CARTHAGE

carthage, a city and the county-seat of jasper county, missouri, u.s.a., on the spring river, about 950 ft. above sea-level, and about 150 m. s. by e. of kansas city. pop. (1890) 7981; (1900) 9416, of whom 539 were negroes; (1910 census) 9483. it is served by the st. louis & san francisco, the missouri pacific, and the st. louis, iron mountain & southern railways, and is connected with webb city and joplin, mo., and galena, kan., by the electric line of the southwest missouri railway. the town is built on high ground underlain by solid limestone, and has much natural and architectural beauty. it is the seat of the carthage collegiate institute (presbyterian). a chautauqua assembly and a county fair are held annually. in the vicinity there are valuable lead, zinc and coal mines, and quarries of carthage "marble," with which the county court house is built. carthage is a jobbing centre for a fruit and grain producing region; live-stock (especially harness horses) is raised in the vicinity; and among the city's manufactures are lime, flour, canned fruits, furniture, bed springs and mattresses, mining and quarrying machinery, ploughs and woollen goods. in 1905 the factory products were valued at $1,179,661. natural gas for domestic use and for factories is piped from the kansas gas fields. the municipality owns and operates the electric-lighting plant. carthage, founded in 1833, was laid out as a town and became the county-seat in 1842, was incorporated as a town in 1868, was chartered as a city in 1873, and in 1890 became a city of the third class under the general (state) law. on the 5th of july 1861 about 3500 confederates under general james e. rains and m.m. parsons, accompanied by governor claiborne fox jackson (1807-1862), and 1500 union troops under colonel franz sigel, were engaged about 7 m. north of the city in an indecisive skirmish which has been named the battle of carthage.