How Poplar Bluff got its brick streets

The Poplar Bluff Museum has tales about us, our family and our history. I want to tell you some of those tales found within the museum walls.

Young Poplar Bluff had a flooding problem. The dirt streets were a muddy mess. Horses and wagons only churned them up more. In 1909 the Commercial Club, forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce, proposed the construction of drainage ditches and brick streets. The measure was eventually passed, funding was acquired, engineers and contractors were hired.

According to the “Poplar Bluff Historical Preservation Commission,” in 1912 the first brick street was completed. One block of Poplar Street between Main and Forth Streets were paved. Soon the entire downtown district was paved. It was an event to see. The entire town turned out to watch. At one point the project employed 150 workers. Poplar Bluff was the first town this side of Missouri to have brick streets. It was quite the epoch in the city’s history. After everyone saw the results, private property owners wanted their streets paved too. Eventually over three miles of city streets were paved. During construction, many of the horses hauling the bricks were slipping on the paving. The engineers had to lay the bricks at odd angles on the curves and hills to provide traction for the horses. Look closely and you can still see the bricks laid out at odd angles.

In 1962 the “shopping center” craze was swept the nation. In order to keep downtown competitive, the city decided to pave over some of the brick streets with asphalt. A 1999 study later revealed that asphalt streets cost double the amount of money to maintain than brick streets. As brick streets began to disappear across America, the Poplar Bluff streets became a historic reminder to an age gone by.

You can still drive the brick streets of Poplar Bluff all the way to the museum. Have your name engraved on a historic Poplar Bluff brick and it will be placed in front of the Museum. The Museum is open every Sunday free of charge from 1pm to 4 pm at 1010 Main Street on the bricks! Poplar Bluff (Formerly the Old Mark Twain School). Tell them Mike sent you!

Mike Shane is a veteran, Poplar Bluff resident and board member for the Poplar Bluff Museum.