Mural depicts so well the entire sweep of history and development. It will contribute to better understanding by those who will be here in our places one hundred years from now.
Yes, Sunday, October 10, is indeed a great day in this Bicentennial year. I congratulate and salute the Soroptimist Club of Carthage for wisdom and generosity in presenting today the best Bicentennial gift of all: A great Work of Art.
The Davis Mural will inspire visitors for all time. They will understand our glorious past better. God Bless the Soroptimists! Robert Ellis Young
State Representative
(photo by djhills)
The Courthouse in the City of Carthage, Missouri is one of the oldest, most beautiful, and most photographed courthouses in the United States.
It is in this Courthouse that Lowell Davis painted his famous mural, "Forged in Fire".
(photo by djhills)
Jasper County was formed in 1841, with a 12’x16’ split log house on a bluff above Spring River, designated as the first county seat. The newly formed government required that each while male was help to build the public roads through the county at last two days per year or pay a 50 cent tax.
A year later, the county adopted the site of Carthage as the permanent county seat and laid out the new town site surrounding a public square. On the north side of the square, a simple one room frame courthouse was built at a cost of $398.50, completed in June, 1842.
Other frame buildings soon followed, housing Carthage’s first businesses.
Vintage postcard of the Carthage, Missouri Courthouse.
(circa 1930's)
Surrounding the magnificent Jasper County Courthouse, Carthage's downtown area with its eclectic architecture of the 1880s-1910s, is the heart of the community.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the area features specialty shops and eateries including a '50s style deli, antique and craft malls, an old-fashioned five and dime, a country mercantile, and an upscale gift shops. Jasper County Courthouse - Built in 1894-95, this Romanesque Revival building is constructed of Carthage stone and is listed on the National Register. Its turrets, towers, and arches evoke the feel of a medieval castle looming over Carthage.
Inside a wrought-iron cage elevator still operates, and an array of military artifacts and mining specimens are displayed along with Lowell Davis' "Forged in Fire" mural portraying the history of Jasper County.
Please use 3rd or 4th street doors to enter. Free to the public.
