Dr. Joseph P. and Effie Porth House

Built in 1842 (Second Empire style). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

From the record

“Joseph P. and Effie Porth House, also known as the William Porth House and Colonial Tea Room, is a historic home located at Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri. The original building was built between 1827 and 1842, and the mansard roof was added between 1885 and 1888.”
Wikipedia article Dr. Joseph P. and Effie Porth House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 54 National Register listings published here for Cole County · listed in 2001 · category: Building · built in 1842, Second Empire style.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. Porth, Dr. Joseph P. and Effie, House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 631 W. Main St., Jefferson City, 65101
When was it listed? January 2001
Category. building
Township. Jefferson township
When was it built? 1842
Architectural style. Second Empire style
National Register reference number. 01000009 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

15 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 15 fires within 5 miles of Dr. Joseph P. and Effie Porth House between 2005 and 2018, burning about 44 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	7
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5
Arson/incendiarism	1
Equipment and vehicle use	1
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
15 May 2016	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Missouri Department of Conservation	136691-01416-05152016-1212
5 April 2013	Debris and open burning	1.5 acres	Missouri Department of Conservation	not named
21 April 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	1.0 acres	Missouri Department of Conservation	176616-01416-04212018-1349
15 April 2005	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office	not named
1 April 2014	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	Missouri Department of Conservation	not named
5 March 2017	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	3.0 acres	Missouri Department of Conservation	not named
5 March 2016	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Missouri Department of Conservation	135558-01416-03052016-1114
25 March 2014	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	25 acres	Missouri Department of Conservation	not named

Every fire recorded in Cole County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 29 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 29 workings within 5 miles of Dr. Joseph P. and Effie Porth House: 24 past producers, 5 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Silica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Capitol Sand Company Dredge No.2	Silica	Producer
Capitol Sand Co Dredge	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Leonard Barnhart Sand & Gravel	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Jeff City Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Jeff-Cole Quarry and Mill	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Jefferson City Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Kieselback Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
State Penitentiary Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Unknown	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Unknown - Ls.	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Cole County

Storms near this property

60 of 107 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Jefferson City, the town this property stands in, in 107 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 49 hail, 41 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 5 lightning. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2018	Lightning	Jefferson City	1 hurt	Storms were moving through the area. One person was struck by lightning in his front yard in Jefferson City. The man sustained non-life threatening injuries.
August 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	$1,000,000	no account filed
April 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	$50,000	Strong winds knocked over large trees and several road signs. Shingles were also blown off sections of roofs.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	$10,000	Numerous tree limbs and several trees were blown down in Jefferson City. One light post was partially blown over. A few windows were blown out of the second story of a house.
June 2007	Lightning	Jefferson City	$5,000	Lightning strikes knocked out power to at least 6000 customers and also started a house fire. A house in the 1500 block of Vieth Drive was hit around 8:00 am CDT, knocking a hole in the side of the home. A small fire started causing about $5000 in damage.
April 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson CIty	$5,000	Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Shingles were also ripped off several houses in Russellville. Two barns were blown apart near the intersection of County Roads AA and A. Damage in Jefferson City lasted about 10 minutes.
May 2007	Flood	Jefferson City	$2,000	The Missouri River flooded parts of the north border of Cole County from Jefferson City to Osage City. Sandbagging was done to protect parking lots for State buildings near the Capitol.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	$1,200	Strong wind gusts damaged power lines, utility poles, and trees around the city.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	$400	Large trees and power lines were blown down across the city. Wind gusts were reported as high as 60 mph along with dime-size hail. The damaging wind lasted for nearly 10 minutes.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees. A couple of trees fell onto power lines pulling them down.
July 2020	Flash Flood	Jefferson City	-	Up to six inches of rain fell in a about a two hour period causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were closed including U.S. Highway 50. Apartments were flooded near the intersection of McCarty Street and East High Street and ones located on nearby Christopher Place due to Gray's Creek rising well out of its banks. This forced the residents to evacuate both complexes. Nine water rescues were performed in Jefferson City after vehicles were driven into the flood waters and stalled. Area around U.S. Highway 50 and Missouri Blvd., as well as The Millbottom Area, were flooded when Wears Creek rose well above its banks. Also, Wears Creek flooding affected the Washington Park and Vivion Field areas. No injuries were reported.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree near Stadium and Southwest Boulevard. Also, numerous tree limbs and several small to medium trees were blown down around town.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds snapped off a medium sized tree in town.
May 2017	Flood	Jefferson City	-	The Moreau River remained above major flood stage through the afternoon hours on May 1st due to very heavy rain over the river basin. A number of secondary roads were closed due to the river flooding. Also, the river rose to the bottom of Tanner Bridge. No structures were affected by the flooding.
April 2017	Flood	Jefferson City	-	The Moreau River went above major flood stage during the evening hours of April 30th due to very heavy rain over the river basin. A number of secondary roads were closed due to the river flooding. Also, the river rose to the bottom of Tanner Bridge. No structures were affected by the flooding.
December 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees, as well as power lines, between Dawson Drive and Dunklin Street along Lafayette Street.
September 2016	Flash Flood	Jefferson City	-	Up to 3 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded. Also, some streets in Jefferson City had up to a foot of water over them.
August 2016	Flash Flood	Jefferson City	-	Up to two inches of rain fell onto already saturated soils causing flash flooding. Several roads were flooded including the state parking lot at U.S. Highway 50 and Broadway in Jefferson City, with between 2 and 3 feet of water.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds snapped off several large trees across town. Also, some shingles were blown off of a house south of town.
March 2012	Hail	Jefferson City	-	Numerous reports of one inch hail on the south side of Jefferson City.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down several power lines around town. One power line fell across part of the west bound lanes of U.S. Highway 54, so the westbound lanes had to be closed temporarily closed until the line was removed.
June 2011	Hail	Jefferson City	-	A wide swath of large hail fell across Jefferson City, especially over the western half of town.
October 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous power lines across town.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down several large trees, power lines and signs around town.
April 2010	Flash Flood	Jefferson City	-	Up to three inches of rain fell in a short amount of time on already saturated soils causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including water over a one lane bridge on Meadows Ford Road just south of intersection with Scruggs Station Road.
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Several power lines were blown down on the west side of town.
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	A street sign was blown over and large tree limbs were blown down.
September 2009	Flash Flood	Jefferson City	-	Between 2 and 4 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time causing flash flooding. Numerous roads and low water crossing were flooded including several streets in Jefferson City.
November 2009	Flash Flood	Jefferson City	-	Between 2 and 3 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time on already saturated soils causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Scrivner, Loesch and Bainer Roads.
May 2008	Heavy Rain	Jefferson City	-	Heavy rain caused urban flooding in Jefferson City and caused some small streams to flood in rural parts of Cole County. Stadium Boulevard in Jefferson City had from six inches to a foot of water over it in places. Low water crossings in rural areas became inundated and several county roads south of Jefferson City were covered with up to six inches of water.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	A few trees and large tree limbs were blown down in the city.
June 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts downed some large tree limbs along Winston Drive.
March 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down several power lines downtown.
August 2006	Lightning	Jefferson City	-	A lightning strike at a substation in the Apache Flats area knocked out power to about 30,000 customers in Jefferson City, and the nearby areas in Callaway, Osage, and Southern Boone counties. The power was restored in about 2 hours.
August 2006	Lightning	Jefferson City	-	Lightning struck an electric distribution line knocking out power to about 3000 customers.
March 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	The ASOS at the Jefferson City airport recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts took down some large tree limbs, small trees, an a few backyard storage buildings. A large tree limb fell on power lines and snapped two power poles in the 3100 block of Rock Ridge Road.
September 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	The Jefferson City Police Department reported scattered trees, large tree limbs, and power lies down across town. Power was out for several thousand people.
August 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Jefferson City Police reported a few trees down across town.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Local law enforcement reported several large trees and tree limbs down. A few homes were damaged by the downed limbs.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in several areas in Jefferson City. As many as 2000 people lost power due to the downed electric lines.
November 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	The Jefferson City Police reported some trees down on South Country Club Drive.
March 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts downed trees northwest of Jefferson City.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	The Jefferson City Police reported several trees and power lines down.
May 2003	Hail	Jefferson City	-	Golfball size hail was reported east of Jefferson City.
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Brief thunderstorm wind gusts around 70 mph downed some trees and power lines in the west part of Jefferson City. One vehicle was damaged by a downed tree. About 300 customers lost electric service for up to four hours because of the damage.
December 2002	Hail	Jefferson City	-	T
May 2002	Hail	Jefferson City	-	Amateur radio spotters reported 3/4 inch hail .
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Amateur radio spotters reported several trees and power lines down on the west side of town.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts caused scattered damage across Jefferson City. Trees and power lines were down, especially in the northwest and southwest parts of town. At least 2500 customers lost electric power. The Jefferson City Fire Department responded to 22 storm related calls, primarily downed trees and power lines. Some homes and vehicles were damaged by the downed trees and limbs.
April 2001	Flood	Jefferson City	-	Heavy rain from a couple of thunderstorms caused some local street flooding in Jefferson City. Some streets had to be closed for a couple of hours.
May 2001	Hail	Jefferson City	-	Severe storm spotters reported 3/4 inch hail.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Storm spotters reported trees down.
September 1997	Lightning	Jefferson City	-	A lightning strike blew a hole in a wall at a home in Jefferson City. Other lightning striles that morning were blamed for setting off security alarms at area businesses and disrupting the telephone system at St. Mary's Health Center.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	Large trees and power lines were blown down across the city. Wind gusts were reported as high as 60 mph along with dime-size hail. The damaging wind lasted for nearly 10 minutes.
July 1995	Hail	Jefferson City	-	Large trees and power lines were blown down across the city. Wind gusts were reported as high as 60 mph along with dime-size hail. The damaging wind lasted for nearly 10 minutes.
June 1994	Hail	Jefferson City	-	Reported by the police department in downtown. The hail lasted for 6 minutes.
June 2018	Hail	Jefferson City	-	no account filed
May 2017	Hail	Jefferson City	-	no account filed
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Jefferson City	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Cole County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
West End Saloon	under 500 feet	2014
Herman Haar House	under 500 feet	1997
J.B. Bruns Shoe Co. Building	0.2 miles	2021
Missouri State Capitol Historic District (Boundary Increase)	0.4 miles	2002
Missouri State Capitol Building and Grounds	0.4 miles	1969
Henry and Elizabeth Bockrath House	0.5 miles	2013

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 01000009 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Cole County	All 54 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.