Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Poplar Bluff (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Rodgers Theatre Building, Poplar Bluff Public Library, and Moore-Dalton House. Also, be sure to include John Archibald Phillips House in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Poplar Bluff (Missouri).
Table of Contents
Rodgers Theatre Building
Theatre in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Rodgers Theatre Building is a historic commercial building located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1949, and is a three-story, brick and concrete commercial building with Art Deco and Art Moderne stylistic elements. The building contains a drama stage and one commercial space and consists of three main sections; the facade and theatre marquee, the theatre, and the office block. The theatre marquee features a prominent ziggurat tower.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[1]
Poplar Bluff Public Library
Public library in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Poplar Bluff Municipal Library is a historic library building located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1936, and is a one-story, Colonial Revival style brick building. It sits on a full basement and has a gable roof.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The Poplar Bluff Municipal Library District can trace its beginnings back to Mrs. M. C. Horton, president of the Poplar Bluff Bay View Reading Club, who held a meeting in her home in 1915 to discuss the possibility of a free public library to serve Poplar Bluff and its citizens. A year later, on April 25, 1916, a membership library opened in the basement of the Criterion Theater staffed with 14 volunteers. Members paid $1 per year for access to this collection. The hours at first were from two to five p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
This library proved so popular that in 1917, a library mill tax was passed and Poplar Bluff had its first public library. After beginning in the basement of the Criterion Theater, the library moved locations several times before landing in its permanent home on Main Street. The building at 318 North Main Street was constructed in 1936 at a cost of $50,000 using a combination of federal and local monies for the purpose of housing a free public library. The Missouri Library Association held its annual statewide conference at the Poplar Bluff Library when it opened its doors in Oct.1936. At the time, the library was touted as being state of the art with electric lights and a three hundred seat auditorium.
In 1998 and 2008, the library’s home was expanded and renovated, respectively, doubling the size of the original 1936 building and more than tripling the size of the 1967 Children’s Library. The building now sits at 21,000 square feet and offers a collection of more than 70,000 volumes, access to public computers, and free and unlimited Wi-Fi.
In June 2012, ninety-five years after the community first dedicated funding for the purpose of a library, Poplar Bluff made its voice heard once again on the value it places on a democratic society that has access to free and open information when they passed a quarter-cent sales tax to ensure the future of the Poplar Bluff Library. This revenue tripled the library’s budget and provides greater access to the library’s services and collections for today’s and future generations.
In November 2019, the library purchased a 4,000 square foot building at 3398 Kanell Blvd to serve as a branch library. In November 2020, the library named this branch The Dr. Gus T. Ridgel Branch Library in honor of a prominent Poplar Bluff native, Dr. Gus T. Ridgel.[2]
Address: 318 N Main St, 63901 Poplar Bluff
Moore-Dalton House
Moore-Dalton House, also known as the Margaret Harwell Art Museum, is a historic home located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was originally built in 1883, and remodeled to its present form in 1896. It is a two-story, frame dwelling on a brick and stone foundation. It features a Classical Revival style semi-circular front portico with fluted Ionic columns and a second story balcony. The house was converted to an art museum by the city of Poplar Bluff in 1979.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It is located in the North Main Street Historic District.[3]
John Archibald Phillips House
John Archibald Phillips House is an historic home located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1891, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, irregular plan, Queen Anne style frame dwelling. It has a gable roof with fishscale shingles on the gable end and features a one-story, shed roof entry porch with milled and chamfered columns. Surrounding the house is an original cast-iron fence. The house was acquired by the Butler County Historical Society in 1985 to serve as a house museum and meeting space.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[4]
Mark Twain School
School in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Mark Twain School, also known as the Poplar Bluff Museum, is a historic school building located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1910, and is a two-story, "H"-plan, Classical Revival style brick building. The building consists of two, parallel, rectangular-plan, hipped roof blocks joined by an enclosed two-story flat roof corridor. It remained in use as an elementary school until 1988.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[5]
Butler County Courthouse
Courthouse in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Butler County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1928, and is a three-story, Classical Revival style brick building of cast concrete construction. Each side is nine bays wide, with the central five bays having two-story engaged Doric order columns and pilasters on the top two floors.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[6]
Wright-Dalton-Bell-Anchor Department Store Building
Historical landmark in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Wright-Dalton-Bell-Anchor Department Store Building, also known as the Dalton Store and F.W. Woolworth Store, is a historic commercial building located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1927–1928, and is a two-to three-story, rectangular brick building with terracotta embellishments. It features shaped parapets with terracotta coping and quatrefoil insets and a decorative terracotta signboard and storefront surround. An F.W. Woolworth store occupied the building from 1947 to about 1987.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[7]
Williams-Gierth House
Williams-Gierth House, also known as The Castle House is a historic home located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1892, and is a large 2+1⁄2-story, irregular plan, Shingle Style dwelling. It features a reconstructed wraparound porch, two turrets, and a hipped roof with polygonal dormer.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[8]
Williamson-Kennedy School
Williamson-Kennedy School is a historic school building located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1922, and is a three-story, rectangular plan, Colonial Revival style brick building. It sits on a cast concrete foundation and has a flat roof. The two primary entrances located in one-story projecting wings at the corners of the building and features cast concrete Doric orderpilasters.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[9]
Thomas Moore House
Thomas Moore House is a historic home located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1896, and is a 2+1⁄2-story, irregular plan, Queen Anne style frame dwelling with Colonial Revival influenced detailing. It has a hipped and gable roof and features a projecting polygonal, two-story bay.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[10]
Wheatley Public School
Wheatley Public School is a historic school building located at Poplar Bluff, Butler County, Missouri. It was built in 1928 population and remained so until the end of segregation in 1958. It is a two-story, "U"-plan, Colonial Revival style brick building with a central gymnasium. The building sits on a cast concrete foundation and has a flat roof. It was constructed to serve the African-American student It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[11]