The Cherokee County Courthouse in Columbus has that solid late nineteenth century civic look that…read moresmall Kansas county seats leaned into, a mix of practical design and just enough ornament to show that the county meant business. The current courthouse was completed in 1889, build of brick with stone trim, and follows a restrained Romanesque Revival style. The front of the building has a projecting central section with stone facing that frames the entrances and windows. No clock tower, the clock is embedded at the top of the second story. Instead, there is a clock tower on the northwest corner which houses the clockworks from the 1888 County Courthouse. The county was created in 1857 as McGee County and in 1960, the name was changed to Cherokee County. Pleasant View was selected as the county seat in 1867 when the county was organized. The county seat was moved to Baxter Springs in 1868. When the county seat was transferred to Columbus in 1869, the county rented a house on the public square. Kansas has a cluster of counties named for Native nations, especially along its eastern edge, reflecting the complicated history of settlement, treaties, and displacement in the decades before statehood. [Round number review 700 of 2026 - 52 in Kansas - 25881 overall]

Late on a Friday with cranes lifting something to or from the roof, the Jasper County Courthouse in…read moreCarthage still manages to dominate the entire square just by existing. Even with the grounds fenced off, the street level view is more than enough because this place is massive and unapologetically ornate. Completed in 1895, it was designed by architect Max A Orlopp Jr in a Richardsonian Romanesque style, all rough-faced Carthage limestone, heavy arches and that towering clock tower that looks like it was meant to be seen from miles away. Jasper County was formed in 1841 and named for Sergeant William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero, and Carthage has always been the county seat. The city itself takes its name from the ancient North African city of Carthage, part of that nineteenth century trend of giving frontier towns grand classical names. Even with construction equipment rumbling around, the courthouse still feels like the kind of building you stop for, whether you planned to or not. The carved stonework, the turrets, the arches, the sheer scale of the thing all hit you at street level without having the need to wander the lawn. It's one of those courthouses that looks less like a government building and more like a fortress crossed with a cathedral, and even on a disrupted Friday evening, it's easy to see why people consider it to be one of Missouri's most impressive county courthouses. [Review 856 of 2026 - 562 in Missouri - 26037 overall]

This is an AMAZING "old school" Courthouse with lovely ornate block work…read more Inside are a few offices and a treasure trove of historic artifacts; a harbor mine, bell, photos, geodes and Route 66 memorabilia. I read in several books that this particular courthouse is one of the most photographed in the USA, understandably so since it is so lovely.

My Alltime MLB Player The "Commerce Comet" Mickey Charles Mantle!!!…read moreYes I added this to my Bucket List and Now I have done it Folks!!! Wow Small time Boy makes it to Big Ole New York City and becomes a Baseball Legend. Just think it started here in Tiny Commerce Oklahoma!!!

Being a welcome center as well as a rest stop, this place should be nicer than a rest stop, and it…read moreis! They had some cute chairs by the door, Oklahoma made items, Oklahoma clothing, plus coffee, water bottle filling stations, and hot water. Outside there was even a fenced dog park for the furry friends.

It has clean restrooms, friendly people, and even an enclosed dog park…read more That's all I have to say but Yelp insists I keep writing.

The city of Joplin is a nice sized town for a small town community!…read moreIt is near the borders of Kansas and Oklahoma! I remember Joplin being a pit stop for my family driving from Kansas City to Coffeyville!!! Joplin's history is the famous Route 66 and the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde!! There were zinc and lead mining back in the day as well! Fast forward to May 22, 2011, Joplin had a devastating EF-5 Tornado that went thru their town. They made headlines on their coming together and rebuilding their community. For a small town, it has many restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, shopping, hardware stores, churches, and much more. It's a short drive to Springfield for another option! I've enjoyed my visit! The people are very friendly. The town is beautiful.

At the beginning of the race I was Joplin for position. But now I'm just glad to still be in the…read morerace. A very long time ago I had a very good friend in Joplin. He arranged for me to play my first concert in the city and it seems like the whole town showed up. Afterwards I spent part of the night canoodling with a beautiful spectacular girl who I still think about to this day. It was one of those magical nights and I have never forgotten it. Not long after my visit my friend passed away. It's very confusing and complicated but it was ruled a suicide. It was pretty grisly and horrible. I still have good friends that live here but there is a shadow over the town and my heart ever since. Then a couple of months later a devastating tornado wiped out a huge portion of the town and caused many casualties. There will always be a special place in my heart for Joplin and someday I look forward to my return.

I asked a girl from here for her carthage, carthsex, and carthlocation…read more Carthage is a decent-size city just to the east of Joplin. It's sort of a suburb but it really is a town unto itself. It's not as big or diverse as Joplin but it has a similar feel and Small Town Missouri has its charm - and Carthage exudes that. I've been here several times now and I'm sure I'll be here again before long.

a fantastic stop along Route 66. They put a fun twist on a old Texaco filling station from 1939…read more Walking in your made to feel like your family. It's filled with unique finds. They make it family friendly with characters from Cars. And in the upcoming months adding a personalized Muffler Man

Great stop on Route 66 in the small town of Galena! Cool photo ops, shirts, and the owners are…read moresuper nice! Bring a license plate for the wall. They also host local photoshoots and events. We stop here every time we drive by on Route 66. Veteran owned

Really neat little "Town". Lots of really neat things to look at. Truly a work of art. Beautiful…read morenostalgia. Check out all the details.

We found Red Oak II while out on a drive, one afternoon while visiting the area…read more This intentionally built community is the brain child of the late Americana artist, Lowell Dean. Built during the late 1980s, Dean bought, disassembled and moved the bulk of the buildings onto the property, and reassembled them board by board in their present locations. The blacksmith shop, along with a pharmacy, gas station and others. The most recent addition in 2014, a train station moved onto the property, complete with an HO scale locamotive, with coal car and cabosse out front on tracks. There are a few pre civil war structures on the property as well. The gallery houses Deans works over the decades, some of his original paintings, along with prints, figurines, posters, stickers, and collectibles. His wife, Rose is there most days and is friendly and knowledgeable on his work, life and building red oak 2. 4 Stars worth your time and effort, a photographers dream and if you like things americana and quirky 01314